Have to disagree with the aesthetics, though I know it's all subjective. To me, one of the most interesting looking new cars in years purely because it's a modern take on a classic. Suspect it might split the crowd but I loved it. Great review! A bit expensive but other manufacturers should learn from this low weight exercise.
I love the concept of a modern take, but I just never liked the look of the original. Something I'd love a modern version of is the Dino, that thing is beautiful.
spainter1985 Agree 100%. I drove an A100 from the seventies many times and it was a great experience, it’s really sad we cant have them here in USA. I would by one in the spot.
They do look much better in person. The Lotuses look great in photos but the A110 doesn't. Also like the Elise, they look bigger and taller on screen than they are. They sit very low and are compact like the Elise.
maybe because the one crowd we're a bunch of grandpas that had enough complaining something they don't like, or they're been long sleeping in their graves nowadays either way, they're still better than the GR Supra/C8 Corvette hatedoms so i gave them that
My car - my thoughts. Firstly let me say I thoroughly enjoyed my time with James and I think it a very fair review. I found it particularly interesting BECAUSE it was from a Lotus perspective. I thought I’d like to see other followers comments before putting in my two penn’orth. So here goes. Clearly there are Lotus fans who want something more focussed and raw than the Alpine is. Fair enough - but that isn’t the market that Alpine is targeting. The Alpine aims to be light, small, agile and FUN - but civilised and practical enough to be used every day and over long distances. Sure it would be nice if it had a bigger boot - but it would be a bit bigger, heavier, a bit slower and a bit less agile. I think the inevitable compromises that Alpine have chosen are pretty much spot on - for me. (The one exception is interior oddment space which is abysmal). Clearly some would like a bigger NA engine. But the car would inevitably be bigger and much heavier. There is an argument for a supercharged engine like the Elise - but there is huge difference in the economy/emissions between the Elise and Alpine. Not such a big deal in the UK but massive in some markets - especially France. Some would prefer more performance - but that is easily achieved, Litchfield already have a simple 300bhp/400nm remap which will match an Exige 350 or Evora 400 on performance. Personally I’m not so sure - the engine is much less heavily boosted than the base Cayman and imo more pleasant because of it. It needs to be, and is happy to be revved more than some turbos and that, to me, is a good thing. That said I will give the conversion a try at some point - but not until the durability of the gearbox has been established - it’s only specced for the 320nm or the standard car. Clearly the lack of a manual box is important - perhaps a deal breaker - for some. Alpine have said, and I believe them, that they could not afford to develop both manual and auto - and so went where the bigger market was. It’s a pity - but surely better than producing indifferent versions of both. The dual clutch box is actually very good - much better than the Megane box which would have been the easy choice. Lotus owners, of all people (and I’ve owned a couple) have had to put up with naff manual changes for a long time. Engineering a decent change with a transverse engine is not easy. One teeny weeny point about the Alpines switchgear. Every tester makes some criticism - sometimes scathing. I’m not going to suggest they are perfect - but have they lived with a Cayman? Yes the Cayman switchgear looks good, but when you come to drive it you discover it’s an ergonomic mess. You have to reach around the gearlever for the heater controls, and you have to divert your eyes too far off the road to operate many switches. The very first time I pressed the Sport button I nearly ran into the car in front who, in the second or two my eyes were off the road, decided to turn right. The indicator switch feels horrid and springy and the handbrake is only handily placed if you have a 6 inch limb growing out of your right kneecap. The Alpine's switchgear is far far better to use than the Caymans.
Before my test drive I wasn't sure about the gearbox at all. By the time I came back I was convinced it was perfect. You can leave it in auto and pootle around in slow traffic and never notice. The auto is actually pretty decent when you want to make progress. But the best bit was when you start using the paddles I thought it was sensational and the speed of change combined the number and gearing of the ratios just added to the pleasure of driving - the system (for me) added to the car's ability. This car is simply brilliant.
