Alpine A290 review

This is the Alpine A290, the hot version of the new Renault 5 supermini, and the second model from Renault’s Alpine performance sub brand following the sublime featherweight A110 sportscar. It’s also Alpine’s first full EV.

It comes in two versions, a lower-spec GT with 178bhp costing £33,500, and a feistier 217bhp GTS at £37,500. Both are front drive, neither is especially fast. EVs have rewritten the script on speed, but Alpine hasn’t bothered to read it. A 0-62mph time of 6.4 seconds doesn’t sound too bad, but old Clios used to be punchy and this 1,479kg hatch doesn’t feel that energetic.

It promises a WLTP range of 236 miles from its 52kWh battery and 100kW DC fast-charging, enough for 15-80 per cent in 30 minutes.

I thought hot hatches were dead?

Not quite, but the demise of the hot-hatch has to be one of the most baffling trends of recent times. Who doesn’t want a car that’s small but practical, fast but affordable, and most importantly, ridiculous amounts of fun?

Ok, so the Golf GTI and Golf R are soldiering on, the GR Yaris is total magic and the latest Honda Civic Type R is unequivocally The Boss. But hot hatches used to be everywhere, on every street corner, usually wrapped around a lamppost… so is this, the new Alpine A290, the car to save the hot hatch?

Granted, that’s a bit of a lofty set-up, but if it’s got even a sprinkling of the A110’s handling genius… this could be the car to usher in a new generation of small, electric hot hatches. So far cars such as the new electric Mini JCW haven’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.

Some stand out. The Cupra Born VZ is neat and composed (and rear-drive), while Hyundai’s Ioniq 5 N has rightly been acclaimed for its imaginative modes and fake ‘gearbox’. It is at least trying something new.

But it’s also massive and massively expensive. This is surely more like it?

It’s half the price, so yeah. Just don’t go thinking it’s a little pipsqueak. Although under four metres long it’s actually wider (by 4mm at 1,820mm) and substantially taller (by 100mm) than an Audi S3 – a car you’d imagine would be a size bigger. Guessing this will be reflected in generous cabin space? Wrong.

Looks cool though – mostly carried over from the Renault 5?

While the overall stumpy silhouette is shared, the details are mostly new. You get 19in wheels whatever model you go for – in either a square ‘iconic’ design that nods to the old A310, or a ‘snowflake’ pattern that’ll be less divisive. It’s 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.

The charge indicator light on the bonnet has switched from a 5 to an Alpine ‘A’, the rear door panels are scalloped to recall the old R5 Turbo and round the back there’s a deeper diffuser and a strip across the bootlid Alpine is optimistically calling a ducktail spoiler.

You can have it in four colours - black, white, grey and blue – and frankly it looks fantastic, if a little fussy next to the cleaner and more obviously retro-inspired R5. To our eyes, that’s the more successful piece of design – with the A290 it’s like the designers kept tacking on more and more bits. Reductionism clearly isn’t their style.

And on the inside?

It’s a similar story. There’s a unique steering wheel that houses various tricks including an ‘OV’ button that gives you full throttle to boost out of corners or zap past other cars… when you can’t be bothered to flex your right foot. You also get four levels of brake regen that can be toggled between by twisting a switch, and a shortcut to change between your various driving modes: Save, Normal, Sport and Personal.

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. The materials, save for a few scratchy plastics are all top-drawer – soft-to the touch stitched leather and a chunky slab of screen running from behind the wheel to the middle of the dash – while illuminated logos and ambient glow give it a plushness and sense of occasion on the inside. This isn’t a stripped-out cousin of the Clio Cup, it’s a luxury car, with some added performance built in.

And what about mechanical upgrades over the R5?

There’s the aforementioned stronger motors, of course, but also retuned anti-roll bars and firmer suspension settings, track widths boosted 60mm, Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tyres developed specifically for this car and hydraulic bump stops for the shocks, to improve overall ride refinement. That’s impressive, and the chassis does feel taut and together, but the steering is a weak point – there’s zero feel.

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’s due, that’s actually 200kg lighter than the equivalent electric Mini) and boot capacity is 326-litres – well-above average for this class.

This is not a hot hatch in the mould of old Renaultsports. It’s too heavy for that, with disinterested steering and a bland powertrain. But the chassis is keen and kept within the boundaries of physics there’s 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.

There are two distinct sides to its personality though – on one hand it’s 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 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 ‘n’ dice device for towns and cities and it’s right up there.

It's a very different experience to hot Clios of old, but still a good one… there’s a sense of humour, good looks, usable performance, gadgets to play with and it’s well priced. It’s a hit, with one potential drawback: the A290 is a fun little road car, but so’s the Renault 5… and you can get one of those for £10k less.