Emira - Drove it - loved it
Discussion
Had my test drive yesterday at Bell and Colvill.
Nimbus grey
Red leather
Manual
Touring
Goodyear tyres
Weather was damp / greasy and rather cold.
Car was well run in with 5,000 miles
30 min test drive on a mix of roads, no restrictions on revs nor how I drove
Looks
- simply epic, I have switched blue to green to grey and think grey really shows off the lines
Interior
- clean, good quality, simple
- seats - comfortable, didn’t notice them to be honest (must be good) - I am 5ft 9 and 13.5st with size 10 feet, shorter legs (I am not a hobbit!)
- stereo - sounds pretty good to me
- good view front and rear
- useful space behind you, 2x cabin bags would fit
Pedals / gearbox
- slightly offset pedals, but no issues for me
- gear change nice and notchy, took a little to get used to but second nature after 15 mins
- clutch is a good weight, certainly not heavy
Power
- linear with an increasing urgency above 4,000
- earlier test drives would not have given any sense of occasion in my view with a rev cap
- sounds great from the outside, less exhaust note and more transmission noise on the inside (probably the biggest “negative” for me)
- overall a relatively flexible engine that enjoys being revved with enough grunt for the road
Brakes
- felt great with good feel, didn’t really get to test them
Handling / ride
- steering incredibly direct
- didn’t notice any understeer (but you shouldn’t be at that level on the road to be honest), tight turn with a bit of power gave a slight front end slip but the roads were very greasy. Back end felt rock solid
- excellent ride over mixed surfaces inc pot holes
- feels small
In summary, I really liked it: it feels special and great at road legal speeds. I have zero interest in a cayman (done the 911 thing) so don’t care how they compare, Alpine just doesn’t do it for me for some reason (looks, engine) but fair play to anyone who has one. So it’s in a league of its own really for me and just a case of if I want it.
Anecdotally my chaperone said very few cancellations and it has been totally reliable aside from a tyre pressure warning light.
I strongly advise those that have read some of the earlier less glowing reviews (comparing it to GT4 RS etc) to go drive one before you say it’s a missed opportunity, poor turn in / understeer, terrible gear box, awful seats etc….I found none of these to be true.
Overall my experience chimed well with Harry’s Garage video and I am 100% staying in.
Some filthy car porn
Nimbus grey
Red leather
Manual
Touring
Goodyear tyres
Weather was damp / greasy and rather cold.
Car was well run in with 5,000 miles
30 min test drive on a mix of roads, no restrictions on revs nor how I drove
Looks
- simply epic, I have switched blue to green to grey and think grey really shows off the lines
Interior
- clean, good quality, simple
- seats - comfortable, didn’t notice them to be honest (must be good) - I am 5ft 9 and 13.5st with size 10 feet, shorter legs (I am not a hobbit!)
- stereo - sounds pretty good to me
- good view front and rear
- useful space behind you, 2x cabin bags would fit
Pedals / gearbox
- slightly offset pedals, but no issues for me
- gear change nice and notchy, took a little to get used to but second nature after 15 mins
- clutch is a good weight, certainly not heavy
Power
- linear with an increasing urgency above 4,000
- earlier test drives would not have given any sense of occasion in my view with a rev cap
- sounds great from the outside, less exhaust note and more transmission noise on the inside (probably the biggest “negative” for me)
- overall a relatively flexible engine that enjoys being revved with enough grunt for the road
Brakes
- felt great with good feel, didn’t really get to test them
Handling / ride
- steering incredibly direct
- didn’t notice any understeer (but you shouldn’t be at that level on the road to be honest), tight turn with a bit of power gave a slight front end slip but the roads were very greasy. Back end felt rock solid
- excellent ride over mixed surfaces inc pot holes
- feels small
In summary, I really liked it: it feels special and great at road legal speeds. I have zero interest in a cayman (done the 911 thing) so don’t care how they compare, Alpine just doesn’t do it for me for some reason (looks, engine) but fair play to anyone who has one. So it’s in a league of its own really for me and just a case of if I want it.
Anecdotally my chaperone said very few cancellations and it has been totally reliable aside from a tyre pressure warning light.
I strongly advise those that have read some of the earlier less glowing reviews (comparing it to GT4 RS etc) to go drive one before you say it’s a missed opportunity, poor turn in / understeer, terrible gear box, awful seats etc….I found none of these to be true.
Overall my experience chimed well with Harry’s Garage video and I am 100% staying in.
Some filthy car porn
Edited by vanman1936 on Wednesday 25th January 22:45
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