All valid points, although the 718 cayman with the controls on the steering wheel has improved. Your right, they are not trying to compete with LOTUS, why would they, Lotus are / were a failing company with a product that is not applicable or even interesting to the vast majority of people. The product they do make, and I say this as a LOTUS fan, is woeful in terms of quality. It is an embarrassment as we have seen and their quality control team would be committing suicide in Japan.... Yes its a small company and yes we can all make excuses why they have not done this and that, but to alter the interior a little, make it even GPS friendly or stereo friendly would not break anyones bank, just imagination, but the imagination ends with the engineering. Anyway, its a shame these cars are also failing as are the Alfa 4C's. I doubt very much that any money is being made on them and the predicted sales are never going to be hit. I cant imagine the car will survive 5 years unless it stays as a marketing exercise or prices increase and it gets a cult following. There are several in the UK at list price which they cant sell, and they should be able to. Maybe its the looks, maybe its the 250HP, although yes you are right, these cars in EU france spain etc would cost a fortune more due to emissions tax if they increases engine figures and with the low pound, we in the UK get a bargain on all cars at the moment, but after this brexit nightmare old and ignorant dreamer people think will make the UK great again, who knows what will happen...... Topical ending ;)
Not sure where you get the idea that the Alpine is failing. It has far exceeded Alpine's sales predictions and has a waiting list of a year or more. In Japan they had to open a lottery for the 50 PE cars going up for sale - they closed the lottery when they had a 1000 takers. I'm not sure where all these unsold cars at list in the UK are . There were 3 or 4 around 3 months ago because a few chose not to convert their deposits into orders - but the cars where delivered anyway. I doubt any are available at list now and there are around half a dozen cars for sale on Pistonheads all 5-8k OVER list even though some have done more than delivery miles.
@@johnclucas1523 I guess from the fact that the same 6 7 cars have been for sale on autotrader in the UK for several months and people are not asking silly money either, ie not much if any premium in some cases, so not silly porsche gt3 or cayman gt4 prices and waiting lists. They also dont have dealers set up..a work in progress. How many cars do you believe they intended to sell? A car like this needs to sell about 5000 yearly to cover costs and I dont beleive they are. carsalesbase.com/european-car-sales-data/alpine/alpine-a110/ "The automaker has previously said it expects to sell 5,000 A110s in the car's first full year on the market. After that, Renault executives think the car's annual volume will be about 3,000." the first year they fell well short of their target and this year, well we will see. Naturally they are not going to admit it as lotus wont, who would? But yes, I think they are failing, sorry, but all these type of sports cars apart from the audi tt which I dont like, are failing. Check the numbers rather than what the dealers of hype say. In Japan they would queue for a remade classic mini for years.... as would I.
also a car with a waiting list of a year, which I am sure you are right, but this should mean the autotrader cars are selling for 20 30 % more, but they are not..they are not selling. Its a great car, I am pleased for you that you have one, I considered it also, but they are not a success and are possibly already drawing back production according to my sources and hence the longer lead times and RHD market not their focus, although it perhaps should have been as the UK per person buys more cars than virtually all countries!
Very nice view! I drive this car for 4months and 4500km now and it just puts a smile on my face every day- also driving in track modus on snow! Its a fantastic car with only minor issues due to beeing a totally new brand and model. The suspension combined with compact dimensions and its power /mid engine setup is just perfect on B- and C- roads!!! Overtaking is so easy on small roads whereas a „modern“ wide supercar with 400hp more wouldnt allow you to do that. It is just great- and I think it will be also stable in its value. Alpine did a really great job!
WoW! Great, great review James, thank you :-) . Been waiting for someone, who's views I believe in, so say what they feel about the new A110. As a long-term, multi Lotus owner, I think Alpine have out Lotus' Lotus on this - all the benefits of a true drivers car, compact dimensions, easy usability, bang up-to-date tech & features without any fluff. Whats not to like ? Yes, I want one!
