Alpine's A290 Rallye adds skids and a bigger soundscape
The extra sporty brother to Renault's 5 E-Tech hatch now has an even more extra option: the turnkey race-ready A290 Rallye.
At €60,000 (A$107K), it'll cost a fair whack more than the regular €39,000 (A$70K) A290, but it's got the competition-spec tricks buyers will be expecting.
Alas, it's no more powerful than the A290 – 162kW – and that feels like a bit of a shitty deal when you're handing over so much more to take one home.
After all, this would've been a great time to give it the power to match Peugeot's new e-208 GTi.
What you do get is official entry-level FIA rally compliance, benefiting from a ZF mechanical LSD, ALP Racing Suspension shocks, 350mm front discs and six-pot callipers up front (upgraded from 320mm and four-piston), race-focused ABS tweaks and a proper hydraulic handbrake, along with Sabelt seats and a full roll cage.
And, love it or hate it, there's also a new speaker on the outside, making the A290 Rallye's synthetic noises louder than those of the regular model, changing with speed and throttle position.
There's a video below, but like these dicks always do, they've covered the audio with some crappy electronic music. (To be fair, it looks like the video was provided from Renault without any audio, which is common for supplied B-roll.)
Given its motorsport intent, the price is fairly irrelevant and not out of keeping with rival offerings – plus it's supposedly handbuilt in Alpine’s Jean Rédélé factory at Dieppe. That's kinda cool.
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