Discussion
I m thinking of an Alpine A110 and interested in owners opinions of the difference between the standard Pure or the S, or GT etc version.
Has anyone driven them and can share their opinion?
It would be used solely as a road car & unlikely to go on track.
Has anyone driven them and can share their opinion?
It would be used solely as a road car & unlikely to go on track.
Edited by chris bayliss on Wednesday 7th January 20:12
I have a PE - standard suspension was absolutely fine as a road car. Upgraded to Life110 spec when I hit 50000 miles and wanted a refresh.
I’ve had S and GT as courtesy cars when mine has been in for work and I haven’t noticed a huge difference on the road- a little less compliant in the S but I’d not say night and day. Performance difference not that noticeable on the road.
Biggest difference for me with the GT is the seats and I personally prefer the fixed buckets both for comfort and how they set off the interior.
I’ve had S and GT as courtesy cars when mine has been in for work and I haven’t noticed a huge difference on the road- a little less compliant in the S but I’d not say night and day. Performance difference not that noticeable on the road.
Biggest difference for me with the GT is the seats and I personally prefer the fixed buckets both for comfort and how they set off the interior.
As a road car the Pure is the one for me, it's agile enough to feel incredibly special and the compliance can make it feel more fun at lower speeds, any additional instability on the limit over the S is very rarely reached on the road.
The main decision for most will be the seats. The buckets may be too tight for some, however if they fit you are rated as some of the best seats. Ideally book a long road test to really get a feel.
The main decision for most will be the seats. The buckets may be too tight for some, however if they fit you are rated as some of the best seats. Ideally book a long road test to really get a feel.
SpudLink said:
S600BSB said:
GT is the sweet spot.
It was the comfort seats that put me off the GT. I much prefer the bucket seats. As a road car, I didn t feel the need for the slight performance boost. I have to say that the Sabelt buckets are probably the most comfortable seats I have ever had the pleasure to sit in, whilst also keeping you in place when you get a bit exuberant.
The suspension on the 'base' model is also perfect for our roads here in the UK.
Previously I had an Abarth 695 but the uncomfortable seating position and rock hard suspension that only suited racetrack smooth roads, made the Alpine a relevation. Excelled on our rough B roads.
If I buy one again it will be the base model
The suspension on the 'base' model is also perfect for our roads here in the UK.
Previously I had an Abarth 695 but the uncomfortable seating position and rock hard suspension that only suited racetrack smooth roads, made the Alpine a relevation. Excelled on our rough B roads.
If I buy one again it will be the base model
I currently have an S while my base model is in for some warranty paintwork.
Despite the poor weather, the difference between the two is noticeable. The car has similar mileage to my own (just under 7k), so it’s a fair comparison.
The power delivery of the S is noticeable. You don’t have to be on a racetrack. The standard car doesn’t lack performance, but the S feels genuinely fast.
The suspension is a mixed bag. On a good bit of road with decent tarmac it feels more like what you might expect of a modern sports car. It’s actually bloody brilliant.
But when the road surface gets interesting (off the A roads and onto broken B roads) I’d rather be back in the base car. The S doesn’t have the same trick of always feeling like the tyres are always in touch with the tarmac, rather than skipping over some of the bumps.
In normal driving (not trying to ‘make progress’) the ride of the S is fine, but the standard suspension is better.
As I’ve said elsewhere, if I lived in the Eiffel mountains of Germany, with great roads and perfect tarmac, I would 100% choose the S. It feels more Cayman like (but lighter, obviously).
But as a daily driver in the UK which also delivers on the challenging B roads (which is where I go to escape traffic), I’m happy with the standard car.
The earlier suggestion that the GT is the sweet spot sounds like the answer, but I find the bucket seats infinitely preferable to the comfort seats.
TL:DR: The A110 is great, whichever version you choose.
Despite the poor weather, the difference between the two is noticeable. The car has similar mileage to my own (just under 7k), so it’s a fair comparison.
