The new Alpine topic

[simontaylor]

Quality & personal, Nice

Hope to see some of the members' car pictures once they've been delivered, and also tell their feelings about the car.
That hasn't been posted yet, not sure the guy's name is real, though...

https://twitter.com/martins_group/statu ... 87906?s=09

Which reminds me, can you believe the size and design of the key/cards? I believe that’s what the salesman is holding in his left hand, huge.

Trevor.

[johnb]

If you want to jump the queue and line a dealer's pocket, then this might be the car for you.

https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified ... 2bb&page=1

There's also a private seller with one, also on Autotrader, a snip at £59,995.

This thread was started way back in 2012 when the rumoured re emergence of the Alpine brand was made official. 6 years on and the trials of the doomed Caterham partnership and almost cancelation of the project way behind us the first cars have now arrived on our shores and being delivered to customers.
This thread may have now ran its course so I have started a new Alpine owners experience thread and hope you newer owners will post photos of your cars and share experiences:
http://www.renaultalpine.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=9406

We will keep this thread running though to hopefully document the further evolution of the Alpine brand.

I can't really post under the new owner thread (yet), but a did test the car a few days ago and here are my thoughts. I have a deposit on a PE but wasn't prepared to commit to buy before testing. I've posted this elsewhere, but I've had a few more thoughts and remembered a few more impressions.

As I have a Cayman 981S and have driven a 718 and an Evora 410 (a contender to replace the 981) - I'll compare and contrast. I only had about at 20-25 minute drive so I can't say my conclusions are final - but some initial impressions surprised me (mostly good)

First impressions - well actually I've sat in one before, so they aren't new. As others have said the interior isn't as aesthetically pleasing as my Cayman (and I prefer the Lotus interior too - though that is a much style as perceived quality). On the plus side the controls in the Alpine are better placed and for the most part ergonomically superior to the Cayman. The handbrake and heater controls spring to mind - and talking of springs the Alpine indicators don't suffer from the low rent springy feel that the Caymans do. I also prefer the paddles on the steering column rather than the wheel (as is the case with the Cayman) - but doubtless others will take a different view.

While on the interior I thought both the telematics display and the changing instrument display with mode were a bit of a gimmick I could do without (though the boost display did allow me to make some judgement about turbo lag). Since I'd probably never use the cruise controls, I find dedicating the steering wheel buttons to cruise irritating.

Access is very good - better than the Cayman despite the buckets (my Cayman has standard seats). The buckets themselves seemed very comfortable - ideal for me on the road, but perhaps not supportive enough on track (I'm small and would rattle around a bit). Despite my lack of inches I found forward vision good - and I assume the seat was in the middle position. I doubt I'd want to raise the seat. Overall the driving position suited me very well.

But what's it like to drive?

First off, at low speeds, the ride is pretty STIFF and jiggly (first surprise) - much more so than my Cayman with its PASM set to Normal - indeed much like the Cayman PASM set to Sport. That impression changes as speed rises, though I'd still say that the Cayman in PASM Normal is at least as comfortable. However there is always the underlying feeling that the Alpine suspension has more travel to play with. The roads weren't bad enough to really form a final conclusion.

The next thing that strikes you (big time) is the agility - in a completely different league to the Cayman. It is often said that a Caterham steers using the power of thought - the Alpine comes closest in my experience. Some think the Alpine steering is too light - personally I thought it just right - and superior to my 981 . Re a 718 with Power Steering Plus I tried - perhaps not as good feel as the 718, but close. Certainly the steering was better than I expected from what I had read. In truth it is quite difficult to separate the steering response from the response of the chassis - which is outstanding.

Others have said the gearbox is inferior to PDK, and I didn't try the automatic modes long enough to be sure. In manual it was as quick and smooth as PDK in Normal mode - definitely better than expected. I don't like creep on dual clutch boxes - it's totally unnecessay and makes braking smoothly to a halt difficult. However creep on the Alpine is much less intrusive than on the Cayman and far easier to live with. The brakes are heavier than the Cayman (which I like - the Cayman's are overservoed for me) which makes feathering them as you come to a halt easier too.

The engine is engaging. There is, in truth, as much lag as a 718 - a bit disappointing, however the fact that boost is not so great and that the gearing of the Alpine is MUCH lower means the impact is less. The engine makes nice noises in Normal (imo) and on boost, odd noises apart, you really would be hard to tell it was a turbo at all. It revs very freely to beyond 6000 rpm. Completely different (imo) to the 718. I didn't like the Sports exhaust and wish it could be disabled. It seems a pity that you can't configure steering weight and ESC to your own preferances and make the Sports exhaust switchable (which would help on track days)

I didn't get extended experience at motorway speeds, but I am inclined to believe the car is quieter than the 981 over course surfaces (an achilles heel of the 981). Others have suggested that stability at speed may be an issue. There was no wind and stability was absolutely fine for me. Didn't (obviously) get a chance to assess at 3 figure + speeds.