@@barbieandbellaadventuresby9134 Yes, they said they opted for auto because allegedly they didn't have the money for both kind of transmissions. Tricky choice.
When you consider that the car is hand built in low numbers and has a bespoke aluminium chassis and body, it's the bargain of the century at £50k and will undoubtedly hold its value very well due to low production numbers as opposed to its German premium brands rivals (Cayman, TT, M2) that are sold in great numbers on cheap finance and cost nowhere near the list price when you factor in the cost of options. Also in terms of reliability, it's only a myth that German cars are reliable nowadays so I wouldn't consider it a negative that Alpine have raided the Renault parts bin for the mechanicals.
@@riverstour Well I have got a 4 year old Kangoo with 520.000 kms (Courier) on the counter . Never seen the inside of a garage (Just for maintenance). Actually it's My third Kangoo, the others had even more kms.
@@riverstour German performance cars do great until they break at which point they can very quickly bankrupt you! Ask anyone who's had something go wrong with an M3 or an AMG Merc or a Porsche, the repair costs can very easily run into the 1000s for these cars. When people think of german reliability, they think of old Mercs and Porsche 911s which have a reputation of being undestructible or they think of how better the build quality is compared to Italian cars.
@@afthefragile I don't think of that, I think of Audi or Vw and that's been my experience of them. Reliable and great cars, certain parts can be costly, however for the most part that's not the case. I'm yet to get clobbered heavily with my A8 and now S8, my Rs5 the only real issue was the brake discs getting pad transfer and i sorted that very efficiently, outwith that it was servicing. I can bet that parts for that Renault will be on par of that of my S8. Also worth noting if you buy a high priced car its expected that parts will not be patent parts or cheap, they use far superior parts.
I was delighted to see they were making this thing, I love the way they gave a nod to the old one in the styling. I would have one of these in a heartbeat.. Unlikely to see them over here though.. very jealous!
That's a spot-on review, a great car that can be used day to day. I have ordered mine and it will have to be my daily car - the test drive confirmed that is entirely reasonable. As an owner of an original A110 I can say that the new Alpine is very worthy............well done.
For me this is the most beautiful car for the last 30 years. What I have seen and read it is also a super nice car to drive in. When I would have the money....The only thing I miss in such a car is an open roof.
I have seen reviews in many languages and this is now confirmed, everyone loves this car handling and driveability. My wife has a cousin who used to take me on Alpine rides (the A610) and this was indeed a loot of fun. I even the professor, chair of Canada's automobile safety, at Montreal Polytectnic used to race with an old A110. The only Quebec made car, the Manic GT, during the 70s was based on Alpine parts. I am a coupe lover and I like driving fast on small curvy roads providing you have a view, then you have convinced me, this will be my car sooner or later for my fun promenades. Indeed, the French and Renault particularily knows how to make a pleasant and sportive automobile.
Well done for getting hold of an Alpine and kudos to the owner for offering it.... "Everyone'll look at you because it looks like it came from space - well, the 1960s version of space" Hehehe.
holy shit... everytime you switch to the cam on the front bumper, my heart stops when a car comes along. you brits are just nuts to drive on the wrong side of the road on purpose :D
It's the correct side of the road - as you need to change gear in most cars you have to take your hand off the wheel. As you want the strongest remaining hand to steer the car, and most people are right handed, RHD is the correct configuration which means you should be driving on the Left side of the road.
Hi Jinquis: mmm...I often recall how in the westerns, the stagecoach driver sat on the right, with his "shotgun" buddy sat on the left..... Why, when you started making cars, you swopped the roles over?
Having driven both, many times...I'm happy that we drive on the left here in uk. It suits me being right handed and generally, controlling a vehicle, be it a boat, bike , or even lawnmower is easier with a right bias. Hard to explain but it just feels better, especially when going in an anti clockwise direction.
