2018 Alpine A110 first drive review
French cars often do it differently.
The Alpine A110 is no exception, rejecting the performance car world’s obsession with lap records, hugely powerful engines, massive brakes and fat tyres to deliver a delicate driving experience almost unheard of in 2017.
Renault’s reborn performance brand is a fascinating concept, reviving a dormant badge with strong European heritage – including historic victories at Le Mans and the World Rally Championship – though relatively few people in Australia will know what Alpine is about.
Awareness of the original Alpine A110 is key to understanding a new model which draws heavily on its forbear. After all, this is retro-modern styling similar to the latest VW Beetle or Mini Cooper, an evocative shape with compact dimensions and interesting curves which make a strong first impression anchored by details drawing you in for a closer look.
Prominent oval-shaped driving lights pay homage to the rally-ready spot lamps bolted to the original A110’s bumper, framing a bonnet home to a sculpted rib running up its centreline. The rear end is all about the car’s proportions, a low and wide tail calling back to the 1962 original.
Its rear three-quarter stance is unlike anything on sale today, helped by a striking panel that runs from the low sill ahead of the rear wheel, alongside the door’s shut-line, up the C-Pillar toward the roof, under the rear glass and over the tyre to a subtly kicked-up bootlid before meeting the taillights and rear bumper. It’s an extraordinary piece of sculpture few factories are able to produce properly, which is why the A110’s aluminium skin is stamped in Italy by the same factory responsible for much of Aston Martin’s coachwork.
The result is striking – more so in the metal than photographs.
Alpine’s first couple of thousand cars are represented by the A110 Premiere Edition pictured here.
Powered by a mid-mounted 1.8-litre four-cylinder turbo engine similar to what you will find in the next-generation Renault Megane RS hot hatch, the A110 sends relatively modest 185kW and 320Nm outputs to the rear wheels through a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission with column-mounted shift paddles.
Featuring 18-inch Otto Fuchs wheels, Brembo brakes, Sabelt seats and a lightweight Focal stereo, the Premiere is also home to lashings of carbon fibre, quilted leather elements and grippy faux suede touchpoints reinforcing a sporty theme.
You get a digital dash with dedicated displays for its three driving modes and the ability to store track data, a small central screen with sat nav and a “MySpin” smartphone mirroring system, air conditioning, cruise control and autonomous emergency braking.
Gorgeous-looking fixed-back seats only offer sliding front-to-rear adjustment, though you can break out the tools and remove race-like bolts to carefully raise or lower the seat to meet personal requirements. Rather than fitting heavy electric motors to the A110, Alpine figured most owners will spend a few minutes setting the perfect seating position and leave it locked there for the rest of their ownership period.
As a tall and (extra) large Aussie bloke surrounded by compact Frenchmen at the car’s launch near Marseille, I was surprised to discover a spacious interior offering plenty of headroom and an impressive range of height and reach adjustment for the compact and beautifully finished steering wheel. The accelerator is perfectly placed, though left-foot-brakers might prefer a pedal positioned a little closer to its footrest.
Sports cars aren’t always so accommodating, particularly when they are almost 25 centimetres narrower than Holden’s Astra hatch.
Sitting somewhere between the Spartan minimalism of a Lotus Exige and the tech-fest of Porsche’s Cayman, the Alpine goes without side airbags, a reversing camera or useful interior storage compartments in pursuit of driving dynamics.
Test driver Rudy Thomann, a veteran racer who helped develop the original Lotus Elise before moving to RenaultSport and Alpine, says the French team followed a “light is right” theology attempting to save weight at every turn.
That lack of side airbags limits Alpine to importing just 100 examples per year in Australia, putting potential sales on par with Alfa Romeo’s 4C, ahead of Lotus and behind Porsche’s Cayman.
Alpine’s Renault-sourced engine offers similar performance to that trio, promising to hit 100km/h in 4.5 seconds before reaching a top speed of 250km/h.
Though its engine numbers aren’t particularly impressive in a world where the hottest hatchbacks are on the cusp of 300kW outputs and three-point-something dashes to the highway speed limit, the Alpine’s slender weight works in its favour at every turn.
Tipping the scales at just 1103kg in fully-loaded Premiere Edition form (subsequent models will be lighter), the all-aluminium Alpine’s power to weight ratio sits between Ford’s 257kW Focus RS and BMW’s 272kW M2 Coupe – vehicles few could accuse of being tardy. Its 6.1L/100km fuel figure is similarly impressive, matching the entry-level 1.5-litre Mazda MX-5 while using almost double the roadster’s power to pull similar weight.
While it can’t match the Cayman’s 220kW and 380Nm outputs, a kerb weight 250 to 300 kilograms lighter than Porsche’s coupe helps it go quicker in a straight line.
The Alpine sounds brilliant too, piping a rorty tune through a central exhaust accompanied by a determined induction growl from air intakes tucked into the rear corner of its driver’s side window.
