Clio 220 Trophy vs. Alpine A290 GTS | PH Fleet
Plenty has changed about the small, hot Renault in 10 years - are there any similarities?
In case there was any doubt about just how much our world has changed in a decade, here’s your proof. In 2016, a turbocharged, automatic Renaultsport Clio was controversial; in 2026 the R.S. brand is dead, with anything performance-oriented and Renault-related now battery powered and Alpine badged only - yikes. And you thought Brexit was a big change.
Still, experience of the A290 and A390 thus far has been fairly encouraging, and you can’t fail to notice the on-paper similarities here between GTS and Trophy: same 220hp output, 0-62mph scrabbles within a couple of tenths of each other, drive modes aplenty and a focus firmly on fun. Even with their own level of contemporary controversy when it comes to powertrain. The Trophy’s £22k asking price in 2016 is the equivalent of £31,500 these days, too, which is fairly close to getting an ECG-discounted GTS in 2026. Game on…
If clearly very different things to look at, both are stylish little pocket rockets. For a supermini launched in 2012, the fourth-gen Clio is still modern and handsome - or at least much less ugly than the current Clio. Something like a Fiesta or a 208 from 2016 seems more dated (says the guy who put his own money into the Renault). While the Alpine’s origins are plain to see, being built from a 5 E-Tech is hardly a bad thing as far as design goes; it’s more than just a splash of blue paint, too, the various add-ons mostly well judged and lending just the right amount of intent. Jury’s still out on the light ‘tape’ on the front driving lights, though…
Both sit the driver really well inside, the seat low and steering wheel adjustable. So often front-engined (or front-drive, at least) places the driver too high, playing the pedals like a piano and stretching for the wheel - no such worries here. Everything you touch in the Alpine feels more substantial than in the Clio, even allowing for more than a decade of use in the latter. It’s nice to find a new car that actually feels better assembled than something from the 2010s. Google built-in may as well have come from another century compared to the fiddly, temperamental Bluetooth setup of yore.
The first time driving an A290 on wet, bumpy British roads is eye-opening, to say the least. There’s no danger of this being another forgettable EV, bigger throttle openings seeing the Alpine wheelspin, torquesteer and writhe down the road. Quite violently in some cases, close to axle tramp; certain bushes and mounts surely need to be improved, or geometry tweaked. While the immediate nature of electric performance - and the slightly binary way they can be driven as a result - may exacerbate these tendencies, there’s no doubting the slightly ragged, unwelcome edge.
Which the Clio has too, in fairness. With tyres that aren’t the best and moisture on the road, it can push on and flare up with a greedy right foot. Which is frustrating, if easier to manage with a more linear power delivery. Both would benefit from a locking diff on the driven axle. Still, wet weather and less purchase isn’t all bad news for the French fancies; both Clio and A290 are willing to play the tarmac rally car, assists easily extinguished and nose tucking usefully with a lift. You can sense the extra stability of the Alpine, tracks wide and mass low, though it remains usefully mobile. I’d defy anyone to suggest it weighs a quarter of a tonne more than the Clio.
Pleasingly, the more that you look, the more commonalities become evident. There’s a great brake pedal in each of these, powerful and confidence-inspiring from the top of the travel. They both get more enjoyable with speed and commitment, too; passive suspension setups that can feel a bit boisterous at low speed prove their worth where it matters, delivering real poise and control. Steering systems that are generally a bit lifeless wake up with load, with a dead spot straight ahead less of a concern with more lock applied. These are hot hatches that really reward when driving a tad more keenly, which feels great; you could switch from one to the other and feel the influence of a single manufacturer.
But the very best hot hatches are gratifying whatever the speed, and that’s where these two fall short. The Clio’s engine is dull, and the DCT clumsy away from Race mode; the A290 is crying out for a more stirring soundtrack and some augmented gears to really get stuck into the experience. Even in Sport the futuristic whirr is distant and ordinary; for a car where so much has been invested in the fun of driving, it feels an oversight not to offer more. While the transmission in the Clio might not be perfect, there was obviously effort made to involve the driver, from upshift burps to a good set of paddles. The A290 would benefit from some combustion-aping tech; maybe even those soundscapes first introduced on the EDC Clio to so much derision…
But while the Alpine may not be the perfect electric hot hatch out of the gate, history tells us to be optimistic. A whole host of Renaultsport Meganes and Clios over the years, from 197 to 225 and 200 EDC to 280, were met with mixed reviews when new. But they were upgraded and improved over time, to become (in most instances, at least) properly great cars. So there’s definitely hope yet for the A290 yet, with some real highlights among the frustrations. Bring on that Trophy.
FACT SHEET
Car: 2016 Renaultsport Clio 220 Trophy
Run by: Matt Bird
On fleet since: July 2026
Bought for: £9,000
Mileage: 85,522
Last month at a glance: EV or not EV, that’s the question
Previous reports: New car!
To cut a longer story short, they were both great fun in their own very different ways - revving the Clio out until the change-up beep activates, being busy going up and down the close ratio box and braking late before chucking it into a corner knowing you would simply dart around it was brilliant. In the Alpine you enjoyed the more sophisticated suspension and feeling of solidity, easy overtakes with the comparatively massive and immediate torque and being fired out of corners as if from a catapult!
Basically they were both great, not better or worse for being electric (I also run an E-Tech Scenic as a daily), just DIFFERENT.
To cut a longer story short, they were both great fun in their own very different ways - revving the Clio out until the change-up beep activates, being busy going up and down the close ratio box and braking late before chucking it into a corner knowing you would simply dart around it was brilliant. In the Alpine you enjoyed the more sophisticated suspension and feeling of solidity, easy overtakes with the comparatively massive and immediate torque and being fired out of corners as if from a catapult!
Basically they were both great, not better or worse for being electric (I also run an E-Tech Scenic as a daily), just DIFFERENT.
I beg to differ re the DCT being clumsy in anything other than race mode. In manual + sport mode the gear changes are quick as you like and seamless. Mine has the Akrapovic which must help with the soundtrack as it gives you a lovely roar when pushing on and I couldn’t describe it as “dull”!
To cut a longer story short, they were both great fun in their own very different ways - revving the Clio out until the change-up beep activates, being busy going up and down the close ratio box and braking late before chucking it into a corner knowing you would simply dart around it was brilliant. In the Alpine you enjoyed the more sophisticated suspension and feeling of solidity, easy overtakes with the comparatively massive and immediate torque and being fired out of corners as if from a catapult!
Basically they were both great, not better or worse for being electric (I also run an E-Tech Scenic as a daily), just DIFFERENT.
k would you want this return 4WD and loads of power? To keep up with every electric SUV on the market? Oh great. Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff