we drove the first electric car from the French brand, its autonomy disappoints

Motorists who were twenty years old in the 1980s remember it well. At the time, each manufacturer released its “bombinette“. A small car, like the Peugeot 205 or the Renault 5, with a supercharged engine, and a sporty look. While the R5 has just been reborn, the Renault group is playing the nostalgia card to the fullest, and relaunching a car of this guy like back then, it's Alpine who's doing it.

The Norman firm is launching the A290 at the end of the year, a model derived from the new R5 E-Tech. The city car is the first electric model in its history. Visually, the two cars are close, with a neo-retro style and equivalent dimensions.

A not high-end enough finish

But the Alpine stands out with its sublime 19-inch rims, its spoiler, or even its additional headlights, whose cross-shaped light signature is reminiscent of the stickers placed on the headlights of rally cars.

On board, the rear seats and the trunk remain cramped. The finish disappoints, with many hard plastics. On our test model, a high-end GTS version, the front seats have two-tone upholstery in Nappa leather. The audio system comes from the French brand Devialet. The touch screen provides performance data and even driving advice. The reversing camera offers a poor image, and turns off unexpectedly when you reverse. Practical.