You can hear the distant breathe and hiss of its turbo accompanied by a pop and crackle from its exhaust in a rich and rewarding soundscape.
A new dual-clutch seven-speed transmission is much better than previous efforts from Renault, offering crisper shifts and a quicker response than the six-speed Clio RS currently on sale. The extra gear brings a tighter stack of ratios that helps with fuel economy and acceleration while making the cabin simpler and more spacious than a conventional manual option.
Drive, neutral and reverse buttons join window switches and an electronic parking brake on the centre console, doing away with a bulky gear lever arrangement. You pop it in park by holding down the neutral button and access a manual gear setting by pressing drive twice. A red sport button on the steering wheel cycles through driving modes and a retro toggle on the dash serves to start and stop the engine.
Unlike most rear-drive performance cars, the Alpine does without a limited slip differential on the rear axle, preferring the agile turning characteristics – if inferior traction – offered by an open diff with an occasional pinch of rear brake to keep things tidy.
That’s the same approach taken by McLaren, and you get a sense the Alpine crew appreciate the work of Britain’s supercar brand. The A110’s sophisticated F1-style double wishbone suspension setup results in better control of the wheels than a conventional strut arrangement while offering more wheel travel than cheaper hardware, allowing the use of soft springs, simple fixed-rate shock absorbers and lightweight sway bars tasked with controlling a surprising amount of body roll.
Renault’s ultimate coupe pitches, dives and leans more than any modern performance car I’ve experienced, though its low seating position and near-perfect centre of gravity serve to minimise the effect on occupants.
That weight transfer is used to make the most of comparably modest 205mm front and 235mm rear rubber, squeezing loaded tyres into the road to elicit grip when cornering, braking and accelerating. Drivers also benefit from the body movement, which helps the chassis communicate intentions clearly with its pilot. You’re always aware of what’s happening underneath you, and anticipate what to do next.
Turning into a tight chicane at speed on the Grand Sambuc circuit near Marseille, I felt the rear end go light and rotate with oversteer as the front tyres bit into surface while braking. You catch and balance little slides on corner entry even at modest speed, then work the throttle and steering to hustle it away after the apex. Drivers face a choice at every turn – squeeze the throttle with care to make tidy progress or get greedy with the power and be ready with opposite lock as the rear axle pushes wide.
Progressive, predictable and friendly on track, the car’s narrow – and not particularly sporty – Michelin tyres are intended to offer drivers of all abilities a chance to dance.
In a way, it’s a little like Toyota’s 86, but lighter, sharper, and much more potent between the bends. Powerful calipers clamping 320mm front and rear brakes made short work of 200km/h speeds on track while offering excellent feel and modulation.
And it’s even better on the road.
That long-travel suspension with soft springs soaks up the bumps in impressive fashion, retaining its composure on broken surfaces in Aix-en-Provence. Where many sports cars would thump and crash over imperfections, the Alpine feels more like a well-sorted luxury sedan than a weekend track toy. In a way, that helps you go even faster when the mood strikes, as the car always feels planted and in control.
The three driving modes – Normal, Sport and Track – have no bearing on its suspension, changing only its steering weight, driveline response and stability control settings. All three bring brilliant road manners with light, accurate and well-weighted steering that responds beautifully to driver inputs.
Excellent forward vision – even if the rear view is quite limited – and compact dimensions help you place the car with confidence when pressing on. It really does feel more like a poor man’s McLaren than a rich man’s Renault.
Of course it isn’t perfect. Some of the interior trim elements feel a little cheap at this end of the market, the exhaust drones at highway speed and there is precious little cargo storage - modest front and rear spaces cannot contain some carry-on sized luggage. My regular-sized backpack had to be squashed to close the front or rear boot.
Like a Lotus or Alfa 4C (and unlike the Cayman), this is not a car most people would drive every day. Renault Australia also elected not to extend its standard five-year unlimited-kilometre warranty to the Alpine, which will make do with a three-year guarantee.
The brand’s local arm has not locked in prices for the Alpine, which will closely follow Europe’s Premiere Edition in standard equipment.
Tipped to cost between $90,000 and $100,000 when it arrives in June 2018, the A110 looks set to undercut the $110,000 Cayman before you factor in its strong standard features list – adding fixed-back seats, a dual-clutch transmission, sports exhaust system and a “sport chrono” and lap timer would pile at least $20,000 on the Cayman’s price tag.
More importantly, the A110 isn’t trying to be a Porsche. Or a Lotus, BMW or Alfa Romeo.
The Alpine’s unique focus on weight reduction and pliable driving dynamics shows there is more than one way to build a brisk, engaging, and addictive performance car in 2018.
Vive la difference.
2018 Alpine A110 pricing and specifications:
Price: $90,000 to $100,000 (estimated)
On sale: June 2018
Engine: 1.8-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol
Power: 185kW at 6000rpm
Torque: 320Nm at 2000rpm
Transmission: 7-speed automatic, rear-wheel-drive
Fuel use: 6.1L/100km