Battery size: 89kWh
E-Rating™: A
Max charge rate: 190kW
WLTP range: 345 miles 
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. It'll be a rival to things like the Polestar 4, Porsche Macan, Mercedes EQE, BMW i5 and Audi A6 e-tron.
Official driving range is up to 345 miles WLTP courtesy of a new, 89kWh battery that's designed and manufactured in France. There'll be two variants on offer; the Alpine A390 GT will get 397bhp, and the GTS will be the range-topper with 466bhp, with 0-62mph pegged at 4.8 and 3.9-seconds respectively.
One of the A390's real party tricks is a 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 allowing for a rear-wheel drive bias and lots of fun, while also delivering four-wheel drive peace of mind and confidence. Or that's what they tell us, anyway. We haven't driven it yet, but Nicola went out to have a look round the car and find out all about it, so do watch the video for a more in-depth look at the rather rather lovely Alpine A390.
Styling and Dimensions
By the standards of big, posh saloon-SUV-estate-crossover-fastback (you know what I mean...) cars, the Alpine A390 is fairly compact at just over 4.6m long, 1.86m wide without the side mirrors, and 1.53m high. Most of those rivals that we've already mentioned are closer to 4.8-metres long, but Alpine is keen to keep the weight of the A390 down so it went hence a smaller frame.
Aerodynamics are also key, hence the spoiler hidden at the base of the rear window, air-flow gaps around the wheels, and a diffuser inspired by Alpine's Le Mans endurance racer. I'm not sure I can see the nod to the Alpine A110 sports car that launched the modern Alpine brand? It's so much more angular. Nic reckons she can see the cues that are supposed to hark back to this most famous of Alpine's cars, though, and she spent more time with the car. Let us know what you think by leaving a comment on the Electrifying YouTube channel.
Interior
The 'sporty cocoon' interior of the Alpine A390 is also said to be inspired by the A110. It's quite a high dashboard, 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 found that the driver's seat sits really nice and low, which I prefer, 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; it'll suit those who want a sports saloon, and those who want a family SUV, I suppose!
It's spacious enough in the back seats, too - lovely materials, with sustainable vegan materials an option, or you can have full leather on the GTS. Mind you, it is a bit dark back there as the windows are a bit small, and there's no panoramic roof. If know it adds weight, but I do think that the kids would appreciate a sunroof back there...
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 given the compact dimensions we've already talked about, so you really will be able to live with the A390 even if you've got a buggy or a dog to worry about. There's no frunk, though, which is a shame; at least the boot's underfloor storage will be a good place to keep your charging cables.
Battery, Charging and Efficiency
We thought that the A390 would get the same battery as the long range Renault Scenic, because that seems sensible, right? But it's a sign of how quickly Renault and Alpine is improving its tech, and of how important the weight of the A390 was to its engineers, that the brand has fitted an all-new 89kWh lithium-ion NMC pack that's designed and made in France. That's the cells that are made in France, too - it's not cells brought in from China or Korea and then assembled in France. Unfortunately we haven't got any more specifics on the cell chemistry and battery weight, just yet, but being the battery geeks that we are, we're keen to find out more and we'll update you when we can.
Anyway, the 89kWh battery in the A390 is from a company called Verkor, and it delivers 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, really. Provided you've got a compatible home charger, the A390 also offer 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, Porsche Macan and Audi Q6 e-tron will all 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.
The A390 also gets 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.
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 and equipment yet, but we do know that the GTS will get leather upholstery and bigger alloy wheels, so expect it to be a bit more lavishly equipped. You'll be able to choose from six different body colours, including a variety of blues, black, white and graphite grey. A contrasting black roof will be available depending on the body colour you choose, too.
That's very 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...
Verdict
The Alpine A390 is seriously slick and sophisticated. It looks really cool, yet very different to any of its rivals, and it's practical enough to be a daily driver for a family motorist - even if others do have better rear passenger comforts and longer range. It is a properly compelling thing, but we can't really say what we think until we've driven it. It is an Alpine, after all, so it's all about the way it drives. But based on the impressive battery and charging tech, and some big promises in terms of the performance and handling, the A390 could well be on course to disrupt the establishment.
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