Alpine A110

Hi there !

I’ve had my MX-5 ND for nearly a year now and have been looking at some other lightweight sportscars.

I tried a Lotus Elise Cup 250 in May, the drive was very fun and it’s plenty quick. But as I can only have one car due to limited parking space, I was a bit doubtful about the daily-ability of the Elise.

Enter the Alpine A110. I don’t know why I didn’t think about it earlier but seeing one on the highway in June made me want to try one because it really looks great.

Since I’m in France it’s pretty easy to try one so I got to do it last week.

Pic of the car :

• Design and interior :

It really is a beautiful little car, the car is compact but manage to look plenty muscular. The front fascia is a clear tribute to the old A110 and the rear is gorgeous. The Alpine Blue color makes the lines shine.

Interior is pretty nice, not on Cayman-level but it does the job with a sweet looking steering wheel. Some journalists called it McLaren-like, never got into one but I can say it looks good, sporty and premium. Plenty of chrome, aluminium, leather and real carbon fiber.

Looks way nicer than my Miata’s interior and you can’t even compare with the Lotus since it’s as welcoming as a dry and icy piece of wood. Better than the Mustang of course and looks sportier but slightly less premium than the F-Type’s interior. I’m only comparing it to cars I actually got into and drove.

The digital cockpit looks pretty neat even though I usually prefer analog tachometers in sportscars. I didn’t get to use the infotainment on the central screen or the audio system.

Like in the Miata, interior space is very limited but I’m used to it so not a big deal in my case.

Interior pic (not mine) :

• Drive :

Getting in is easy, a good point against the comical spectacle of crawling into a Lotus. Everything comes naturally like in the Miata and you feel at home in a matter of minutes. Rear visbility is poor but you see the essential. The seats look amazing and are both supportive and comfy.

In Normal mode it’s a very smooth and docile car. The dual-clutch auto is smart and easy, steering is there but not too weighty and the engine goes without drama.

I put it in Sport Mode and it becomes sharper with the heavier steering and faster throttle response. Turbo lag is basically unnoticeable most of the time and the auto transmission does a good job of letting gears go higher in rpm’s and shifting faster than in Normal. The optional Sport Exhaust comes alive and it really growls nicely for a turbo-four. Better than most other turbo-four apart from some Abarths maybe.

Steering feel is still better on the Lotus Elise but no surprise there with the unassisted steering.

I came accross some curvy roads and the power is clearly there. 252hp for 2.430lbs (1.110kg) is pretty quick. 0-62 mph (0-100 km/h) is 4.5s and the figure is believable when driving the car. Max torque is 320Nm (236 ft-lb) at only 2.000rpm so you can pass other cars in any gear quickly. Redline is at 6.800rpm from what I’ve read, I wished for a bit more but it would have been mostly pointless with a monoscroll turbo configuration anyway.

Suspension is superb, the Alpine glides on the road doesn’t matter how bad the pavement is. But it doesn’t rob you from feeling what’s happening under the front tires either. The low weight makes it plenty agile in curves and you generally feel connected to the road like in my Miata. Lotus is better on road-feel though. The mid-engine architecture shines here with very good agility and composure.

It’s pretty quiet for a car this light too, I’d have no problem driving hours on the highway. The car has a small trunk for flexible bags and a frunk that can host two small cabin baggages apparently.

I liked the admission and turbo noises a lot too, I think the car actually sounds better with windows closed for that reason. I did miss not being able to drop the top like in my Miata.

• Price :

At 57.000€ ($67K) base price it’s really competitive. The Lotus Elise Sport 220 is around the same but isn’t nearly as polyvalent and useable. It’s better for pure driving fun though. The Cayman is at 60k€ base, is heavier, slower on 0-62mph and needs pricey options to get equivalent equipment. Mustang GT is nearly 70k€ here sadly. New Supra 4-cylinder is interesting though at 54k€, but way heavier and more GT-oriented.

Ecological malus is « only » 1.100€ for the Alpine too so way lower than most competitors.

And I like the fact that it’s French sportscar built in France. It’s a bit silly but it makes me proud and it’s a proper sportscar, not a Peugeot GTI nor a Renault RS.

I’m not sure it’s sold in the US so don’t hesitate if you have any questions ! I liked the car a lot and I’m currently making plans to sell my ND Miata and order a new Alpine by next summer (if I don’t fall in love with another car in between...). I still want to try the 4-pot Supra just out of curiosity.

Every review I've read about it, the a110 got perfect or near perfect scores. Does the a110 really live up to the hype,? I've seen a car being so highly praised like this one.