A290 on test: what the first 100% electric Alpine looks and feels like

The A290 is Alpine's first 100% electric car and represents the first model in the Dream Garage that the Renault Group's sports brand expects to fill soon with the A390 sportback saloon (from 2025) and then with the new A110 in both coupe and spider versions. It starts with the four-metre small hot hatch built on the same AmpR Small platform as the new Renault 5 with which it shares several components, as well as its unmistakable shape. The new entry model into the world of the French sports car brand aesthetically reinterprets the styling cues that made the A110 so successful. It also seeks to recreate the pleasant sensations felt behind the wheel of the small coupé that marked the birth of the brand, albeit in an electric version. Like all Alpine cars, the A290 is compact, light (1,479 kg), agile and nippy, with performance that is easy to enjoy, but maintains a level of comfort that makes it possible to use it every day without going home with a bad back.

Just like the A106 born from the 4 hp, starting from the AmpR Small platform, the A290 was developed in perfect Alpine style: starting from an existing baseRédélé changed the engine, added unique technologies, exclusive suspension, upgraded braking system, upgraded tyres and specific torque management, fine-tuning the chassis with the talent of Alpine engineers. A cocktail that delivers some of the best performance in the segment, with power of 180 or 220 hp, torque of 300 Nm, a 0-100 km/h sprint in 6"4 and weight of just 1,479 kg.

With a design 'loaded' with specific details, pushed technical features, connectivity and various driving mode customisation possibilities, the A290 is the first new-generation Alpine designed for the electric era. It was conceived to appeal to a new performance-oriented clientele attracted by performance-oriented design. With track widths that are 60 mm wider than the R5's 1,820 mm, the same length of 3,990 mm and 1,520 in height, and a wheelbase of 2,530 mm, the A290 promises - even when stationary - Rédélé-like performance. In fact, in road and track driving, the A290 proves to be quite nippy for a hatchback. The sprint from a standstill is not like a catapult, but it reflects the available horsepower and the mass that, although contained, is still close to 15 quintals, for a not exactly flattering power-to-weight ratio of 6.7 kg/hp. The set-up is solid and the steering direct, while the dynamic behaviour is rather understeering despite the good distribution of masses: 57% front and 43% rear. Braking is intense and well modulated thanks to the Brembo by-wire system with generous 320 mm discs at the front and 288 mm at the rear and four-piston monobloc callipers, while grip in dry conditions is exemplary thanks to the Pilot Sport 5 S tyres specially developed by Michelin with specific A29 marking. On the 180-horsepower Gt version there are Pilot Sport EV tyres and there is also a dedicated winter Pilot Alpin 5, again on 19-inch rims.

As on all Alpine cars, the light signature consists of four headlamps, but on the A290 they are squared off with a cross design reminiscent of rally cars. In the cabin, there is a sporty feel in an exclusive ambience, typical of the Alpine world, with Deep Blue tones and soft-touch materials. Impressive driver-oriented digital screen that includes the 10"1 digital dashboard and the 10"25 touch screen infotainment system based on the Android operating system. In the middle, at the top, is the engine start button hidden by the crown of the rounded, almost baroque steering wheel covered in Alcantara. Three buttons stand out: the one for the choice of the four driving modes on the bottom right, a blue rotor on the left to adjust the regenerative braking in three positions and the red button at the top called "OV" (overtake) that unleashes all the available horsepower. You get the same result with the 'kick-down' by sinking your foot on the accelerator pedal. There are no paddles behind the steering wheel, which would have proved practical for adjusting the intensity of energy recovery on release or, better still, for managing a software-simulated virtual gearbox as on the Ioniq 5 N. But none of this is the case: the choice has been to make a total break with the transition to electric power, which, however, offers far less excitement than the Alpine cars of the past. The sound of the A290 is a hiss taken from the electric engine hum, cleaned up and corrected, amplifying the most pleasant harmonics and eliminating annoying frequencies.

With its generous miniskirts, enlarged wheel arches and Alpine badges everywhere, the A290 appeals more for looks than substance, but retains a city character with a four-door, five-seater, 326-litre boot and a vault diameter of just over 10 metres.