Alpine A390 officially launched with up to 480hp
Alpine's Macan rival is said to be a 'racing car in a suit' - does it hold up?
It’s tricky to know how to approach a new Alpine in 2025. Because on the one hand we have the A110 and A290, respectively one of the great sports cars of the past 20 years and also the best proof yet that the hot hatch has a solid future. On the other is the fact that the A390, as the family-focused variant in the new Alpine dream garage, is another EV SUV that desperately wants to be a coupe and can’t quite pull it off. You know how these things tend to go - but if there’s one country (aside from this one) you’d want injecting some swag back into big cars, it’s the French. So let’s see what’s what with ‘the embodiment of Alpine’s spirit in a sports fastback.’
There is a fair bit to be encouraged by, not least the work undertaken by Alpine in the chassis and EV architecture. As with the smaller A290, this isn’t just a case of some snowflake wheels and blue paint on a carryover Renault platform. It’s claimed that there’s been a ‘radical overhaul’ of the AmpR Medium toolkit, the ‘390 boasting its own forged aluminium suspension arms, its own cradle for the rear motors, wider tracks, and a ‘very short’ steering ratio. There are six-piston calipers on an Alpine for the very first time. While we’ll take the claims of replicating the ‘agility, lightness, and stability’ of an A110 with a large pinch of salt - not least because this will surely weigh at least twice as much - some worthwhile changes do seem to have been implemented.
Torque vectoring must be the most significant one, the pair of rear motors able to independently shunt power across the axle in milliseconds to sharpen up handling. The behaviour of the Alpine Active Torque Vectoring will adjust with the drive modes, which includes a new Track setting. Sounds fun. Quite who’ll be taking a five-seat family SUV on circuit remains to be seen, but it’ll be there for those who need it. Alpine promises ‘unparalleled dynamism and agility’, and having a tri-motor setup is certainly some calling card at the £60k or so an A390 is likely to cost. Even the most driver-focused cars in this sector - think Macan and Ioniq 5N - remain dual-motor EVs.
It seems notable as well that Alpine isn’t chasing crazy power figures with the A390, either, despite the trio of motors and 89kWh battery. At launch, there’ll be a 400hp GT and a 480hp GTS, the specs mirroring those offered with the A290. The former will hit 62mph in 4.8 seconds and 124mph flat out, with range rated at up to 345 miles. The GTS nips under four seconds for the benchmark sprint and 136mph, while only sacrificing 20 miles of range. So pretty quick, obviously, if not at eye level with the mad speed offered up by cars like the Kia EV6 GT. Instead, Alpine suggests that the experience is prioritised ‘over pure performance’, pointing to features like a bespoke Michelin tyre, good steering feedback, and ‘no perceptible transition’ between regenerative and friction braking.
Again, we have to hope that the successes of the A290 can survive the transition to a larger, heavier, more complicated Alpine EV. As with the little one, there’s an ‘OV’ boost button on the wheel as well as a dial for five levels of regen adjustment, plus Launch Control to really liven up the school run. Even the Challenges section of the Alpine Telemetrics has been carried over, complete with medals for reaching certain acceleration, braking, and agility thresholds, which really has parenting hero (or zero) written all over it. There’s a dedicated button to turn the ESC off as well…
‘A sporty cocoon for five’ is how the A390’s interior is described; given the snugness of the A290’s rear quarters (if usefully large boot), the big Alpine will really have to deliver on the family-friendly credentials. Which optional Sabelt bucket seats, Nappa Bleu leather, and a ‘sophisticated lighting atmosphere’ don’t necessarily point to, but the boot is big (532 litres) and has an optional double floor, plus there seems to be reasonable room for five. Let’s see. Much of the driving environment will be familiar to those with recent Renault experience, including the wraparound dash, central portrait screen, and Google infotainment, albeit with the snazzy materials to elevate the ambience. A Devialet audio system will be included, the company having worked with Alpine on the A390’s driving sounds; Sport is said to be ‘richer in low frequencies to accompany torque peaks and offer more character’ - they want to liken it to the A110 again - while Daily is said to be ‘lighter and smoother’. Hopefully, both are an improvement on the A290’s noises, which were never really that inspiring.
A quick word on the battery tech, too, as this Alpine debuts new cell chemistry from French company Verkor. It has totally redesigned the architecture of the 400V battery and cooling system to ensure maximum discharge for the motor trio time after time after time. While it should mean performance doesn’t tail off with depletion, it ought to benefit charging also; a peak DC rate of 190kW isn’t anything spectacular in 2025, though the promise of being able to ‘maintain high charging power for long periods’ is good news. Better a consistently decent charge than a headline-grabbing peak that soon pummels. The claim is for its average charging power to allow two hours of motorway driving in an A390 to be replenished in less than 20 minutes. Once the queue has gone and your card has worked. Great news, potentially, for fleet drivers, especially with some built-in Google Maps route planning assistance.
All sounds, then, like a usefully pragmatic electric family car with a nice dash of enthusiast focus. Which is welcome. The design may not win the A390 quite so many fans. While it’s easy to see the link to the Beta concept, complete with the rear light bar and the ‘Cosmic Dust’ illuminated triangles up front, the real thing doesn't appear to rival its physical presence. We haven't seen it in the flesh yet, but it does seem a lot closer to the rest of the cookie-cutter coupe SUV clan than the genuinely exciting A290 does to its rivals. Even with aerodynamic features, like the diffuser and rear wheel flaps, ‘inspired by the LMDh prototypes’. Maybe it’ll be better in reality. Certainly from this look, you’re definitely going to want the larger (21-inch) wheels of the GTS. And a blue, preferably, two of which are offered alongside a black, a silver, the white, and a grey.
Alpine CEO Philippe Krief said: "The Alpine A390 shows how to reinvent the spirit of the A110 in a five-seat sport fastback. The A390 is the quintessential Alpine, combining sportiness and performance with technology and refinement, all for a unique driving experience that is equally suited to everyday use and more spirited driving… Above all, this all-wheel-drive sport fastback is the finished product from a team of passionate men and women who believe electric sportiness is meaningful and are working hard to do it justice." High hopes, then. Expect orders to open later in 2025, with deliveries next year.
Will need to be fantastic to drive to get buyers out of similarly shaped rivals.
They seem incredibly popular near me (well at least the BMW X4, X6 and Mercedes GLC), but I don't get it at all. They all seem to have illegally tinted front windows too.
This looks similar to the others, although will probably be better to drive. I like the Alpine brand, but this really doesn't float my boat. It'll be expensive too.
Will need to be fantastic to drive to get buyers out of similarly shaped rivals.
It does look to me like the coupe-crossover market's pretty saturated already so its kind of hard to see where this thing fits in.
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