Going to be ordering an A290

[ClaphamGT3]

My every day car for the last 10 years has been a 2007 E63 AMG. I took it on when we relegated it from our main family car after 6 years. It has been a good and faithful servant to the Clapham household, doing everything from the dump run to commuting to European road trips to scrubbing up and not disgracing us on posh nights out with a driver. However good it is however, at 19 years old and 145k miles, anno domini is setting in and it needs to be transferred to the classic fleet.

So, what to replace it with as my everyday driver?

We’ve just got a new XC90 Ultimate so I didn’t feel the need of another big, luxury car. I’m also bored with the cost to run a big, high performance ICE modern. By the time you add in tax, maintenance, insurance and parking permits, your £5-10k in before it’s turned a wheel.

I love the design of the new R5 and got seriously interested when the Alpina came out and, today, I went down to Renault Alpine where Jack introduced me to the A290 GTS.

What a great dealership and what an awesome car!

Order to be placed in the next week or so for early 2027 delivery. Can’t wait!

[domrusty]

Hearty congrats!! Welcome to the fold. I had a good look around the A290 the last time I had my A110 serviced in Winchester and it is a very fine looking machine..!

[ClaphamGT3]

Thank you! It certainly looks good (though, at 56, the phrase ‘mutton dressed as lamb’ does play on my mind…) but what really nailed it was how it drove - it was an absolute hoot and - paradoxically- all the better for not being *too* powerful. It would have been the easiest thing in the world to have given it 400bhp+ and made it a sterile exercise in delivering mind-boggling on-paper performance stats. As it is, giving it a respectable but not mad 220bhp means that you have to connect with it and think about rowing it along, which really brings it to life.

I also highly recommend Alpine Orpington. Jack the salesman was knowledgeable and super enthusiastic. The test drive wasn’t just a tootle round the block, it was an hour-long, well thought out route that included urban, suburban, A road and motorway driving that really gave a chance to bond with the car.

Almost childishly excited

[HTP99]

ClaphamGT3 said:

Thank you! It certainly looks good (though, at 56, the phrase mutton dressed as lamb does play on my mind ) but what really nailed it was how it drove - it was an absolute hoot and - paradoxically- all the better for not being *too* powerful. It would have been the easiest thing in the world to have given it 400bhp+ and made it a sterile exercise in delivering mind-boggling on-paper performance stats. As it is, giving it a respectable but not mad 220bhp means that you have to connect with it and think about rowing it along, which really brings it to life.

I also highly recommend Alpine Orpington. Jack the salesman was knowledgeable and super enthusiastic. The test drive wasn t just a tootle round the block, it was an hour-long, well thought out route that included urban, suburban, A road and motorway driving that really gave a chance to bond with the car.

Almost childishly excited

You are exactly the age of person that this car attracts; typically 50's - 60's, the car reminds them of their youth.