Alpine officially inaugurates its 100% electric Dream Garage. While waiting for the debut of a GT crossover and the new A110, the French car manufacturer has unveiled its first full electric car: and it is the new A290, presented today on the occasion of the 24 Hours of Le Mans but which we had the opportunity to preview a few weeks ago. We are talking in all respects about a 100% electric compact sports car, which will be produced in France like its electric motor and battery. The dimensions they speak of 3,990 mm in length, 1,820 mm in width and 1,520 mm in height, with a wheelbase of 2,530 mm: if we compare it to the Renault 5, it is 7 cm longer, 2 cm wingier and 5 cm wider.
The new Alpine A290
Aesthetically speaking, the first element that catches the eye is the exclusive luminous signature, made up of four headlights, as on all Alpines, which here feature cruciform motifs reminiscent of rally cars and which automatically activate a welcome sequence when the Keyless Entry key is detected. But it is only one of the many distinctive details of the new Alpine A290: elsewhere we find, for example, the wide fenders, the side skirts defined by a thin edge in body colour, the warm titanium or satin blue roof profile, the French flag on the C pillar, the black shark antenna, the logo on the fenders and the belt line and the black lacquered fenders. At the rear, however, the oversized spoiler is absent: Alpine has decided to focus on a ducktail in correspondence with the tailgate. Finally, 19″ wheels are offered as standard.
Sporty interior
Sportiness on the outside therefore, but also inside the passenger compartment. The scene is captured by the 10.25″ driver display located behind the steering wheel and the 10.1″ central display dedicated to the infotainment system, while on the passenger side we find the name of the backlit model. As for the connectivity, both Google Maps GPS navigation with Route Planner for electric vehicles and the Google Assistant voice assistant are standard across the entire range. Finally, the Alpine Telemetrics function allows the driver to access three large categories of services for the car: Live Data (which displays driving data with four different themes), Coaching and Challenges. Chapter spaciousness: the new A290 has a generous 326 liter boot and is equipped with five doors to facilitate access to the 5 seats, although at first glance there doesn’t seem to be too much legroom for the rear passengers.
Steering wheel and driving controls
The steering is operated via a three-spoke sports steering wheel with flat bottom and 12 o’clock marking, all covered in nappa leather. Further focus on the latter: it includes several specific aluminum buttons inspired by the world of Formula 1, from the RCH knob for adjusting the braking regeneration level to the driving mode selector, via the OV (Overtake) button. There sports pedals, footrest and high central console placed between the two seats they complete the overview.
Power and performance
Sportiness, however, means performance above all else. So let’s see these performances: the electric powertrain hidden under the bonnet of the GT Performance and GTS versions of the model delivers 220 HP of overall power (180 HP in the basic and GT Premium versions) and 300 Nm of maximum torque, for a sprint from 0 to 100 km/h in 6.4 seconds with a weight of 1,479 kg. More generally, the new Alpine A290 is characterized by a low center of gravity and dedicated suspension, thanks above all to the use of the multilink rear axle. Finally, there are four driving modes available to the driver: Save, Normal, Sport, Perso, with this last mode it allows you to individually adjust not only the level of steering assistance and the accelerator response, but also the ambient lighting and the engine sound with Alpine Drive Sound.
Up to 380 km of autonomy
From motor to battery, a 52 kWh unit providing a WLTP range of approximately 380 km, even if this last data is not yet definitive as it has to be confirmed during the approval phase. The heat pump, however, is included to optimize the cabin temperature and preserve autonomy. 100 kW direct current fast charging is available, which allows the car to go from 15 to 80% within 30 minutes or recover up to 150 km WLTP in 15 minutes. At alternating current charging stations, however, the 11 kW charger supplied on board allows a recharge from 50 to 80% in 1 hour and 20 minutes, i.e. 70 km WLTP in one hour, or from 10 to 80 % in 3 hours and 20 minutes. One last element: the charger is bidirectional to be able to count on V2L functions and is also compatible with V2G functions.
Range and price
We conclude with the range, which in the case of the Alpine A290 includes 2 GT and GTS trim levels and 4 total versions, mentioned above when talking about engines. Furthermore, on the occasion of the launch of the car, a limited edition is also planned “Premiere Edition“, also available in the other three exclusive variants Beta, La Grise and La Bleue. In total, only 1,955 units of this limited series will be produced, a symbolic number that recalls the year of birth of Alpine founded by Jean Rédélé: each of these examples will be characterized by the exclusive livery, some additional equipment and the “limited series” plate on the center console. No official mention of the prices, although Alpine let it be known that, although it depends on the individual markets, it will be around 38,000 euros.
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