Alpine A290, sports essence

The cars do not measure their hands, the proof of this is the A290, elected from the car of the year 2025. We have tried the GTS version of 220 hp on the road and circuit and found that it fills the measurements for those who like to walk quickly and well. This is the first element of Dream Garage Electric Alpine, which will soon receive the A390 and A110.

In terms of image, there is an obvious collage to the new Renault 5 e-Tech, which looks great. Going to the cabin, we have a perfect driving position, sports seats with excellent side support and aluminum pedals, there is clearly sports inspiration inside the A290. The multifunction steering wheel is part of Drive Mode to select driving mode (Save, Normal, Sport and Personal), Overtake OV, which provides maximum power for a few seconds, and RCH, to select regeneration at four levels.

Another equally interesting function is Alpine Telemetrics, with three categories: Live Data, which analyzes driving style with G -forces, brake temperature and overtake management, coaching, provides advice on how to use the car and Alpine Telemetrics, and Challenges, puts a series of challenges based on agility, strength and resistance. The d, n and r buttons of the automatic box are on the console between the seats. Alpine joined Devialet, an acoustic engineering company, to develop a high-fidelity sound system for the A290.

In the technical level, this B segment sport uses the same Renault 5 amp Small platform, but the similarities are out there. Chassis has been optimized by widening the roads (+ 60 mm), the suspension has hydraulic bellies to be more effective, without penalizing the comfort in irregular floor, and the Multilink rear axle has received more diameter stabilizer bars to improve stability in supporting curves. The fact that the battery is on a lower plane contributes to the stability and agility of the A290.

The 220 hp engine (known from Megane and Scenic) is associated with the 52 kWh battery and has a 360 km (WLTP) autonomy. The performances are quite interesting for a car in this category. It reaches 170 km/h top speed, accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in 6.4 it takes 14.7 s from 0 to 400 m. The 100 kW DC fast loading system allows you to go from 15 to 80% load in 30 minutes. At an AC charging point, the 11 kW charger allows you to recharge the car from 50% to 80% in 1h20 or 3h20 to recover from 10% to 80% load.

Dynamic behavior is the most striking aspect. In medium and high-speed curves, the A290 has a balanced behavior and inspires confidence to those behind the wheel, this is due to good weight breeding (57% ahead and 43% behind) and effective suspension. On winding roads, it is agile and easy to subscribe to curves, even at a high pace we always feel the car always clinging to the asphalt, this good grip is also explained by the Michelin 225/40 tires, mounted on 19 inch rims, which were developed specifically for this model.

In the strongest accelerations to the output of curves the engine reacts instantly to accelerator requests, a sign of the elasticity of the 300 nm, without traction losses, this is due to the Alpine Torque Precontrol, which manages the power outlet, this characteristic is fundamental in an electric sports. When we select Sport mode and turn off ESP the driving gets another dynamism and fun increases, as we had the opportunity to find on track, we need to stretch the limit for the A290 to react to excess driving. Sensations increase when we press the OV button and the A290 accelerates furiously, it is an addictive toy.

The Alpine A290 also impresses with the braking capacity. The 320 mm front discs allow you to pass from 100-0 km/h in just three seconds, a slowdown capable of generating 0.3 g. Only in the strongest brakes we feel a slight derivation of the rear, easily controlled by the driver. The tact with the brake pedal is quite good, allows you to have a correct notion of braking and maintains consistency after intense use, as expected of a sports.

Very easily the Alpine A290 makes us fall into the temptation to walk quickly, it pays everything… until the price.

Range alpine a290

GT (180 hp) – 38,700 €

GT Premium (180 hp) – 41,900 €

GT Performance (220 hp) – 41,900 €

GTS (220 hp) – 44,900 €

Premiére Edition (220 hp) – 46,200 €