Up to 550 kilometers of range
We’ve known for years that it was coming, and now it’s finally here. The Alpine A390. After the A290, it’s the second electric Alpine ever. On another level, the Alpine A390 is the first. It is, in fact, the brand’s first crossover ever.
Highlights Alpine A390
A lot is changing at Alpine. Or rather, a lot has changed at Alpine. For a long time, Renault’s sporty sister brand only had one model on the menu: the A110. It’s now on its last legs. A successor is ready, but it no longer has a hot 1.8 petrol engine, but an electric powertrain. It’s not even the first electric Alpine. That’s the A290, essentially a sporty version of the Renault 5 E-Tech Electric. It is now expanding its portfolio with the A390. The Alpine A390 is also always an EV, and it’s also a crossover.
The Alpine A390 Beta from last year.
As early as 2021, Alpine indicated that it would come with an (electric) SUV. Last year, Alpine gave an even clearer signal. At the time, with the A390 β, it gave a more concrete preview of what the brand’s first ‘family car’ should be. Of course, the Alpine A390 now on your screen is the production version of that. Alpine liked the design of the concept car. In fact, hardly anything has been cut. On the definitive A390, a piece of plastic on the front bumper holds apart the wildly assembled elements of the LED daytime running lights. The LED triangles between the actual headlights – which Alpine calls Cosmic Dust – and the LED daytime running lights are more compressed and take up less space in width than on the conceptual harbinger. Anyone approaching his or her A390 is treated to a projection of the Alpine logo on the ground. Also, the underside of the front bumper is clearly somewhat toned down. The A110-like roofline – take a good look – has survived the transition to the production stage.
No new model without a so-called easter egg, a ‘hidden’ reference. In one of the corners of the windshield is the silhouette of the A110.
Three electric motors
The electric newcomer measures 4.62 meters in length, 1.53 meters in height and 1.89 meters in width. With those dimensions, the Alpine A390 is roughly comparable to the Polestar 2, among others. The wheelbase is 2.71 meters, making it about 2 centimeters larger than that of sister model Megane. Like that Renault Megane E-Tech Electric (and Scenic E-Tech Electric), the Alpine A390 sits on the AmpR Medium platform.
No Alpine without a nice potent powertrain, so the A390 has that too. The four-wheel-drive Alpine A390 always has three electric motors. Two of them are in the back, one has the task of driving the front wheels. This composition makes the arrival of torque vectoring possible, where the torque can vary per rear wheel. The A390 party starts with a 400 hp and 650 Nm strong variant called A390 GT. With that variant, you can stamp from a standstill to a speed of 100 km/h in 4.8 seconds. The top speed of the at least 2,121 kilo Alpine is 200 km/h.
Above that is the 470 hp and 808 Nm strong – provisional – top version A390 GTS. That most potent Alpine A390 launches itself from a standstill in 3.9 seconds to a speed of 100 km/h. Its top speed: 220 km/h.
Regardless of the chosen electric motors, the Alpine A390 has an 89 kWh battery. That provides a range of up to 555 kilometers. Fast charging is possible with 190 kW. Bidirectional charging is also possible with an optional adapter.
Alpine A390: screens and physical buttons.
Charging and fully charging
The Alpine A390 is also practical. The luggage space is a generous 532 liters. This makes it the most spacious Alpine ever, although that is of course surprising when you know that this is the first Alpine of its kind.
Just like in the cockpit of the Renault Megane E-Tech Electric and 5 E-Tech Electric, angular shapes also dominate the interior of the Alpine A390. Behind the steering wheel, which is flattened at the bottom and equipped with a real overtake button, is a 12.3-inch digital instrumentation. Next to it is a 12-inch infotainment screen that is vertically oriented. There are also physical buttons: you will find them under the infotainment screen to operate the climate control. The red overtake button is not the only reference to Alpine’s Formula 1 race cars. On the left of the steering wheel we find a blue Recharge rotary knob. With this you can steal the degree of recuperation. You can also use it to activate the One Pedal Driving (to standstill) mode. You choose the direction of travel by pressing one of the three buttons housed in the center tunnel. The two plastic ‘wings’ on either side of those buttons can be personalized.
Electrically adjustable and heated Alpine Sport seats? Present. If you go for an A390 in its most lavishly decorated version, you will receive, among other things, Sabelt bucket seats that are covered with blue and gray nappa leather.
Dutch prices are not yet available.