The power delivery of the S is noticeable. You don’t have to be on a racetrack. The standard car doesn’t lack performance, but the S feels genuinely fast.
The suspension is a mixed bag. On a good bit of road with decent tarmac it feels more like what you might expect of a modern sports car. It’s actually bloody brilliant.
But when the road surface gets interesting (off the A roads and onto broken B roads) I’d rather be back in the base car. The S doesn’t have the same trick of always feeling like the tyres are always in touch with the tarmac, rather than skipping over some of the bumps.
In normal driving (not trying to ‘make progress’) the ride of the S is fine, but the standard suspension is better.
As I’ve said elsewhere, if I lived in the Eiffel mountains of Germany, with great roads and perfect tarmac, I would 100% choose the S. It feels more Cayman like (but lighter, obviously).
But as a daily driver in the UK which also delivers on the challenging B roads (which is where I go to escape traffic), I’m happy with the standard car.
The earlier suggestion that the GT is the sweet spot sounds like the answer, but I find the bucket seats infinitely preferable to the comfort seats.
TL:DR: The A110 is great, whichever version you choose.
SpudLink said:
I currently have an S while my base model is in for some warranty paintwork.
Despite the poor weather, the difference between the two is noticeable. The car has similar mileage to my own (just under 7k), so it s a fair comparison.
The power delivery of the S is noticeable. You don t have to be on a racetrack. The standard car doesn t lack performance, but the S feels genuinely fast.
The suspension is a mixed bag. On a good bit of road with decent tarmac it feels more like what you might expect of a modern sports car. It s actually bloody brilliant.
But when the road surface gets interesting (off the A roads and onto broken B roads) I d rather be back in the base car. The S doesn t have the same trick of always feeling like the tyres are always in touch with the tarmac, rather than skipping over some of the bumps.
In normal driving (not trying to make progress ) the ride of the S is fine, but the standard suspension is better.
As I ve said elsewhere, if I lived in the Eiffel mountains of Germany, with great roads and perfect tarmac, I would 100% choose the S. It feels more Cayman like (but lighter, obviously).
But as a daily driver in the UK which also delivers on the challenging B roads (which is where I go to escape traffic), I m happy with the standard car.
The earlier suggestion that the GT is the sweet spot sounds like the answer, but I find the bucket seats infinitely preferable to the comfort seats.
TL:DR: The A110 is great, whichever version you choose.
I had an "S" as a loan car when my GT was in for a replacement intercooler (coolant leak), I agree on a good road it was brilliant but on the road to my cottageDespite the poor weather, the difference between the two is noticeable. The car has similar mileage to my own (just under 7k), so it s a fair comparison.
The power delivery of the S is noticeable. You don t have to be on a racetrack. The standard car doesn t lack performance, but the S feels genuinely fast.
The suspension is a mixed bag. On a good bit of road with decent tarmac it feels more like what you might expect of a modern sports car. It s actually bloody brilliant.
But when the road surface gets interesting (off the A roads and onto broken B roads) I d rather be back in the base car. The S doesn t have the same trick of always feeling like the tyres are always in touch with the tarmac, rather than skipping over some of the bumps.
In normal driving (not trying to make progress ) the ride of the S is fine, but the standard suspension is better.
As I ve said elsewhere, if I lived in the Eiffel mountains of Germany, with great roads and perfect tarmac, I would 100% choose the S. It feels more Cayman like (but lighter, obviously).
But as a daily driver in the UK which also delivers on the challenging B roads (which is where I go to escape traffic), I m happy with the standard car.
The earlier suggestion that the GT is the sweet spot sounds like the answer, but I find the bucket seats infinitely preferable to the comfort seats.
TL:DR: The A110 is great, whichever version you choose.
Not so good
. have to agree with your statement about the bucket seats (had them on the Thruxton track day car) but the pain in adjusting for the wife to drive it put me off. Gassing Station | Alpine | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff