Alpine, Renault’s sports brand, does not intend to miss an opportunity to take advantage of the new brand phenomenon, the electric R5 E-Tech. Better still, the legendary brand has decided to make the a290, the cousin of the Renault 5, its first 100% electric model. It was at Le Mans, ahead of the most important car race of the year in France, that the a290 was finally revealed.
The one that was a hit when its concept was presented (then called a290 B), kept the suspense going for a long time before showing its final forms and the technical choices that were validated during its development. The one which is both the first city car and the first 100% electric model of the brand has two major missions: to establish itself as a benchmark in the segment and to succeed in distinguishing itself from its cousin, the Renault 5, which is currently attracting the spotlight. While the two bombs share the same technical platform, and the R5 is a step ahead in terms of development, how does the a290 manage to stand out? What makes her so different from her cousin? Here are the 5 big differences between the Renault R5 E-Tech Electric and the Alpine a290.
1 – The exterior design: a sports car, a real one
This is obviously the most obvious difference. The a290 stands out from the bodywork with more prominent and more cut elements than the R5, although it is quite sporty in its appearance. The general shapes of the two city cars are similar, but the Alpine still manages to stand out with wider side skirts. The differences are more marked at the rear where the a290 accommodates a large diffuser and a so-called “duck tail” spoiler, the design of which was noticed during the presentation of the concept. Finally, as on this famous concept, we are pleased to find the visual signature in the shape of a cross which recalls the stickers affixed to rally cars.
Finally, unlike Renault, Alpine has chosen not to integrate the charge indicator on the hood of its city car. The a290 will not reveal its remaining battery percentage to the outside world. Is it so important after all?
2 – A less clean interior
There are of course similarities between the interior of the a290 and that of the future electric R5, but they remain of a general nature. Alpine’s designers were able to really work on the interior of the city car and, above all, personalize it. We see this in particular on the instrumentation screen which benefits from a specific design all in “triangles”, the ideal shape to recall the peaks of the Alps.
The Alpine also uses the triangle in several other places to emphasize its uniqueness. A sports car has a specific steering wheel and that of the Alpine has nothing to do with the one that will equip the Renault 5. This version with a double flat (quite close to what Peugeot offers elsewhere) will have two red buttons which will invite the driver in the game.
- The OV (Overtake) button releases the car’s maximum power for a duration of 10 seconds
- The RCG (Recharge) button adjusts the regenerative braking recovery level in four levels (from level 0 or freewheeling to level 4 which is almost equivalent to a single-pedal mode).
© Alpine a290
3 – Another way to brake
Despite similarities in their designs, the Renault group’s two electric city cars promise different driving sensations. If it is too early, even impossible, to judge them on this point, and for good reason, they are not yet running, one detail allows us to have a first glimpse of their differences: the brake.
Indeed, the Alpine a290 will have a special braking system, inherited from the star of the brand, the A110. It is a four-piston caliper system with Brembo discs (320 mm). This device will be associated with “by-wire” braking technology, that is to say an electrical control which allows you to switch from regenerative braking to hydraulic braking peacefully. Consequently, braking promises to be very aggressive since the a290 launched at 100 km/h will be able to stop its course in less than 3 seconds. Why such effort on braking? Quite simply because on the engine side, it’s heavy!
4 – Much more muscular than the R5
This difference was rather expected from a version focused on sportiness, and yet it deserves to be underlined. In the catalog of electric motors available from Renault, Alpine has skipped the first pages to go straight to the most powerful versions. Thus, it is an electric Mégane engine which will be integrated into a much more compact and lighter chassis. From now on, two power versions are announced:
- A 180 hp engine and 285 Nm of torque
A 220 hp engine and 300 Nm of torque
But it is already rumored that an even more muscular version is in preparation, this one could approach 300 hp.
Regardless, integrating such a muscular engine required a level of adaptation for the a290 and specific developments that will not exist on the R5 E-Tech. If both will have a multi-link rear axle, only the a290 will benefit from hydraulic stop suspensions, anti-roll bars and an aluminum front cradle.
With these technical characteristics, Alpine’s electric city car can go from 0 to 100 km/h in 6.4 seconds, compared to around 8 seconds for the R5 E-Tech.
Read: Citroën ë-C3 vs Renault 5 E-Tech electric: the duel of electric city cars for less than 25,000 euros
5 – Same battery size, but two ways to consume it
The fifth and final major difference is not the most visible. It is located at floor level, where both models house their batteries. A block with identical capacity, 52 kWh in both cases.
To display an identical range (380 km) to the Renault 5 E-Tech even though it has a more powerful engine and is slightly larger and heavier, the Alpine had to agree to some specific adjustments. According to the information revealed by the brand, the a290 has software dedicated to this model for energy management, a tool which makes it possible to manage overheating phases more precisely and thus avoid the degradation of the performance. Furthermore, although of identical capacity, its battery is not exactly the same as that of its cousin. Alpine opts for a model designed by Envision and which will be developed in the north of France from next year.
The Alpine a290 will therefore not simply be a “slightly more powerful” electric Renault 5. Despite a technical base common to that of the diamond, Alpine has been able to develop specific features specific to its bombinette and which should allow it to display very different performances and driving sensations. There is also another difference, obvious here too, but on which the Renault group’s sports brand has not dwelled: the price. Prices for the a290 are not yet known, but they are expected to be higher than those of the R5. You can already forget any entry-level version around 25,000, the entry ticket for the a290 will be more like 38,000 euros.
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