{"id":1829022,"date":"2026-03-16T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-15T21:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1829022"},"modified":"2026-03-16T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-03-15T21:00:00","slug":"alpine-a290-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1829022","title":{"rendered":"Alpine A290 review"},"content":{"rendered":"
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This is the Alpine A290<\/a>, the hot \u2013 or rather, warm<\/em> \u2013 version of the Renault 5<\/a> supermini, and the middle child from Renault\u2019s Alpine performance sub brand betwixt the sublime, featherweight A110 sportscar<\/a> and the intriguing, jacked-up A390<\/a>… thing. It\u2019s also Alpine\u2019s first full EV.<\/p>\n

It comes in two versions, a lower-spec GT with 178bhp costing \u00a330,245, and a feistier 217bhp GTS that’s three grand more. Both are front drive, neither is especially fast.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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EVs have rewritten the script on speed, but Alpine hasn\u2019t bothered to read it. A 0-62mph time of 6.4 seconds doesn\u2019t sound too bad, but old Clios used to be punchy<\/a> and this 1,479kg hatch doesn\u2019t feel that energetic.<\/p>\n

It promises a WLTP range of 235 miles from its 52kWh battery, but in the winter you can knock 100 miles off that easily. Gulp. 100kW DC fast-charging is enough for 15-80 per cent in 30 minutes.<\/p>\n

I thought hot hatches were dead?<\/h2>\n

Not quite, but the demise of the hot-hatch has to be one of the most baffling trends of recent times. Who doesn\u2019t want a car that\u2019s small but practical, fast but affordable, and most importantly, ridiculous amounts of fun?<\/p>\n

OK, so the Golf GTI<\/a> and Golf R<\/a> are soldiering on and the GR Yaris<\/a> is total magic. But hot hatches used to be everywhere, on every street corner, usually wrapped around a lamppost\u2026 so is the Alpine A290 the car to save the genre?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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So far stuff like the electric Mini JCW<\/a> hasn’t really hit the spot, making it a challenge to introduce the joys of small, nimble and mildly overpowered shopping trolleys to a whole new generation.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Some stand out. The Cupra Born VZ<\/a> is neat and composed (and rear-drive), while Hyundai\u2019s Ioniq 5 N<\/a> has rightly been acclaimed for its imaginative modes and fake \u2018gearbox\u2019. It is at least trying something new.<\/p>\n

But it\u2019s also massive. And massively expensive. The A290 is surely more like it?<\/h2>\n

It\u2019s half the price, so yeah. Just don\u2019t go thinking it\u2019s a little pipsqueak. Although under four metres long it\u2019s actually wider (by 4mm at 1,820mm) and substantially taller (by 100mm) than an Audi S3<\/a> \u2013 a car you\u2019d imagine would be a size bigger. Guessing this will be reflected in generous cabin space? Wrong.<\/p>\n

Looks cool though \u2013 mostly carried over from the Renault 5?<\/h2>\n

While the overall stumpy silhouette is shared, the details are mostly new. You get 19in wheels whatever model you go for \u2013 in either a square \u2018iconic\u2019 design that nods to the old A310, or a \u2018snowflake\u2019 pattern that\u2019ll be less divisive. It\u2019s got fattened arches, deepened side sills, a four-light arrangement at the front that riffs off the A110, but adds crosses to evoke old rally cars with taped up lights.<\/p>\n

The charge indicator light on the bonnet has switched from a 5 to an Alpine \u2018A\u2019, the rear door panels are scalloped to recall the old R5 Turbo<\/a> and round the back there\u2019s a deeper diffuser and a strip across the bootlid Alpine is optimistically calling a ducktail spoiler.<\/p>\n

You can have it in four colours – black, white, grey and blue \u2013 and frankly it looks fantastic, if a little fussy next to the cleaner and more obviously retro-inspired R5. To our eyes, that\u2019s the more successful piece of design \u2013 with the A290 it\u2019s like the designers kept tacking on more and more bits. Reductionism clearly isn\u2019t their style.<\/p>\n

And on the inside?<\/h2>\n

It\u2019s a similar story. There\u2019s a unique steering wheel that houses various tricks including an \u2018OV\u2019 button that gives you full throttle to boost out of corners or zap past other cars\u2026 when you can\u2019t be bothered to flex your right foot. You also get four levels of brake regen<\/a> that can be toggled between by twisting a switch, and a shortcut to change between your various driving modes: Save, Normal, Sport and Personal.<\/p>\n

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You get unique seats that introduce some proper bolstering, but remain squishy, while a unique central console houses the gear selector buttons and wireless charging pad… but no cupholders. A lesson that wasn’t learned from the A110, apparently.<\/p>\n

The materials, save for a few scratchy plastics are all top-drawer \u2013 soft-to the touch stitched leather and a chunky slab of screen running from behind the wheel to the middle of the dash \u2013 while illuminated logos and ambient glow give it a plushness and sense of occasion on the inside.<\/p>\n

This isn\u2019t a stripped-out cousin of the Clio Cup, it\u2019s a luxury car, with some added performance built in.<\/p>\n

And what about mechanical upgrades over the R5?<\/h2>\n

There\u2019s the aforementioned stronger motors, of course, but also retuned anti-roll bars and firmer suspension settings, track widths boosted 60mm, Michelin Pilot Sport 5S tyres developed specifically for this car and hydraulic bump stops for the shocks, to improve overall ride refinement. That\u2019s impressive, and the chassis does feel taut and together; the steering not so much.<\/p>\n

Beyond that, the battery, multi-link rear axle and the AmpR Small platform are shared with the R5. Weight is a lardy 1,479kg – although credit where it\u2019s due, that\u2019s actually 200kg lighter than the equivalent electric Mini<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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17 minutes 25 seconds<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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This is not a hot hatch in the mould of old Renaultsports. It\u2019s too heavy for that, with a bland powertrain. But the chassis is keen and kept within the boundaries of physics there\u2019s proper playfulness baked into this car. As with any good hot hatch, it does good work on a fast B-road. You can trim your line in corners with a lift of the throttle and it clings on well when you take it by the scruff of the neck.<\/p>\n

There are two distinct sides to its personality though \u2013 on one hand it\u2019s clearly made by people who were prepared to sweat the handling details, and who know exactly how a hot hatch should behave. On the other hand, this is a car you could happily commute in every day, enjoying its refinement and the fact it’s ridiculously easy to use. Think of it as an urban hot hatch, a slice \u2018n\u2019 dice device for towns and cities and it\u2019s right up there.<\/p>\n

It’s a very different experience to hot Clios of old, but still a good one\u2026 there\u2019s a sense of humour, good looks, usable performance, gadgets to play with and it\u2019s well priced. It\u2019s a hit, with one potential drawback: the A290 is a fun little road car, but so\u2019s the Renault 5\u2026 and you can get one of those for \u00a310k less.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This is the Alpine A290, the hot \u2013 or rather, warm \u2013 version of the Renault 5 supermini, and the middle child from Renault\u2019s Alpine performance sub brand betwixt the sublime, featherweight A110 sportscar and the intriguing, jacked-up A390… thing. It\u2019s also Alpine\u2019s first full EV. It comes in two versions, a lower-spec GT with […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,237],"class_list":["post-1829022","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-topgear-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1829022","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1829022"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1829022\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1829022"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1829022"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1829022"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}