Announced back in 2021 as Renault s official performance division in place of the Renault Sport brand, Alpine has debuted its first all-new model since the introduction of the retro-styled A110 seven years ago.
ICE RS out, EV Alpine inHinted at earlier this year, the A290 uses the revived Renault 5 E-Tech as a base, meaning propulsion comes solely from an electric powertrain.
Returning to the 5 for the first time since 1984 when the Alpine turbo variant, modelled on the original generation, bowed-out, the A290 indirectly also replaces the discontinued Megane RS as Renaults newest and for now, only hot hatch.
Tipped as the likeliest rival for the Mini Cooper SE, the Alpine A290 rides on the EV-adapted version of the CMF-B platform called AmpR Small, but as with the original and the later Renault 5 Turbo, a number of visual and dynamic changes have taken place, including inside.
Measuring 3990 mm long, 1820 mm wide, 1520 mm high and 2530 mm long on the wheelbase front, the A290 retains the same wheelbase, length and height as the 5, but with a 60 m width increase as a result of the wider front and rear track, and up to 19-inch alloy wheels wrapped in special Michelin Pilot Sport EV tyres.
