Is there a better all-round sports car?
Discussion
Lovely run out to Midhurst in the Alpine with my other half this morning trying to get the run in miles done. I am so impressed with this car.. It's just so accomplished. One minute it's a sophisticated tourer, quiet, comfortable , great sound system. The next It's an agile, characterful, engaging sports car. Add in a few thumbs up from some TVR and Jaguar drivers, and my wife, who isn't a petrol head, saying how much she loves it ( she didn't much like going out in the Esprit I had previously) and I've arrived back feeling like I couldn't have made a better choice. Great community too, already met up with some fellow enthusiasts at C&M and had an enjoyable evening. Looking forward to planning some road trips in this car, think I'm going to have it a very long time!
Seen a fair few Alpines whilst I’ve been thrashing round the French alps in my M2 the last few days.
Do they have any sole to the engine note? Big part of the OGM2 experience is the noise it makes.
Took a look at the price of the things yesterday evening. 60k for a 1.8 4 pot seems bonkers to me.
Maybe I need a drive in one.
Do they have any sole to the engine note? Big part of the OGM2 experience is the noise it makes.
Took a look at the price of the things yesterday evening. 60k for a 1.8 4 pot seems bonkers to me.
Maybe I need a drive in one.
Petrol Only said:
Seen a fair few Alpines whilst I ve been thrashing round the French alps in my M2 the last few days.
Do they have any sole to the engine note? Big part of the OGM2 experience is the noise it makes.
Took a look at the price of the things yesterday evening. 60k for a 1.8 4 pot seems bonkers to me.
Maybe I need a drive in one.
If the sound of a big multi cylinder engine is a priority, the Alpine isn t going to be the car for you. It Is effective, but not a straight six or V8. Do they have any sole to the engine note? Big part of the OGM2 experience is the noise it makes.
Took a look at the price of the things yesterday evening. 60k for a 1.8 4 pot seems bonkers to me.
Maybe I need a drive in one.
For me, the 4 pot Lotus Elise was the best road car ever, because of how it handled. Not because of the engine or how fast it was. The A110 follows that same philosophy of handling and feel, instead of noise, power and grip.
So it’s probably the best sportscar available for people who appreciate what Alpine were trying to achieve. But not for those who want something different.
Maybe I really do need to look at one then. Do wish the M2 was lighter. But it’s been the best of all worlds “sports car” I have owned so far. Can sit in it for hours on the motorway and get out feeling fresh.
Not trying to throw shade. Just curious where I go next from the M2 as the wife hates the image of Porkers which seem a natural progression to me.
Not trying to throw shade. Just curious where I go next from the M2 as the wife hates the image of Porkers which seem a natural progression to me.
Petrol Only said:
Seen a fair few Alpines whilst I ve been thrashing round the French alps in my M2 the last few days.
Do they have any sole to the engine note? Big part of the OGM2 experience is the noise it makes.
Took a look at the price of the things yesterday evening. 60k for a 1.8 4 pot seems bonkers to me.
Maybe I need a drive in one.
The engine in the A110 is often said to be the best sounding 4 cylinder turbo and it does sound very good, nice intake and wastegate noises too. It's quite a smooth engine and suits the car well.Do they have any sole to the engine note? Big part of the OGM2 experience is the noise it makes.
Took a look at the price of the things yesterday evening. 60k for a 1.8 4 pot seems bonkers to me.
Maybe I need a drive in one.
After driving a Clio V6 I can now see what the fuss is about, having a V6 screaming behind you is something else. I still wouldn't change the A110 though as what you miss in noise you gain in effortlessness and frugality.
The only issue as others have mentioned is storage space, you can make it work. It's a good idea to find bags which fit and then that is your limit.
It is all in the driving experience as there is nothing like it, it feels light in everything it does. An old Lotus' is lighter but most people are not going to want to drive one from the UK to the Alps; a Cayman or Emira is a more comfortable place to be but are heavier cars. An A110 strikes the perfect balance/best of both worlds.
Petrol Only said:
Seen a fair few Alpines whilst I ve been thrashing round the French alps in my M2 the last few days.
Do they have any sole to the engine note? Big part of the OGM2 experience is the noise it makes.
Took a look at the price of the things yesterday evening. 60k for a 1.8 4 pot seems bonkers to me.
Maybe I need a drive in one.
As Nick says you can't really compare them. The Alpine weighs around 1100kg, whereas the M2 is around 1600kg. So they're a completely different proposition in many ways I think and you'll always feel a 500kg difference between the 2. It would be like sticking my Caterham on the roof of the A110 for example, although from what I read they both do make great daily drivers though regardless of their weight difference. Do they have any sole to the engine note? Big part of the OGM2 experience is the noise it makes.
Took a look at the price of the things yesterday evening. 60k for a 1.8 4 pot seems bonkers to me.
Maybe I need a drive in one.
