► Alpine’s A110 departs our fleet
► Sad its breed is dying
► Read month 3 here
I’m going to miss our Alpine in more ways than one. It’s been amazing to run it every day for the last few months, and every time I got in it I was mindful that the days are numbered for this kind of car: small, lightweight, mid-engined and yes, petrol-powered! Every day I told myself to make the most of it.
And I did. I learned a lot about it over the weeks, including how best to pack its shoebox-sized boot and frunk for a weekend away, how to balance a coffee between my knees because there’s no cupholder, and how to extract the car’s more playful side.
Yes, you do need to learn that, because when you first drive the A110 it’s not quite what you expect, given its spec. The power, the rear-wheel drive, the delicacy of the controls – you’d think the Alpine would be a slidey, drifty plaything, but it’s not. Or not immediately. If you push hard, the Alpine is super grippy and the handling feels like it’s neutral rather than naughty.
But over the weeks, as I got to know the car, its friskier side emerged. First you need Track mode, which sharpens the throttle and turns off the traction control. And then you need some brutal inputs to unsettle the car – a hard turn-in, a lift and a boatload of throttle. Then it’ll jink out its tail and you have that sweet pleasure of catching it with a quick flick of the light steering.
So I got better at playing with the A110 as the time went on, and I liked that. A car you have to learn is more satisfying than a one-trick pony. It has layers.
And the worst bits? I struggled to get 30mpg, which was probably my fault because I drive flat-out everywhere, all the time. You’d have to tickle it to get the claimed 40mpg. I did a couple of six-hour drives from one end of the country to the other and the cabin noise can be a bit intrusive. The infotainment is terrible (thankfully it has CarPlay). All of its niggles I could forgive except one: every time I bought a coffee, I’d look around the cabin and think, ‘Really? REALLY?’ before wedging it between my legs.
But it’s churlish to complain about details like these when a car is so small, beautiful and petrol-powered. One day soon, when we’re all sitting in AI-driven electric pods, I’ll look back on the A110 and wonder why I used to moan about the cupholders.
Read month 1
Read month 2
Read month 3
Logbook: Alpine A110
Price £54,490 (£59,515 as tested)
Performance 1790cc turbocharged four-cylinder, 249bhp, 4.5sec 0-62mph, 155mph
Efficiency 40.3mpg (official), 29.4 mpg (tested), 130g/km CO2
Energy cost 21.9p per mile
Miles this month 522
Total miles 3181
Count the cost
Cost new £59,515
Part-exchange £41,455
Cost per mile 22.8p
Cost per mile including depreciation £5.91