Itcaptainslow
Obsessed member
- Sep 4, 2023
- 379
- 425
There’s a thread running on PistonHeads regarding corrosion issues with A110’s…by the look of things, they’re prone to oxidisation around the wheel arches 
Alpine A110 Discussion and deals
- Thread starter Ecsrobin
- Start date
idrinkbeer
Dedicated member
The rear of the rear wheel arches.There’s a thread running on PistonHeads regarding corrosion issues with A110’s…by the look of things, they’re prone to oxidisation around the wheel arches
Nick
Totally Hooked
As Alpine had a stand at the Sunday Scramble at Bicester at the weekend, I decided I needed to revisit the A110. I couldn’t understand why I just didn’t gel with this car when I tried one when they first came out, when all the car journalists raved about it.
Seeing a few of them in various colours lined up, to my eyes they’re a lovely looking car, a real contrast to the massive SUVs we see everywhere (you could say the same about the GR86).
They are nice and small (a positive in a car for me) but not hard for me or my wife to get in and out of like a Lotus Elise. Sitting inside is a real step up from the GR86. The GR86 is fine, but you can see why the A110 is a much more expensive car in comparison.
The practicality is an issue, no glove box or door pockets, just an optional £500 leather pouch you can put between the seats. I guess the designers thought it was worth the compromise, but it would make it challenging as a daily driver. Boot and frunk space were ok, but you would need to think about what luggage you could use if going away for a road trip.
Whilst looking around the cars, they were offering 20 minute unaccompanied test drives (which is more than I got after placing a deposit on my GR86), so I thought “why not?”.
The model I tried was the A110 GT, which come standard with the comfort pack, meaning normal seats rather than the buckets in the standard car.
Immediately this made a massive improvement from what I had remembered, people rave about the standard seats, but I think they were a big part of why I didn’t gel the first time around.
20 mins isn’t long enough really, but the car felt good. The GR86 feels light to drive, but I could feel this was even lighter. One big surprise was how comfortable it felt, and how quiet at cruising speeds. You’d think it wouldn’t have a lot of sound proofing to keep the weight down, but it was certainly quieter than I’m used to with my car.
Handling and steering were very good, more grip than the GR86 which takes away some of the fun, but I loved the steering, it felt very “go cart like”.
Being auto only is a big draw back, but the auto with paddles does seem to suit the character of this car, and at times when I’m stuck in heavy traffic I can see the positives.
Would I change my car for one? Well, it’s a massive difference in cost (pretty much double for the GT), so they’d have to do a good finance deal for me to get the “man maths” to work for me.
I’m glad I revisited it though, I can now understand the love for it.
Seeing a few of them in various colours lined up, to my eyes they’re a lovely looking car, a real contrast to the massive SUVs we see everywhere (you could say the same about the GR86).
They are nice and small (a positive in a car for me) but not hard for me or my wife to get in and out of like a Lotus Elise. Sitting inside is a real step up from the GR86. The GR86 is fine, but you can see why the A110 is a much more expensive car in comparison.
The practicality is an issue, no glove box or door pockets, just an optional £500 leather pouch you can put between the seats. I guess the designers thought it was worth the compromise, but it would make it challenging as a daily driver. Boot and frunk space were ok, but you would need to think about what luggage you could use if going away for a road trip.
Whilst looking around the cars, they were offering 20 minute unaccompanied test drives (which is more than I got after placing a deposit on my GR86), so I thought “why not?”.
The model I tried was the A110 GT, which come standard with the comfort pack, meaning normal seats rather than the buckets in the standard car.
Immediately this made a massive improvement from what I had remembered, people rave about the standard seats, but I think they were a big part of why I didn’t gel the first time around.
20 mins isn’t long enough really, but the car felt good. The GR86 feels light to drive, but I could feel this was even lighter. One big surprise was how comfortable it felt, and how quiet at cruising speeds. You’d think it wouldn’t have a lot of sound proofing to keep the weight down, but it was certainly quieter than I’m used to with my car.
Handling and steering were very good, more grip than the GR86 which takes away some of the fun, but I loved the steering, it felt very “go cart like”.
Being auto only is a big draw back, but the auto with paddles does seem to suit the character of this car, and at times when I’m stuck in heavy traffic I can see the positives.
Would I change my car for one? Well, it’s a massive difference in cost (pretty much double for the GT), so they’d have to do a good finance deal for me to get the “man maths” to work for me.
I’m glad I revisited it though, I can now understand the love for it.
Honcho
New member
Any info on the owner or if it is sold? I’m in NI and would love to check on of these out. Unfortunately I can’t find any over here.