On the noise front, I wouldn't say that either engines really set the world alight in that regard for me, but neither sound bad though don't get me wrong.
don logan said:
I think the Alpine has a really interesting induction sound
Almost carburetoresque
That's the sound pipe which comes with the sports exhaust which feeds induction noise into the cabin. Personally don't like the sports exhaust itself - but there are a wide variety of opinions so you have to judge for yourself. Why not try the car not everyone "gets it" but plenty of us are besotted. Almost carburetoresque
It is probably the best all round sports car if you are looking for what the A110 provides, feel, lack of weight, balance, composure and the ability to a pretty comfortable, relaxing and economical daily driver.
I usually drive my A110S in an enthusiastic way, helps having the great roads of North and Mid Wales outside my front door and its utterly captiavating. This weekend however we had the weekend away in Portmeirion and I was not in the mood to drive in anything other than a relaxed, leisurely manner - did so in 100% comfort, still quicker than most cars (its deceptively fast) and averaged over 40mpg.
Are there cars with more luggage space, more characterful engines (although I do not think the A110 engine is lacking in that), faster etc - yes there are but as an overall package there is nothing else on the market that suits me better
I usually drive my A110S in an enthusiastic way, helps having the great roads of North and Mid Wales outside my front door and its utterly captiavating. This weekend however we had the weekend away in Portmeirion and I was not in the mood to drive in anything other than a relaxed, leisurely manner - did so in 100% comfort, still quicker than most cars (its deceptively fast) and averaged over 40mpg.
Are there cars with more luggage space, more characterful engines (although I do not think the A110 engine is lacking in that), faster etc - yes there are but as an overall package there is nothing else on the market that suits me better
Petrol Only said:
Maybe I really do need to look at one then. Do wish the M2 was lighter. But it s been the best of all worlds sports car I have owned so far. Can sit in it for hours on the motorway and get out feeling fresh.
Not trying to throw shade. Just curious where I go next from the M2 as the wife hates the image of Porkers which seem a natural progression to me.
You can do those long trips in an A110 too. That's how I use mine in the main - long European road trips. I'm not interested in tracking mine or pop pop popping around the town square. On long trips you can drive for hours and hours (good fuel economy helps here - 400 mile range) and it's all fairly hushed, comfortable and refined. Even the bucket seats have incredibly soft padding - very French. Superbly comfortable. Ok, it's not rep-mobile hushed, but its not that sort of car, but from my experiences considerably less tiresome than some Porsches dominating their way over the tarmac on their fat tires and hard suspension. Not trying to throw shade. Just curious where I go next from the M2 as the wife hates the image of Porkers which seem a natural progression to me.
On the space issue, we can be away for three weeks at a time, two up, fill the boot and the front boot and stuff lots of things behind the seats. Unless you have anything bulky and hard (i.e., squashy bags are key), space has never really been an issue.
In short, it's a brilliant little sports car, both 'for the journey there' and having fun when you get there.
Can't comment about the Cayman as I haven't even sat in one but disagree that the Emira is a more comfortable place to be. The seats in the Alpine ( the bucket ones ) felt far superior in comfort and support to me and in my opinion the driving position is better too. I thought I'd end up with an Emira when I sold my Esprit but although the looks are dramatic, it left me a bit cold and felt quite generic inside in terms of design. The Alpine somehow felt more special even though the material quality in the Emira was superior. I surprised myself preferring the Alpine to be honest having been a Lotus fan since childhood, but the Alpine won me over heart and head. I Do agree though that if a charismatic engine is your top priority the Alpine, although sounding good for a four pot, probably wont be the car for you.
bcr5784 said:
don logan said:
I think the Alpine has a really interesting induction sound
Almost carburetoresque
That's the sound pipe which comes with the sports exhaust which feeds induction noise into the cabin. Personally don't like the sports exhaust itself - but there are a wide variety of opinions so you have to judge for yourself. Why not try the car not everyone "gets it" but plenty of us are besotted. Almost carburetoresque
I’ve driven one
Unfortunately it was the most pointless, unsatisfying test drive I’ve ever done
The main dealer sales guy was perfectly nice but quite young and he took me on a route around town and a brief stretch of dual carriageway
I could tell that the car felt very different but it was like shaking hands with it
I couldn’t be bothered to ask for a more in depth test drive because I got the feeling he would have assumed that meant gettting lairy
I’ve looked at possibly hiring one but nobody seems to offer A110s
Sporky said:
I think if you think the M2 is a great sports car then you probably won't like a sports car.
Not knocking the M2; I've never tried one. Just that it's a completely different ethos.
That's my view. However I would say the M2 is more versatile than the A110, it will do more jobs. But it won't do the "sports car" job as well.Not knocking the M2; I've never tried one. Just that it's a completely different ethos.
having only had mines for around 8 weeks I have to say it ticks all the "proper" sports car boxes for me I was hoping it would. re sound, the pops and bangs on downshift have become quite addictive and do make me smile, for a completely different reason from the maserati GT 4.7 i also run but just as pleasurable on the whole, kind of reminds me of the sound when watching rallly and rallycross in the 70s on TV!. can work around the limited luggage issue (just need to train she who must be obeyed to pack less!) but do miss a couple of coffee holders in the cab which is a small gripe in the scheme of things.
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