Alpine A390 Review

Introduction and model history

The Alpine A390 is the second electric car to come from Renault performance brand - following on from the excellent Alpine A290 (itself a hot take on the Renault 5). But this is all a bit different, because the A390 isn't a fettled version of an existing Renault model; it's a standalone car that Alpine has designed and engineered itself. 

It is, in Alpine's words, 'a racing car in a suit'. Now, that's some vague marketing puff - I know - but it does give you a bit of a sense of what Alpine is trying to do, here. After all, this is a high performance, five-seat fastback that can be used to ferry the kids around, make light work of your commute into the city, but will also be brilliant fun to drive when you want to remind yourself that you still love driving. At 4.6-metres long, and with the posh, executive sporting GT class in its sights, it'll be a rival to things like the Polestar 4, Porsche Macan, BMW i4 and Kia EV6. 

Range, battery and charging

The A390 gets an all-new 89kWh (usable capacity) lithium-ion NMC pack that's designed and made in France. Total capacity is estimated to be around 91kWh, and the battery cells that are made in France by a company called Verkor.

That new battery allows the A390 to achieve a a WLTP range of up to 345 miles for the GT model, or 329 miles for the GTS. You also get bi-directional charging as standard, which means that you've got vehicle-to-load (V2L) charging so that you can charge your e-bike from the car's high voltage battery, or power your lawnmower down at the allotment... Or charge any electrical device! Provided you've got a compatible home charger, the A390 also offers vehicle-to-grid or vehicle-to-home charging, so that you can run your home from the car's battery, or send power back into the grid to earn a bit of money at peak times. Clever stuff, and it's great to see this tech becoming more common. 

Peak DC rapid charging on the Alpine A390 is 190kW from its 400V system, so a Kia EV6 will charge more quickly. But, Alpine says that it's gone to great lengths to ensure that the A390 can charge very quickly over a long period for a very fast average charging rate, so you'll still get a 10- to 80% charge in under 25 minutes. You can also manually set the battery to pre-heat, or it'll automatically pre-heat if you set the destination charger in the car's nav.

Slower AC charging is up to 11kW as standard, or you can pay extra to increase that to 22kW. A full charge from a 7kW home charger will take around 13- to 14 hours.

Motors, performance and handling

There are two variants of the A390 on offer; the Alpine A390 GT will get 400hp, and the GTS will be the range-topper with 470hp, with 0-62mph pegged at 4.8 and 3.9-seconds respectively. 

I had a drive in the top-spec GTS out in Denmark for judging of the European Car of the Year award, and I have to say… It is pretty special! Performance is more than effusive enough to deliver the shock and awe you expect; you can see that from the 0-62mph time. And from the big red ‘OV’ button on the steering wheel, which delivers full power for overtaking.  

But what the on-paper figures don’t show is how the A390 manages to feel like a ‘proper’ driver’s car from the moment you leave the car park.

It sits on passive dampers (so you can’t change how firm the suspension is) but that’s fine as it manages to feel taut and responsive yet supple enough for everyday driving. You’re aware of the road surface, but it’s all nicely cushioned despite the A390 being very sharp and incisive in the way it handles direction changes and corners. It actually feels quite different to rivals like the Polestar 4, BMW i4 and Kia EV6, all of which are much more executive and comfort focussed, even if they’re good fun  when driven hard.

By contrast, the Alpine feels like a performance car that just happens to also be big enough to get your kids in the back. Even the line on the steering wheel that shows the dead-ahead (a nod to rally car heritage) suggests that this is quite a serious driver’s car.

And it is a serious driver’s car. Even on normal roads and in its more moderate drive modes it feels alert, but find some faster corners and the A390 is fizzy and playful in a way that even the BMW i4 doesn’t manage. You might even consider taking the A390 on a track – it’s got that kind of lurking undercurrent of intensity that lets you know that it’ll step up to whatever level of driving you fancy trying – be that the school run or a cheeky track day.

One of the A390's real party tricks is the fancy all-wheel drive system that uses two electric motors at the back (one on each wheel) and another one at the front, with Alpine's clever 'Alpine Active Torque Vectoring' system – and it clearly does work given how confident yet fun it is. Plus, four-wheel drive is good for some peace of mind in wintery conditions.

There is also a five-level, variable brake regen' system that's controlled via a rotary switch on the steering wheel, and ranges from completely off through to a one-pedal drive mode, which gives plenty of flexibility to make the most of the regen’.

