First Drive: Can the Alpine A390 deliver this brand’s usual fun-factor?

What is it?

Looking at the current new car market, it would seem that it’s impossible to be a hit as a manufacturer without some form of SUV. Alpine, having created its A110 sports car and A290 electric hot hatch, wants in on the action too, which is why it has created this car – the A390.

Billed as a sportier take on the typical electric SUV format – Alpine calls it ‘sport fastback’ – the A390 aims to bring some of the character that you’d find in the brand’s smaller models but in a larger and more practical format. We’ve been out to Spain to see how it gets on.

What’s new?

As with the A110 and A290, the A390 has a sportier look and feel to it. However, it’s underpinned by quite a familiar platform; it’s the AmpR Medium setup, which has also been used on cars like the Renault Scenic and Nissan Ariya. However, whereas those cars have a more traditional, upright design, the A390 is far more swept-back with several design features incorporated to help spruce things up. Even the rear window has been created to mimic the look of a helmet’s visor.

Inside, there’s the same screen-heavy layout that we’ve come to expect from a lot of the latest cars, though Alpine has still committed to including several physical controls to help make adjusting certain features easier on the move.

What’s under the bonnet?

The A390 will be available in two flavours – GT and GTS. Both get a single electric motor up front, coupled with a pair of motors at the rear. In the GT, that means 396bhp, while the GTS increases that to an impressive 463bhp. You’ll get from zero to 60mph in 4.5 seconds in the former, or just 3.6 seconds in the latter. Key to the A390’s setup, however, is a torque vectoring system which can actively shift power between the rear motors to help tighten the car’s line when cornering.

Range-wise, Alpine claims up to 345 miles from a single charge. The A390 is rated to accept a maximum charge rate of up to 190kW, too, which would result in a 10 to 80 per cent charge being completed in 25 minutes. There’s also a vehicle-to-load function, which allows you to charge up domestic items with the car’s battery.

What’s it like to drive?

We’re behind the wheel of the GT model, which will be arriving in the UK ahead of the punchier GTS model. Alpine says that it has reworked all the key components of the A390 against its platform-sharing cousins to make things sportier and, in many areas, that does shine through. The steering has a nice bit of weight to it, while the low-slung position does make things feel a little more dynamic. That said, large pillars up front restrict visibility while the teeny-tiny rear screen is almost comically small.

It rides well, too, and even some craggier stretches of Spanish road surface did little to interrupt the way the A390 goes down the road. However, it can’t disguise its weight and through sharper corners, you do feel more of that 2.1-tonne bodyweight shifting around. Plus, there’s quite a bit of wind noise at motorway speeds, which is odd given the slippery-smooth exterior.

How does it look?

The A390 certainly has a lot going for it, style-wise. It’s all been made as aerodynamic as possible, which is why there’s a fully sculpted bonnet ‘blade’ and a compact rear spoiler helping to make the A390 as slippery as possible. You’ve also got front bumpers that incorporate triangular shapes, which Alpine says have been inspired by mountains. We’re not sure which mountains they depict exactly, mind you.

There are plenty of more active design features, too, including a projection of the Alpine logo surrounded by snowflakes, which is cast to the side of the car when it is unlocked. You’ve got six exterior colours to choose from, too, ranging from Noir Profond to Blanc Topaze.

What’s it like inside?

The interior of the A390 feels familiar, given that it’s similar to the one we’ve seen in other Renault SUVs. There’s a large central screen, underneath which sit push-button controls for the gears. In the A390, there’s plenty of high-end materials used here, there and everywhere, while the multi-function steering wheel – which mirrors the one fitted to the A290 electric hot hatch – has a nice bit of theatrics to it courtesy of overtake boost buttons and regenerative braking dials.

In the back, that sloped roofline does eat into headroom, while legroom will be tight for taller passengers. It also feels like Alpine has reduced the quality of materials for the rear compared to the back- there are far more scratchy plastics to be found here, both on the door cards and on the centre column. You do get a usefully sized 532-litre boot, which is quite long overall. It’s more than you’ll find in cars like the Audi Q6 e-tron Sportback, too.

What’s the spec like?

Alpine hasn’t announced official pricing for the A390, but we’re expecting it to start at around £60,000 for the GT and just under £70,000 for the range-topping GTS. Both of those prices put this car in serious company with cars like the BMW iX2, Tesla Model Y and just nudges into the territory of the Porsche Macan Electric, too.

That said, there’s plenty of kit included as standard on all models, with the 12-inch infotainment screen, which runs Google features built-in, being one of the easiest to operate on the market today. Thankfully, the A390 features physical controls for heating and ventilation, while other enhancements, such as heated seats and 21-inch alloy wheels, help boost its appeal. We’ll have to reserve final judgement until spec details are finalised, mind you.

Verdict

While Alpine’s previous models in the A110 and A290 feel like they’ve moved the game forward somewhat, it doesn’t seem to be the same story for the A390. There’s a nice sense of lightness, which has been a core part of the Alpine story. We’re big fans of the ride quality, too, and the same goes for the steering, while that torque vectoring system certainly helps this car to corner like a far smaller vehicle.

It looks special and, for the most part, feels special inside too. It’s just a shame that the rear-seat space is so compromised, as it’ll make this car a more difficult proposition for family buyers who are usually the target market for cars of this size. It’s not a bad car, but it might struggle to stand out in what is a very competitive market.