I've just watched a million videos of Gordan Murray talk about his new T50, what a car. In one of the videos he(Gordan) talks about the ideal handling a car should have. Lightness, feel, controls, excitement levels etc. He mentions he's had an Alpine for a few years now and has been using it to benchmark the T50. Course he has haha. In watching this video above I was desperate for you to agree with Gordan as I hold what you say in high regard. You've nailed it and I wish you had a TV slot as you're such a likeable human being dear. Great content as ever 😊
The Alpine A110, Lotus Exige, and Honda S2000 are each astonishingly great *driver’s* cars especially for their _relative_ prices. Something that Alfa Romeo, Jaguar, and Porsche seem to have all but forgotten.
Couldn't agree more that there is NOTHING more irritating when you are discussing the Alpine than to ignore the fact that Lotus have been doing EXACTLY this since the 1950's.
Jay, what would have made the Alpine even more special would be the option of a proper manual transmission mate. Making it more fun to drive, more engaging and involving.
Been extremely fascinated by the Alpine A110 (it’s on my shortlist of potential replacements for the M235i) Fun fact it was partially developed with Caterham at there old R&D site in Norfolk (the very early stages), the partnership ended when Caterham ran out of money to go past clay model stage.
Thank you for this very nice and unbiased road test. The problem with Lotus and I use to own one is that 1: They live in the past 2: They haven't change anything in their car for years 3: They are totally uncomfortable. I admit that they are light and fun to drive but not as efficient as the Alpine or Alfa Romeo 4c. I own the A110 , yes I was lucky to book one within the 48 hours window before they were all sold out. I agree that a bigger engine and a manual gear box would be nice, however, I took this car on the Pyrenees roads and what an amazing car, if you appreciate the sheer pleasure of driving with your ''bum'' then this is the car you want, perfectly balanced and agile. By the way as much as I would love to have a manual gear box, the one Alpine has fitted in this car is absolutely sharp and fast. I am just loving it and would not part for any other german or italian brand except for a GT3RS...but for this kind of money it is a real bargain. I have already put my name on the waiting list in anticipation of a more powerful one.
Mate. This is favourite video of yours by a long way. The reason is part to do with the very nice car, but also the fact that you seem so relaxed. Great sound, great video quality and an all round quality review of a very nice vehicle. Thank you. Good luck and best regards from New Zealand.
I'm really pleased this car go such a good review, as I find it one the most notable and interesting cars of late. And as it happens, I really like the look of it too, inside and outside.
In my opinion an A110 could be the only new car worth buying at the moment. It will hold its value, it is not too extreme, can therefore be used every day and it is a nicely manufactured as well as beautifully designed machine. There is nothing really comparable on the market. Will definitely get one before they change the power strain to electric only - that would be the death of this (type of) car...
Great review! Agree w/ you re the difference in driving position vs the Elise. The A110 was built to pass the full-on world-wide crash tests, something the Elise does not (ergo the higher body line on the Alpine). Price-wise, however, an Elise Sprint 220 on the continent in Europe, with options incl. hardtop, is about 10k euros more expensive than the A110. Remember that Lotus sell their cars in the UK about 20% less than on the continent in Europe, and despite this heavily subsidised price for the local (UK) market still sold fewer than 300 cars last year.
I do see the "lotus" driver in you coming out a little in this review. I have an A110 and I've had straight line races with plenty of cars and none have come close to its pace. I've "walked" an M2, E63, M4, Golf R, S3.. the list goes on. The Alpine is a wolf in sheep's clothing and the design is spectacular and unique, the world is filled with bland German & british cars nowadays.
