Alpine A110 GT driving report - French athlete for fans
You can no longer endure the whole discussion about electromobility and just want a light combustion engine for maximum driving pleasure? Welcome to the leather seats of the Alpine A110 GT!
It doesn't always have to be the big luxury that makes a vehicle a automotive specialty. And to be clear: With the Alpine A110, it's more about sacrifice. Excess is explicitly not desired here. Of course, the rear-wheel driver should impress with its lateral performance. But not everyone wants to race with the Frenchman on the track, so Alpine now offers a whole range of different A110s.
The range goes from the base model to the radical Turini with a fixed rear spoiler. And if the compromise between everyday practicality and performance is what's desired, the Grand-Tourisme variant should be chosen. This model does without a fixed wing, opting instead for a sleeker look. And then the A110 looks quite fine indeed. A successful retro-sports car, just like the historical model from the Sixties. And perhaps the team from Dieppe (where the Alpine is built) is a little proud of the small French flag on the B-pillar. After all, the French can still build good cars, as the message goes.
And the team (including engineers) can rightfully be proud of the A110, because what's under the wheels is more than just attractive driving dynamics. And this statement applies not only to the driving experience. As soon as you take your first seat in the A110, you notice that it's a solid piece. The finish is good, nothing looks cheap or rattles. And it's not particularly cramped either.
The Alpine as a daily driver? Perhaps it just needs a few more storage compartments. But even the leather seats are quite comfortable. The infotainment is not up to the latest standard, a reminder that the Frenchman has been on the market for over half a decade. This is evident, for example, in the somewhat pixelated central screen. However, the designers have come up with a cool solution for the instrument cluster: There are no mechanical dial pointers, but displays in the form of classic scales.
The perfectly balanced 1.1-tonner is a corner carver
But no matter, once you're in the A110, your hand is instinctively reaching for the red start button. With this, you bring the 1.8-liter direct injector to life. And at this point, skepticism may arise. Can a vehicle with a small-displacement four-cylinder engine really make you happy?
Then it's time to finally press the button. It roars and vibrates behind your back, the turbo doesn't hide its work. Go, it's best to do this in traffic-free areas. The mid-engine Alpine is itching for a run and pulls on your smile. You quickly understand that it doesn't need complex six-cylinder constructions with various electrification measures to be happy. But that simplicity can be good too.
The aluminum Frenchman lives up to the fact that it weighs only 1.1 tons. And that it is perfectly balanced. It doesn't need complex suspension control systems. And you have the most fun in the corner with the feel-good weight, can even tap the gas pedal and throw the rear around. Rear-wheel drive, of course.
For ensuring a bite out of the corner exit, finally the Turbo delivers 300 PS and supplies the input shaft of the seven-speed dual-clutch transmitter with 340 Newton-meters of torque (4.2 seconds to 100 km/h and 250 hp at the top). Additional emotionality is provided by the engine's intake sounds just before the redline and the hissing of the Wastegate valve.
Just before the end of the presentation, there is the obligatory look at the price list. And here it shows that the same list price can be affordable or expensive. For a family station wagon with a low leasing factor, perhaps even with an electric drive - maybe it's even used as a second car and sits unused in the garage for weeks - a price of 75,450 Euro (as much as an Alpine A110 GT costs) can be financed easily. For a collector car, which might even be used only occasionally as a second car, the price is already ambitious. It's also no consolation that the Alpine is configurable in many bright colors.
By the way, Alpine also belongs to the brands with ambitious electrification goals. And with the A290, an iconic electric model is about to start soon. In future, Alpine also wants to perform in terms of charging power. The classic internal combustion engine enthusiast can hardly begin with such statements. This could further heat up the run on the classic A110 in the near future. And fortunately, it is still available for a while.
Despite Alpine's upcoming electric models, some individuals still appreciate the raw power of traditional internal combustion engines. Moreover, French car manufacturers, including Alpine, continue to produce exceptional automobiles like the A110.
