Much to the relief of the bean counters in the Renault Group’s finance department, the Alpine A390 is finally upon us. While the A110 is a dynamic livewire, it’s not exactly a big seller, while the A290 occupies a pretty niche segment of the motoring industry, albeit one with a decent number of options.
So, the A390 is Alpine’s first crack at mass market appeal in the form of an electric crossover that now dominates the automotive zeitgeist. But are the claims of ‘a racing car in a suit’ and ‘the spirit of the A110 in a 5-seat sport fastback’ just a fad, or has Alpine extended driving enjoyment to electric SUVs? Only time will tell.
Muscular, But a Tad Anonymous
You’d be forgiven for not recognising the A390 as an Alpine. A new Chinese brand, perhaps? Another one of Peugeot’s radically designed cars? Maybe even a Lotus, a smaller counterpart to the Eletre. Given how hard Alpine stresses its DNA is evident in the crossover, this is probably not the feedback they wanted.
But, alas, there is little that points to it being from the makers of the A110 and A290. The front bumper features plenty of triangles, some of which open, while other triangles at the front light up. The face also features some minuscule lights joined by a sporty lightbar, while the bonnet has plenty of creases.
A side view shows the ‘fastback’ styling that manufacturers now elect in the hopes of making their crossover appear more dynamic. It’s from this angle that the plethora of curves can be seen, but the integrated door handles can’t be. At over 4.6m long, the A390 is the largest Alpine by far, but is pretty standard in a world of gigantic vehicles.
At the rear, there’s another lightbar which protrudes, and the svelte roofline flows into a small spoiler. Touches like a diffuser and rear wheel flaps channel airflow for better aerodynamics. Despite storage space being slightly compromised by the coupe styling, the boot capacity is still a respectable 532 litres.
A Sporty Interior and High-tech Cabin
Look familiar? The A390 has a similar cabin to the A290, with everything focused on the driver and plenty of reminders that the crossover is performance-oriented. The flat-bottom steering wheel is wrapped in blue nappa leather, with plenty of switchgear, including one that controls the level of regen braking and an overtake button. There are also physical climate controls at the bottom of the central touchscreen, which will come as a relief to technophobes.
Speaking of the central touchscreen, it’s mounted vertically and measures 12 inches in diameter. For those keeping up with new cars, you may recognise it from new Renaults, such as the Scenic. This central screen encompasses a range of fancy features, including Google Maps GPS navigation with an EV route planner and coaching and challenges via the Alpine Telemetrics system.
The 12.3-inch driver’s display is highly configurable with the option of showing navigation, ADAS, the essentials or nerdy pieces of live data.
The rest of the interior blends sportiness with the luxurious nature desired for daily driving. The dashboard, centre console and door cards are coated in leather, as are the heated seats, which also feature Alcantara. The GTS gets Nappa leather buckets designed by Sabelt, which can be optioned with carbon fibre inserts at the rear. There’s also a sound system manufactured by Devialet, with the higher GTS trim getting a more premium version.
Renault Platform, Heavily Altered by Alpine
The new Alpine A390 is built on the AmpR Medium platform that underpins cars like the electric Scenic and Megane. This is no bad thing, and Alpine has ensured some agility with a short wheelbase and a decently low centre of gravity.
However, a minimum weight of 2,121kg means the A390 is the lardiest Alpine yet, to the tune of nearly 650 kilos more than the A290 and nearly double the weight of the lithe A110. To stop a pretty sizeable car, Alpine has fitted 365mm brake discs with 6-piston callipers.
The A390 ups the ante for electric SUVs with three electric motors fitted. The two rear motors drive a wheel each, and this setup is an integral part of the Alpine Active Torque Vectoring system, which adjusts torque on the fly to correct understeer or oversteer, boosting agility and stability in corners. Launch control and an overtake function provide maximum performance off the line.
Speaking of performance, the A390 isn’t lacking in that department. The GT’s 400hp powers it to 62mph in 4.8 seconds and a top speed of 128mph, while the GTS develops 470hp and up to 808Nm of torque, reducing the sprint to 3.9 seconds.
Bespoke Battery Designed for Performance and Range
Alpine employed French specialist Verkor to produce a battery that could produce plenty of power consistently, while still dealing with the rigours of daily driving. The result is an 89kWh unit, fitted with a heat pump as standard.
When fitted with the GT’s 20-inch wheels wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sport EV tyres, the Alpine A390 can cover up to 345 miles on a charge, while the 21-inch wheels of the GTS are fitted with Pilot Sport 4S tyres, reducing the range to a still respectable 323 miles.
Fast charging is promised, with the A390 able to jump from 15% charged to 80% in just 25 minutes. The A390 also features V2L and V2G capabilities, with the option of an adapter for charging an electric bike.
The Alpine A390 will go on sale in Q4 this year, with particularly enthusiastic people able to sign up to buy the Première, which is available two weeks before the standard A390.