Down in the noise - I have seen some suggestion that the Aircon is not very powerful. The problem to me (such as it is) is that the central vents are non-adjustable and are pointed at the "transmission" tunnel. Actual output (temperature was 30+C) seems fine and not an issue if you angle the outside vents carefully. As many have said, rear vision is poor, internal storage dreadful and rear boot access badly constricted.

Conclusion?

The niggles don't amount to a hill of beans - it's bloody fantanstic! Most fun I've had in ages (in a car, you understand) - a Caterham may just shade it - but only in a narrow window of circumstances. An Elise has better steering - but I'd pick the Alpine over it. It's immediately engaging at legal speeds in a way a Cayman never is .

Welcome to the world of Alpines, and I am glad someone has had the experience and has written a good comparison between the two cars, there is no such thing as a perfect car as everyone is different, it’s about coming to the best compromise. The next problem which big manufacturers spend millions on is the brand, which is about status.
Most people want to project there status which in part is by the make of car they drive, weather or not it is the best or crap.
So in general the purest will spend the money for the best experience and excitement, the people obsessed with status will stick with the brand, even if they want the other car.
Myself and a friend went to a meeting with some Porche drivers and we when out in the various cars, l took out a chap which had had most of the Porche range over the years in my 610, and could not believe the power and grip in the corners, and admitted that there was no way that a Porsche from that time would have done that.
I hope this new car brakes the barriers down and people take the plunge fun over status.

Welcome to the world of Alpines, and I am glad someone has had the experience and has written a good comparison between the two cars, there is no such thing as a perfect car as everyone is different, it’s about coming to the best compromise. The next problem which big manufacturers spend millions on is the brand, which is about status.
Most people want to project there status which in part is by the make of car they drive, weather or not it is the best or crap.
So in general the purest will spend the money for the best experience and excitement, the people obsessed with status will stick with the brand, even if they want the other car.
Myself and a friend went to a meeting with some Porche drivers and we when out in the various cars, l took out a chap which had had most of the Porche range over the years in my 610, and could not believe the power and grip in the corners, and admitted that there was no way that a Porsche from that time would have done that.
I hope this new car brakes the barriers down and people take the plunge fun over status.

As you say people are (often) brand obsessed - but that is a two-edged sword. I have absolutely NO brand loyalty - I am buying the A110 because it meets my requirements better than any other comparable car. The fact that it is branded Alpine (rather than Caterham or Renault) is of no consequence to me (other than resale values). If Lotus do a new Elise that I deem better I will have no compunction of jumping ship.

You will find Porsche owners dismissing the Alpine as a Renault - which they would never dream of buying. Of course you could turn this on its head and say you would never buy a Porsche/Audi/Lambo/Bugatti because it's only a VW really.

I only buy cars not brands (and yes brands do have an impact on resale - and that does have to factored into cost)

To be honest from Porsche owners I’ve had nothing but positive enthusiasm about the New A110 . Particularly those who have been a little disappointed with the 718.

Even been asked to take it along to the local PCGB evening meet for everyone to have a look at.

My local dealer (Solihull) is struggling to register any of their cars, including the demo car, with DVLA. They have a couple of white customer cars sat there with same issue

Anyone else experiencing this problem ?

Which dealers have demo cars on the road ?

Cheers Dave

My local dealer (Solihull) is struggling to register any of their cars, including the demo car, with DVLA. They have a couple of white customer cars sat there with same issue

Anyone else experiencing this problem ?

Which dealers have demo cars on the road ?

Cheers Dave

Don't know about dealers other than my own - Winchester. They've had a demo on the road for over a week and delivered at least 3 cars to customers (maybe more now).

To be honest from Porsche owners I’ve had nothing but positive enthusiasm about the New A110 . Particularly those who have been a little disappointed with the 718.

Even been asked to take it along to the local PCGB evening meet for everyone to have a look at.

If you go over to the Boxster/Cayman forum you will see a more mixed response. To be fair initially the car was often dismissed out of hand - but as glowing test reports came out the attitude softened. As you say there has been a lot of reaction against the 718. Many initially dismissed the Alpine as just another turbo 4 too - but even they have been less voiciferous of late.

Ultimately the only solution is to get the Porsche-centred nay sayers to actually drive the A110 which might be difficult. It's only then that the will appreciate how really different the A110 is from the Cayman, and that turbo or not, 4 cylinders or not, that it's far more likely to put a smile on your face. Don't get me wrong a Cayman (981) is a wonderfully capable and cultured car - but the Alpine is much more lovable.

Alpine Manchester set one into the wild today.

As you say the 981 is a lovely car - I got very close to replacing the 997 with one in GTS spec .

But the Alpine was just more charming - despite it not being as convenient as the Porsche ... I live much further away from an Alpine dealer than a Porsche dealer, been a keen member of the local PCGB group but the A110 overcame all of that.

At last! I pick her up on Thursday afternoon Never waited so long for a car.....I must be mellowing in my old age Hope she's as good as the reviews!

That is excellent news ... you must be very excited!