Hiya James, I broke my femur on the PH display at Sheringham last June and I'm still not walking unaided. The consequence of that accident being that I had to cancel my A110 from Alpine Manchester, about which I'm still totally gutted! I had ordered a white one which would have been much rarer still. Despite being unable to look at this car without tremendous regret, I had to take a look at your review just to see whether or not you'd crack a chuckle of satisfaction, just like the other 100% of reviewers have done so far. When I went for our private viewing back in May 2018, my first thought on entering the cabin was just how Alpine had redefined the word "cockpit", with the base of the screen being much more than an arm-stretch away and the luxury of a real leather dash covering; the refinement for a sports car being even better than my current Coupe, as you know, also from the Renault stable. Seems you enjoyed your time aboard the A110 and that comes through loud & clear. Cheers!
It's similar to so many cars, TT, Z4 coupe, Cayman, Elise/Exige/Evora, 4C, and yet it's quite different and unique at the same time. Each make takes it's own approach to what they think a 2 seat sports car should be. It's really interesting the balance of compromises each goes with. I'd personally want a Z4 coupe first of the lot, but I think the Alpine would be a second.
Excellent review Jay. You’ve hit the Lotus nail on the head....they’re a chore most of the time. Alpine has managed to get Lotus dynamics into a small useable car. I hope Lotus goes one better with the new Elise. It would be fantastic.
Excellent video Jay, thank you so much. I love your "real world" perspective, which I believe to be as relevant as it is often forgotten by manufacturers and reviewers alike.
A year later (Feb 20) there have been many Alpine reviews but I think that you nailed it with your comparisons and I liked the way you said that you hadn't been down that road better, I am looking forward to the rally team they will look beast.
These cars really interest me. I was watching a release video from Gordon Murray about the T50 and he was waxing lyrical about the A110. Apparently he dailies one. He reckons it's the best judged passive suspension on the market today and he appreciates the light weight. There is literally no-one else's opinion I would value more. Luv and Peace.
People say it’s expensive because they are mostly brand snobs and won’t pay that money for a “Renault”. The engineering behind it is immaterial as they de rather buy any car with a Porsche badge. Not to say the cayman isn’t a good car.
There's a lot of thought put into the pricing of a car like this and when it comes to low volume prestige models like this the price doesn't reflect the efford anyway. They will lose money with this model no matter what, the pricing is more about the positioning in the market. And there is no competition with Porsche. They can't produce a lot of Alpines, there's no point in making the price competitive, because the demand is higher than what they can (and want) to produce anyway.
@@miskatonic6210 Not sure I completely agree with that. If you look at the pricing carefully you'll see that the Pure and Legende spec for spec undercut the base 718, and options (though not cheap) are almost always that bit cheaper than the Porsche equivalent. I don't think that happened by accident. I grant you that the pricing more about establishing a premium brand than making profit. If you look videos of the production line - VERY labour intensive (not to mention the intrisically higher costs of the near all aluminium construction) I can't see them making a profit either - though Alpine argue the contrary (they would wouldn't they).
Great video, nicely balanced and informative. Love the design of the car but not so keen on the rear 3quarters. Probably cause I remember the original Alpine so well and it’s rally success!😎🇦🇺👍
Great review of a great car. Love the way you use a badly surfaced road for suspension testing, seems obvious for a real world review yet most so-called reviews test a car on billiard table smooth roads. French cars traditionally have the best ride due to their appalling roads and it's nice to see the A110 has not forgotten how important compliant suspension is. Some hate the looks but I think it looks gorgeous. Also just the right amount of styling cues from the original - amazing how much it looks like the original from the front due mostly to the identical positioning of the 4 headlights. The colour helps too. No idea if they do it other colours but it would be sacrilege not to have it in blue! Agree with your comments re it being easier to live with than an Elise - I'd have an Elise tomorrow if it wasn't so difficult to get into and out of. Plus you'd struggle to fit 19 crates of wine in the Elise!
It's available in 7 colors. Most of them sold in Alpine bleu (Evidently) . But I like this colour best ! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-zy5gCbzIiZs.html
"French cars traditionally have the best ride due to their appalling roads" Seriously? Of course we have some bad roads but not much, I travel all around Europe and I think our roads are overall very good.