Is the ride comfort a touch firm over certain road surfaces? Maybe, yes. Is the steering a fraction too quick when you initially apply some steering lock? I’d say so, yes. But, if comfort is your chief priority, then the Polestar, BMW or Kia will likely serve you better.

And that’s fine, as the A390 is undoubtedly the enthusiast’s option. Far from the performance, it’s the suspension, the precision of the pedal responses and the lovely, light-footed, natural-feeling way that it goes down the road that really sets the Alpine A390 apart. Fast? Yes. And maybe I wish it were a touch more involving at normal road speeds; the big Alpine does gather speed alarmingly quickly if you want it to. But the A390 is still in a class of its own if you want a posh electric GT car that delivers an engaging, tactile experience behind the wheel.

Practicality and boot space

There's 518 litres of space in the A390's hatchback boot, so you can even get a Nicola in there! No, really, it is a pretty impressive boot space, so you really will be able to live with the A390 even if you've got a buggy or a medium-sized dog to worry about. There's no frunk, though, so the standard underfloor storage will be the best place to keep your charging cables. ​

Interior, design/styling and technology

The 'sporty cocoon' interior of the Alpine A390 is also said to be inspired by the A110 (I know that this is against the rules at Electriyfing, as the A110 isn’t an EV, but I will admit that the A110 is one of my all-time favourite cars…).

The dash in the A390 is quite high, and the Alpine blue highlights and carbonfibre trim inserts look very cool and make it feel special. I love that it's got proper, physical air-con buttons that are easy to use when you're driving, while the 12-inch touchscreen and matching driver's display are your windows into everything else - including the in-built Google maps and infotainment software that we're now used to from Renault and Alpine.

I love that the driver's seat sits really nice and low, but you can adjust it for a higher, more crossover/SUV feel if you favour that, so I do think Alpine's onto something with the A390's jacked-up, fastback stance.

But, while I like the style flair of the A390’s interior, I think at this price it might be one aspect where you’ll feel like the BMW i4 or Polestar 4 are offering more for your money. The materials and general ambience in the A390 just don’t quite exude the same level of classiness and effortless premium-chic. I do really like the A390’s dash and seats, but it’s lacking something in the perceived classiness next to some rivals.

It's spacious enough in the back seats, though - lovely materials, with sustainable vegan materials an option, or you can have full leather in the GTS. Mind you, it is a bit dark back there as the windows are small, and there's no panoramic roof even as an option.

Prices and Equipment

The Alpine A390 GT will likely start at around £60,000, while the GTS will come in at more like £70,000. We haven't got confirmed UK pricing yet, so we’re guessing a bit! You'll be able to choose from six different body colours, including a variety of blues, black, white and graphite grey – and there’ll be a contrasting black roof available depending on the body colour you choose, too.

Those prices are competitive for the amount of performance and equipment that you're getting, but if it's more than you're willing to pay then you can always check out the used electric cars for sale on Electrifying.com. A used Porsche Taycan could make a very nice alternative to a new Alpine A390, I must say... 

As for real-world range, we’ll have to come back to you on that one. We haven’t spent enough time in the car to really gauge what sort of everyday efficiency it’ll deliver, so while I’d estimate that you’ll get roughly 250- to 300 miles depending on conditions, I’ll have to come back and update you when we’ve had more time in the car.

Verdict

The Alpine A390 is sophisticated yet surprisingly raw-feeling in the way it handles, so I can see what Alpine is trying to get at with the whole ‘racing car in a suit’ analogy. It is, ultimately, quite a different car to anything else out there, and while others have more comfortable rear passenger accommodation and cushier ride comfort, none of them are like the Alpine in terms of sheer driver reward.

And I like that about it. In fact, never mind your Polestar and BMW, you could argue that the Hyundai Ioniq 6 N is closer in nature. Or, dare I say it, a cut-price Porsche Taycan… Such is the A390’s overtly driver-focussed handling, albeit finished with a surprisingly supple ride comfort.

Anyway, I really, really like the A390. But there’s no doubting that this is a fairly niche car, and you’ve got to have fairly niche priorities to justify it. So, if you’re after a luxury-ish, not-as-practical-as-an-SUV-but-more-practical-than-a-coupe electric GT that’s spectacular to drive? Don’t hesitate. This is the car for you.​