Alpine A110 Review: Why This Featherweight French Sports Car Has Enthusiasts Obsessed

You know that sinking feeling when a dream sports car finally shows up in your driveway… and then feels like a fast but distant appliance? The steering is numb, the chassis is heavy, and the only way to have fun is to flirt with speeds that would get your license shredded on the spot.

Modern performance cars are insanely capable, but for a lot of drivers, they’ve become too big, too heavy, and too obsessed with lap times. The fun moved from your fingertips to the spec sheet.

If you've ever wished for something lighter, purer, and more connected – a car that makes a twisty road feel like a private playground even at sane speeds – you're exactly the person the Alpine A110 was built for.

The Solution: Alpine A110, a Modern Lightweight With Old-School Soul

The Alpine A110 is a compact, mid-engined sports coupé from Renault Group (within the broader Renault–Nissan–Mitsubishi Alliance), sold in markets like Europe as a kind of anti-supercar. Instead of chasing 700 horsepower and Nürburgring records, it chases something more elusive: joy.

Weighing roughly 1,100 kg (model-dependent) and powered by a turbocharged 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine sending power to the rear wheels via a dual-clutch transmission, the A110 focuses on agility, feedback, and real-world usability. It's the car you grab the keys to on a random Tuesday evening just because the road home has a few good corners.

On the official Alpine site, the current range centers around variants like the A110, A110 GT, and A110 S, each using the same basic mid-engine, aluminum-intensive architecture but tuned for slightly different personalities—from grand-touring balance to track-biased sharpness. It's a sports car that doesn't just tolerate daily life; many owners say they actively look for excuses to drive it.

Why This Specific Model?

The market is full of fast cars, but very few feel as singularly focused on the driver as the Alpine A110. Here's what makes it stand out, based on manufacturer specs and real-world feedback from owners and enthusiasts on forums and Reddit:

• Ultra-light construction: The A110's aluminum platform and body panels give it a curb weight that undercuts rivals like the Porsche 718 Cayman by a significant margin, depending on spec. In practice, that means it feels alive even at 40 mph on a backroad.
• Mid-engine balance: With the engine mounted behind you but ahead of the rear axle, the car's weight distribution and low center of gravity translate into fluid turn-in, stable cornering, and that "pivot around your hips" sensation fans rave about.
• Real-world power: Depending on version, the 1.8L turbo four-cylinder offers power outputs roughly in the 250–300+ hp range, verified by Alpine's spec sheets for models like A110, GT, and S. It's more than enough in a car this light, without becoming unmanageable on wet city streets.
• Dual-clutch finesse: The 7-speed dual-clutch transmission allows both relaxed commuting and rapid-fire manual shifts using the paddles. Users often mention that once you accept the A110 is DCT-only, the tuning feels well matched to the engine's character.
• Comfort + excitement: Reviewers frequently point out that, unlike many track-hardened sports cars, the A110's ride is impressively supple. You get body control without the spine-shattering stiffness, which makes long drives or imperfect roads far less punishing.

While Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. (ISIN: JP3725400000) doesn't sell the A110 directly, it sits within the wider Renault–Nissan–Mitsubishi Alliance ecosystem through Renault Group, reinforcing that this is a serious, industrial-strength effort rather than a boutique one-off.

At a Glance: The Facts

Here's how the Alpine A110's key features translate into benefits you'll actually feel every time you drive it:

Feature	User Benefit
Lightweight aluminum chassis and body	Sharper handling, playful balance, and thrilling performance without needing outrageous power or speed.
Mid-engined, rear-wheel-drive layout	Natural, intuitive cornering feel and excellent traction for enthusiastic driving on twisty roads.
Turbocharged 1.8L 4-cylinder engine (power outputs vary by variant)	Strong acceleration paired with relatively low weight, giving a "point and go" feel out of corners.
7-speed dual-clutch transmission	Quick, seamless gear changes with the option of smooth automatic mode or precise paddle-shift control.
Compact dimensions and low seating position	Confidence-inspiring visibility, easy placement on narrow roads, and an immersive sports-car driving position.
Comfort-focused suspension tuning (in standard versions)	Usable performance every day, including on rougher roads, without the usual sports-car fatigue.
Driver-oriented interior layout	Controls, displays, and seating arranged to keep you focused on the road and the driving experience.

What Users Are Saying

Dive into Reddit threads and enthusiast forums and a clear theme emerges: people who own or have driven the Alpine A110 tend to love it, often in a way that feels more emotional than rational. Here's the distilled sentiment.

Common praises:

• Handling that feels alive: Drivers consistently praise the A110 for its playful, communicative chassis and its ability to dance down a road rather than merely dominate it.
• Real-world usability: Many owners highlight the ride comfort, maneuverability, and reasonable fuel usage (relative to its performance), saying it's practical enough to be a genuine daily driver in many European cities.
• Distinctive character: Compared to more common rivals, the Alpine's styling and rarity are often described as "special" or "charming." Owners enjoy that it's not yet another predictable German coupé.

Common criticisms:

• Limited availability: The A110 isn't sold in every market (notably, it's absent from the US), which frustrates enthusiasts who can't access it at all.
• Interior and tech feel modest: Some users note that cabin materials and infotainment tech don't quite match the polish of premium German competitors. It's good enough, but not why you buy the car.
• Storage space is tight: As with many mid-engined sports cars, luggage capacity is functional but limited, and bigger road trips require careful packing.

Overall, the sentiment skews strongly positive, especially among people who value feel, feedback, and fun over pure spec-sheet dominance.

Alternatives vs. Alpine A110

To understand why enthusiasts keep singling out the Alpine A110, it helps to see it against a few obvious rivals:

• Porsche 718 Cayman: The benchmark for mid-engined sports cars in many minds. The Cayman offers more badge prestige, a very high-quality interior, and a deeper dealer network. However, it's heavier, feels more serious, and can be less playful at legal speeds. Many reviewers argue the A110 delivers more "fun per mph."
• BMW M2 (and similar compact coupes): Front-engined and more practical, with strong straight-line performance and back seats. But they're considerably heavier and more muscular, with a very different character. If you want nimbleness and delicacy, the Alpine has the edge.
• Hot hatches (e.g., Renault hot models, VW Golf R): These offer more space and everyday usability, plus strong performance. Yet even the best hot hatch can't quite replicate the mid-engine purity and sense of occasion that the A110 delivers.

The Alpine A110 doesn't win by brute force; it wins by feeling like a focused tool for enjoying driving, rather than a multi-role machine trying to be everything at once.

Final Verdict

The Alpine A110 is not the fastest car you can buy for the money. It's not the most powerful, the most luxurious, or the easiest to justify on paper. And yet, for the kind of person who likes to take the long way home purely because there's a better corner on that route, it might be close to perfect.

By embracing lightness, balance, and real-world usability, Alpine has created a sports car that feels almost like a modern reinterpretation of classic driver's cars, backed by the industrial muscle of Renault Group and its alliance partners. In an era when performance often feels abstract and remote, the A110 brings it right back to your hands, your feet, and the seat of your pants.

If you're in a market where the Alpine A110 is available and your priorities are engagement, emotion, and the sheer joy of driving over status or raw numbers, this is the car that deserves a serious, test-drive-level look. It's not just fast; it's alive—and that's something fewer and fewer modern cars can honestly claim.

For more information, detailed specs, and current variants, you can explore the official Alpine pages via Alpine's site and the broader corporate context at Renault Group.