@@arno222444 French roads are fine now, I said TRADITIONALLY though perhaps 'historically' would have been a better word so I apologise for that. In the past French (and Belgian) roads were poor which is why Citroëns have long since had the best ride of any car manufacturer regardless of price, with other French manufacturers also being extremely good.
Enjoyable review as always. I think the profile of the car is sublime. I`v got the money to afford but i`m holding out for a Lotus Evora convertible. I think the money will be waiting in the bank for quite some time until Geely demand otherwise.
I know it's two years too late to put a comment here now, but I can't resist. I've enjoyed your review, especially when you speak about the paddles, from 11:42 to 12:00. Furthermore, you invite to place a comment if somebody considered to buy one: well, yes, I did !, seriously !, but at the end I didn't, because one day, a friend of mine drove one, and told me it was too much oversteering acording to him and his driving style; and given that I'm not a very good driver, I began to fear for this. Shortly afterwards, Jaguar released the restyling of its F-Type, with a very attractively priced version, the P450 RWD, and there I cracked!: for not that much more price, you have double nr. of cylinders, a supposed better ride confort, and better driveability for non expert drivers like me, being front engined. This was about a couple of years ago, in full pandemic. Now I love my F-Type, but its front weight, caused by the massive 5.0 Lt. V8, the ZF gearbox, and the big supercharger, despite being everything aluminium, body included, makes itself be clearly noticed, especially in the B-roads where I live, where in addition, the rear width of the Jag makes you drive very carefully in some places . I don't regret my decision, but sometimes I still regard the A110 nostalgically.
Great review. I have an Elise 111R which I love but, as you will guess, it's a second car. Much though I love it, I would no way be using it as a daily, even if it had the space I need. The A110 does appear to strike a very happy compromise for those fortunate enough to be able to use a small 2 seat sports car on a daily basis. Manual would have been better still but I know why they didn't make one.
What a super little car! Very sleek and handsome, plus looks like great fun to drive. Well done test, James. Sure would be nice to see some of these in the States - ah well... Here I am in California, where I am completely surrounded by insufferably smug-superior a-holes in Teslas 😂
Great video, the Alpine seems to a bit less serious than the Lotus or the Porsche and has stepped into the 'fun' space occupied by Alfa but with better build quality, ergonomics and dynamics.
I have tried many Porsche but unfortunately not a Lotus, Porsche are indeed very serious very well made, very predictable and overall close from perfection. That being said I've tried this Alpine and even at low speed it provides a lot of fun, I had a big smile on my face every second during my ride. So yes it's a bit less serious but what a fun car to drive at any speed, any kind of roads.
Love you mentioned the size! I am driving similar roads on a daily basis and working at a location where (other) people work on supercars (ferrari, mclaren, lambo, ...) i always think that I wouldn‘t want one of them. Because none of them would fit on my roads. I own a gt86 for this reason.
Agree with JayEmm's review. I had a deposit on one to replace my Evora but cancelled the order because, for me, it is too impractical for a daily driver - the rear and front storage spaces are very small - and it's just not special enough to be a weekend toy.
I drove the S this week… I didn’t like it. I thought the steering was vague. I’m well used to rear and mid engined cars, so it’s not that the front was lighter than I expected. Maybe the tracking was off, but I just didn’t gel with the car. I’m told the standard A110 has a better ride on the road; I’ll try that next time. Anyway.. good review.
had a test drive in November having watched all the positive reviews...but only short and around Orpington...so not exactly testing the car. Still feel the need to order one.....if i can get my head around if i actually would use it enough for the cost of owning one. Zipcars and rentals have been all i have used for the last decade and a half except when living overseas. Great review as usual and never afraid to say what you think. Also the first one to really discuss the Lotus conundrum...which is also a 20k used option
Hello it's not Renault produced it's RenaultSport which is a totally different thing, it's the actual original Alpine Dieppe factory before it was bought by renault. They were the ones who produced the original Alpine and then the Mégane RS which are high quality reliable sportscar
We agree on smth. The idea of a light,small,quick car isnt a new idea.The original A110 back in 60's won some world champs based on that.The world isnt revolving around Lotus (and for sure,Lotus is a legendary car maker) The new A110 isnt a fat Elise.Because its a full car,wich you can use everyday.What makes it special is that offers you a mature car that has 300kg less than the competition.And thats awesome!
