SPORTS VERSION – Is called Alpine A290 and it is the sports version of the Renault 5, the small electric car which, from a stylistic point of view, strongly recalls the 5 of 1972; indeed, to tell the truth, it seems to be inspired more by Super 5 from 1984. In any case, the result is captivating: balance of shapes and references to the past are well balanced and give a very personal look to this five-door small car. From this starting point, Alpine (the company that, within the Renault galaxy, deals with the most high-performance models and races in F1) has carried out work that goes beyond the “facade”.
WIDER TRACKS AND TWO MORE HEADLIGHTS – First of all, the roadways (and the wheel arches) are wider of 6 cm: in addition to giving the car a more aggressive appearance, they aim to improve cornering behavior, given that they ensure better support. The dimensions? 399 cm long, 182 wide, 152 high and 253 wheelbase (the distance between the centers of the front and rear wheels). Compared to the Renault 5, on Alpine A290 there are two headlights additional in rally style, smaller and positioned between the two main ones. They are characterized by LEDs that form an “x” in the center and, when you approach the car with the key in your pocket, they automatically activate a welcome sequence. The roof profiles are also specific sill skirts, the optional French flag on the C-pillar, the black antenna on the roof, the logo on the fenders and the rear bumper. The rib in the rear doors deserves a separate discussion, which recalls the air intake of the 5 Turbo of the 80s: a “beast” that maintained the style of the small car of the time, but had a rear engine and traction and managed to win four races of the World Rally Championship; in the case of the new Alpine A290, which has front mechanics, the function is purely aesthetic.
DESIGNED TO ENTERTAIN – The platform of Alpine A290 is shared with the Renault 5, but the aforementioned widening of the carriageways, the specific calibration of springs and shock absorbers and the more direct steering should guarantee greater driving pleasure when cornering begins; again for this purpose, the 19″ wheels are fitted with Michelin tires (summer and winter) specially developed. If you feel particularly capable, and you’re on track, you can turn off the Exp: Car control becomes a matter of pure skill, without filters.
TWO NEW BUTTONS ON THE STEERING WHEEL – The steering wheel houses the buttons initialed OV and RCH. The first (from overtake: overtaking) allows you to reach peak power for a maximum of ten seconds when you are in normal driving mode. In Sport mode, however, there is no need to press the button: you press the gas fully and you get maximum power (always within the 10 second limit; once the time has expired, the power drops by 27 HP. Already , but what is the power peak? 220 HP for versions GTS And GT Performance180 for the GT Premium. The “normalized” power therefore drops to 193 HP for the most powerful and others 153 HP for the Premium. The RCH (Recharge) button instead allows you to modulate the regeneration: nothing new in an electric, but Alpine say they have worked to ensure that, regardless of how much the battery is recharged with the accelerator raised, this “brake ” can vary the driving dynamics as desired. The stronger the regeneration, the more there is load transfer towards the front axle and, therefore, the Alpine A290 he will tend to close corners with his rear. On the right spoke of the steering wheel there is, however, the gear selector driving mode: Save, Normal, Sports, Lost. With the latter mode, steering assistance, accelerator response, ambient lights and (fake) engine roar are independently adjusted.
“CUSTOMIZABLE” SECURITY – Like the Renault 5, also the Alpine A290 offers advanced driver assistance systems. We mention driver attention control, automatic emergency braking even when reversing, front and rear sensors with emergency trajectory correction and safe exit of occupants (an alarm is activated if you try to open a door while someone comes from behind). As in the latest Renaults, there is the My Safety Switch, located to the left of the steering wheel. It is used to select the preferred settings of the assistance systems, choosing for example which ones to keep active and which ones to deactivate, the level of intervention and the presence of acoustic alerts (it is possible to silence the intrusive “beep beeps” when, for example, you are traveling at 91 km/h on a road with a 90 limit). Furthermore, the A290 offers adaptive cruise control with Stop & Go as standard and a function that can move the car a little to the side to let, for example, two-wheeled vehicles pass.
CUSTOMIZED INTERIORS – Sportiness is fine, but why give up the practicality of the rear doors (having said that no one makes three-door cars of this kind anymore)? The great thing is that i rear seats I am “true”: four adults travel comfortably and the high floor, which causes the knees to have a fairly closed angle, does not cause discomfort. Not bad either trunk, of 326 liters of capacity; It’s just a shame that the threshold is a little high from the ground and the large step with the loading floor. For the rest, compared to the Renault 5 the differences are not structural: the tone of the lights changes fabrics, a beautiful dark blue, and the steering wheel and seats (more enveloping), as well as the ambient lighting, are specific. The big ones remain screens (the central one is 10.1”) and the Android Automotive operating system, with Google Maps which integrates the trip planning functionality for electric cars, thus recommending the most appropriate time to stop and recharge.
WEIGHT IN THE RIGHT PLACE – As is the norm for an electric, also the Alpine A290 Not Weighs little (1,479 kg) but has the advantage that the heaviest part, the battery, is in the lowest possible point, under the floor. This allowed us to lower the center of gravity and obtain a better ride weight distribution: 57% in front and 47% in the rear, while a small petrol sports car (like the old Clio RS) has around 65% of the mass concentrated in the front. They seem like details, but instead they have a major impact on driving dynamics. And the closer we get to 50:50, the more predictable the reactions at the limit (at least on paper) are.
TRIPS DETERMINED – The two most powerful versions, therefore with 220 HP, have a declared 0-100 km/h of 6.4 seconds and a top speed – not really exciting, if you are a track lover – of 170 km/h. The performance of the vehicle has not yet been declared Alpine A290 of 180 HP. Other numbers: the turning diameter is 10.6 meters, while the 52 kWh battery should guarantee aautonomy average of 380 km. DC charging can take place up to 100 kW, allowing the A290 to go from 15 to 80% in 30 minutes and recover up to 150km of range in 15 minutes. In alternating current, the battery charger from 11 kW of the equipment on board allows a 50-80% in 1 hour and 20 minutes. The charger is bidirectional to be able to count on V2L (vehicle-to-load) functions to connect devices, such as pedal-assisted bikes, via socket. It is also compatible with V2G (vehicle-to-grid) functions to save on home charging.
