[Mosef81]

Hi there all, I am a happy owner of a 2017, pre-LCI M2. New to the forum! But as my wife puts it I 'have a condition' where 'the next new car is only round the corner'! And so to the Alpine A110.. i think it looks pretty nice, coming to UK shores in 2018.. but is it worth it vs a M2 CS? Down sides i guess are obvious: the Alpine is only a 2 seater - loss of practicality; 1.8L Turbo 4cyl - acoustics won't be as good.

But.. it is a developed as a dedicated sports car, is mid engined, has double wishbone front and rear auspension, is lighter by 300+ kg, and therefore in theory atleast, the handling should be better.

Has anyone else considered it? I would be interested in your thoughts!

https://alpinecars.com/en/media/spec...rshow-2017-en/

[PhilL]

I'm really interested by it as well. The lack of practicality isn't a deal breaker for me but does limit use a little with a toddler who loves going in my car.

I'm much more interested in the Alpine than a 4 cylinder Cayman although I would like to know more about the after sales/service proposition for the Alpine. Not keen on taking one to my local Renault garage..

[alexc93]

I think you answered your own question by listing those downsides...

Would never consider the money for this thing. I imagine it to be similar to an Alfa 4C with worse build quality than those already have. Of course I am just speculating as I really know nothing about alpine cars but chances are lack of build quality due to lack of manufacturing experience in the marketplace etc...

I'd consider a 718S all day before one of those.

[ClothSeats]

Alpine is basically Renault so it should be more reliable than an Alfa at least. I think the Alpine looks great; hard to say anything else as it hasn't come out yet. I did like driving the original A110 in Gran Turismo though.

[Mosef81]

Agree with Phil in terms of toddler friendliness - mine loves the M2 and gets in and out easily. I would consider the Alpine over a 718 - locally (London) there seems to be a lot of porsche-hate in that they seem to be prime targets for vandals which is very sad but puts me off from owning one. I guess as an all round package, every time i compare the M2 to a similar smallish, fast, driver focussed car, the M2 comes out on top - for me at least. Maybe the wife is wrong - the next new car is not just round the corner.

Can't help but notice how nice the alpine looks though.....

[johnnydad]

Originally Posted by alexc93

I think you answered your own question by listing those downsides...

Would never consider the money for this thing. I imagine it to be similar to an Alfa 4C with worse build quality than those already have. Of course I am just speculating as I really know nothing about alpine cars but chances are lack of build quality due to lack of manufacturing experience in the marketplace etc...

I'd consider a 718S all day before one of those.

LOL it's obvious you know nothing about them - that's cool but such a shame to perpetuate the funny brand=must be crap myth.

The Renaultsport cars which are engineered by the people who have produced the Alpine are certainly not new to the game. Australia is a big market for RS and I know scores of folk who run these, drive them hard and regularly track them. Nothing is perfect but they don't generally suffer from significant common faults and lap up abuse and high km very well indeed. Likewise we're blessed with several specialist garages here so owning an Alpine is likely to be a relatively painless experience.

Porsche do know their stuff of course - I'm looking forward to cross shopping the Cayman and 110 eventually.

[alexc93]

Originally Posted by johnnydad

LOL it's obvious you know nothing about them - that's cool but such a shame to perpetuate the funny brand=must be crap myth.

The Renaultsport cars which are engineered by the people who have produced the Alpine are certainly not new to the game. Australia is a big market for RS and I know scores of folk who run these, drive them hard and regularly track them. Nothing is perfect but they don't generally suffer from significant common faults and lap up abuse and high km very well indeed. Likewise we're blessed with several specialist garages here so owning an Alpine is likely to be a relatively painless experience.

Porsche do know their stuff of course - I'm looking forward to cross shopping the Cayman and 110 eventually.

Originally Posted by alexc93

Of course I am just speculating as I really know nothing about alpine cars

As i did say I don't know anything about Alpine cars...not saying a funny brand=crap at all. However, Alfa is also a well known brand that are not new to the game at all either, and the build quality / reliability on their recent models is absolutely atrocious, which is why I used alfa as an example, as the Alpine looked very 4Cish.

I am definitely interested to see how this Alpine looks when it comes to marketplace, and hopefully it isnt a disappointment as Alfa's comeback was; it all comes down to build quality and price to be honest, for anyone who's cross shopping with a 718S or an M2 at least.

[PhilL]

Having sat in one I don't think anyone coming from an M2 would feel short-changed with the perceived build quality inside; I'd describe it as 'pared back luxury' perhaps, the materials and switchgear were nice, feels more 'special' and the seats were tremendous.

Certainly much better perceived quality than the 4c, the 718 might be more 'luxurious' but then it's a load heavier and very spec dependant.

Having heard one up close at Goodwood I'd say it sounded much better than the 718, not sure it's close to the M2 with MPE aurally though

The Renaultsport team know what they're doing and I think it will be very interesting to see how it takes the fight to the Cayman.

I rather like the fact it's not a Porsche; I can tell clients I drive a Renault without raising eyebrows!

Interesting that the new Megane RS seems to be powered by a version of the same engine but with another 30bhp - I wonder if this will find it's way into a hotter A110 in the not too distant future..