Yahoo Autos 2024 Alpine A290 Is a Slick-Looking 215-HP Electric Hot Hatch
The Alpine A290 has debuted in production form, with sharp styling that remains fairly true to last year's concept.
There are two single-motor front-mounted powertrains offered, with the more potent option producing 215 hp and 221 pound-feet of torque.
Alpine says that version will accelerate from zero to 62 mph in 6.4 seconds.
French sports car maker Alpine—a subsidiary of Renault—plans to launch a series of electric crossovers in the United States by the end of the decade, as well as an electric successor to its highly regarded A110 sports car. But first, the company has revealed the Alpine A290, an electric hot hatch based on the new Renault 5. Unfortunately, the A290 will remain forbidden fruit for American shoppers.
That's a real shame, because the A290 looks fantastic. It has compact proportions that give it a squat and playful stance, measuring 157.1 inches long and 59.8 inches tall with a 99.6-inch wheelbase. That makes it a little over 10 inches shy of a Volkswagen Golf GTI, but with a wheelbase just four inches shorter.
The styling is remarkably close to that of last year's concept car, retaining the auxiliary lights with X-shaped graphics mounted inboard from the headlights, referencing the lights that sprout from the front end of rally cars. The X motif appears again within the headlights, while the front bumper gets a wide, low air intake sandwiched by vertical vents for a square-jawed look. The A290 sports a two-tone body with a black hood and roof, accented by a thin red center line and blue trim around the windows. The unusual 19-inch wheels with a square center section made it into production, but the concept's rear wing has been toned down to a ducktail spoiler for the sake of aerodynamic efficiency.
The cabin has changed significantly, ditching the concept's impractical center seating position for a far more conventional layout. The three-spoke, flat-bottom steering wheel is wrapped in Nappa leather and sports a series of aluminum buttons that draw inspiration from Formula 1, including a red "Overtake" boost button and a "Recharge" knob for adjusting the regenerative braking. Behind the steering wheel is a digital gauge cluster, with a 10.1-inch central touchscreen angled slightly towards the driver.
The A290 will be offered with two power levels—the GT and GT Premium will extract 174 horsepower and 210 pound-feet of torque from the front-mounted electric motor, while the GT Performance and GTS up output to 215 hp and 221 pound-feet of torque. The more potent A290 models will sprint from zero to 62 mph in 6.4 seconds, Alpine claims, while the GT and GT Premium will require 7.4 seconds. Top speed for the base models is just over 99 mph, while the top trims max out at nearly 106 mph.
All told, the front-wheel-drive A290 weighs a claimed 3261 pounds. The A290 is fitted with Brembo four-piston front brake calipers that clamp onto 12.6-inch discs, while the rear brakes use 11.3-inch rotors. The wheels are shod in 225/40R-19 Michelin tires, with the GT Performance and GTS upgrading from the base car's Pilot Sport EV rubber to Pilot Sport 5S tires. A multilink rear suspension with front and rear anti-roll bars and hydraulic bump stops are supposed to provide a mix of nimble handling and a smooth ride. A 52.0-kWh battery provides the juice, with a claimed range of 236 miles.
The Alpine A290 may not have the most impressive numbers for an EV, but its combination of compact proportions, sharp design, and a potent-enough powertrain make the electric hatchback look like an appealing proposition. While we will have to admire the A290 from afar, the hot hatch hints at what to expect the future electric Alpines that are due to come to the U.S. in the late 2020s.
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