Story about dual clutch gearbox is as follows: they are more efficient than the 8 speed ZP traditional gearbox you are talking about. Renault uses the 6 and 7 EDC box from Getrag. In my experience it's very good!
My god I love these cars...I so wish they were exported to the US.... the original is one of my all time loves, especially in Rally trim. I think this thing is lovely to look at, quirky is good.
I'm sure that to every petrolhead on the planet, cars like these would be more attractive with a manual transmission and non-turbo engine. I'm sure that's what killed the 4C which is a brilliant design, just that the gearbox and turbo are wrong for it (haven't driven one but seen quite a few on the roads, surprisingly. Well, maybe not seeing as how Alfa had to drop the prices to shift them. If only they'd dropped the button-press autobox to shift them!)
Tried buying a 4c about 3 or so yrs ago. Drove to Bournemouth Alfa Romeo (had the cash in my account) and they were very negative, aloof and disinterested about its arrival and whether it was going to be sold via Maserati dealership's or Alfa's. Strange, but true.
@@manos3790 Dealers don't WANT to sell the 4C. They hardly get them and they only sell to good customers. The demand is so much higher than the production number they rather want you to buy another car they can actually deliver. It's a low volume prestige unicorn, they can't produce many and they don't WANT many on the market to make it more desireable.
I like em. Rare too. Original probably the one to get. I agree in a way on retro styling but on the other hand it's a distinctive look and now it has the benefit of modern engineering
Went to the open day at Nissan Park Royal. Lovely car. Out of my range but I really want one. Had a 370Z Nismo before. Youll need 10k plus to pay anything below £500 a month. Its a lot for a 1.8. Thats GTR 2014-2015 range. But you offset that with not having to pay warranty and high maintenance and service costs. 35 mpg. 1800 have been sold according to carsalesbase. Orders are still being received. So its going down well
The car is beautiful and for sure nice to drive - BUT I would go for Elise when i want it really light (for track use and weekend runs). The Elise Cabin is for me a part of the Charme I want in that kind of car. When I want it a bit more comfortable I would go for a Porsche Cayman. This is even better equipped for daily use, it`s quicker and has a flat 4 Engine just build for that car. In that price region I would rather have it like that, than having a normal Megane inline 4 in it. The Alpine is kind in the middle of it.
The thing is, in my experience the Alpine is more comfortable and fun than a Cayman (journos never seem to make much of these points in comparison tests with the Cayman for some reason and seem to overly focus on the technicals) and almost as much fun than the Lotus most of the time. Ok, maybe not on track but the Alpine wasn't built with only the track in mind.
I gotta say I am a bit disappointed by the revew, because you said the other reviews don't even mention the lotus elise. You did mention the Elise, but not at all for the driving performance, only for the pactical aspects... I really thought you would go deeper in the comparison with the Elise and talk more about he driving comparison on this small road. Besides that, very good and honest review :)
Being slightly older 55 going 56 as I write the idea of a entertaining small gt is a good one. A manual would have made it better but otherwise what is there not to like. I could not convince her in doors to allow me to part with £50k and due to the rare nature that this car will have I see them holding value very well., so I am unlikely to ever own one. Top video again, total enjoyment.
I suppose you could argue they have been doing it continuously - for 45years - whereas Alpine took a 20 odd year break. Porsche have tried to kill the 911 a couple of times - but found that heritage sells, even when the basic design was rather flawed.
