Alpine A110 Renault Alpine A110
- Thread starter Pedro Alexandre
- Start date
The Alpine A110 is a rear mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive sports car introduced by French car manufacturer Alpine at the 87th Geneva International Motor Show in March 2017.
Centurion
Apex Apex Predator
In other words the opposite of bloated.
bmwz4coupe
Subscriber
Put it beside a original A110 and it looks like a big suv...
M.N.D
Oversteer Expert
That applies to every car alongside its predecessor(s)
It's unfair to compare the two since the new one has to comply with the current safety rules while having a turbocharged engine and a cabin that has to be spacious enough for today's customers. If the new Alpine has the original car's size, it will be blasted for being too cramped and too uncomfortable, while possibly being unable to pass the safety tests or accommodating a powerful engine.
The new A110 is an accomplishment in today's sea of large SUV's and pumped saloons and hatchbacks.
Centurion
Apex Apex Predator
Indeed. How many sportscars weigh as little as the A110?
M.N.D
Oversteer Expert
Apart from the Lotus Elise, which is considered ancient today as the car originally dates back to 2002, and the Alfa 4C which looks like a derivative of the Elise, I can't remember how many mass produced cars are available today by any of the main manufacturers that are this light.
I can't state a personal opinion on which one's is better since I drove neither the Alpine nor the Porsche Cayman, but while the majority prefers the Cayman, at least judging by the reviews or through reading the online reactions, on the claims of being the better car overall, more powerful, more precise handling, or just for being simply a Porsche, I would personally prefer the Alpine on the basis of being smaller, lighter, and powerful enough for the driver to enjoy the time driving the car.
CrunchSlaughtered
RPM Ruler
1995
M.N.D
Oversteer Expert
I meant the second generation of the Litus Elise, assuming that the current generation is based on the one that dates back to 2002. To the best of my knowledge, the original Elise of the 90's is based on a different platform, unless the current car is considered a heavy facelift, which I may be unaware of.
CrunchSlaughtered
RPM Ruler
The platform is the same, with only some small improvements.
M.N.D
Oversteer Expert
I was thinking the platforms were different. Thanks for the info
I also took a quick look at the wiki page of the Lotus, and in the first paragraph of the series 2 section, it mentioned that the first generation was not complying with the new safety regulations of that time, so Lotus had to modify the platform, just like you mentioned. The car's weight increased by about 130 kg.
The reference article is a dead link now, so I can't confirm the accuracy of this information.
D
Deleted member 1071
There is a new A110 running about in my neighborhood. What a gorgeous little thing it is !
bmwz4coupe
Subscriber
MX-5 is aprox 100 kg lighter than A110
M.N.D
Oversteer Expert
I forgot to include the MX-5 as a light sportscar, but I was thinking about a light entry in the mid engine configuration.
Regarding the weight difference, I don't have an idea about the weight info tested by independent magazines, so I looked at the manufacturer's spec sheet of each, and according to each one, the Mazda weighs 1080 kg / 2381 lbs with an automatic transmission, while the Alpine weighs 1104 kg / 2431 lbs with a double clutch transmission.
Also, the Alpine has a more powerful turbocharged engine, so that adds to the weight of the car.
It's quite enjoyable to see the little Alpine battling cars like McLaren 570, BMW M4, and AMG GT in the GT4 category, although I think sometimes it's a bit unfair given the addtional grunt the other cars have.
I like the Mazda very much and think it's the among the most realistic sportscar for driving fun in the real world, with accessible handling and power, but for a light mid engine sportscar with a higher level of power, the Alpine is considered a very interesting option in today's market.
bmwz4coupe
Subscriber
Claimed weight for MX-5 1,5 is 985 kg and real weight tested in magazines 1005-1020 kg. A110 has real weight tested by magazines 1104-1125, so the difference is aprox 100 kg. But as you say the A110 has more power, bigger wheels/brakes etc, so it is a impressive achivement by both. The stronger A110 S is only 16 kg heavier than the normal A110, wich is impressing.
Centurion
Apex Apex Predator
The MX5, especially with 181hp is more grown up than ever but the he A110s is more of a precision tool that will have higher limits in bends.
Its going to become a press favourite.
mihc
Subscriber
He prefers it over Cayman T. And honestly I'm a huge Porsche fan, but I would also choose the Alpine over Cayman. Except the GT4, but that one is of course in a different league...
StartYourEngines
Tarmac Traveler
Amazing car: there is nothing so "exceptional" about it, but every component is engineered with intelligence and purpose, and everything does what it has to.
It is so rare in 2020 to have something so well-thought by an automotive point of view, in a world filled with bloated, useless POS for which technical qualities that should be basilar for a good car (chassis, suspensions, etc.) seem to have been forgotten and replaced by just basically "tablets on wheels" with diluted mechanical qualities because, who cares?
The important thing is that the car connects to Spotify...
PS: of course I am talking about mass produced cars: the "automotive life" for multi-millionairs is today much better than ever.
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