Natural selection
These sports cars have evolved in very different ways, but both promise to be thrilling to drive. Only one can be king of the jungle, though
NATURE IS FULL of surprises. A full-grown African elephant may have no natural predators due to its size, but a well-placed bite from an infected mosquito has the power to kill one.
Don’t worry – Sir David Attenborough hasn’t taken to writing car reviews. But the analogy is applicable to this particular test. Team Mosquito is represented by the Alpine A110, a featherweight, mid-engined sports car that makes its seemingly puny 1.8-litre turbocharged engine pack a heavyweight punch. Remember, this is the car that toppled the mighty Porsche 718 Cayman.
Our elephant is the BMW M2 Competition, a car that’s been bulking up over the summer. A new engine – the twin-turbo unit from the bigger M4 – gives it more power than the regular M2 it replaces, but it also means more weight: 55kg, to be exact. So, can the A110 find the M2’s weak spot, or will it get swatted?
DRIVING Performance, ride, handling, re nement
Look at the power outputs and you might expect the A110 to get annihilated in a straight line; it has just 248bhp, whereas the M2’s 3.0-litre straight six pumps out 404bhp and more than a Ford Fiesta’s worth of extra torque.
But a half-tonne weight penalty means the A110 actually takes only half a second longer to accelerate from 0-60mph. If you take the car on track, the gap has increased to 1.4sec by the time you’re doing 100mph, with the M2 getting to that speed from rest in a blistering 9.9sec. The M2 also feels more flexible in normal driving; the A110 needs more revs before it really gets going.
Push it hard in Sport or Race mode and the A110 produces a fruity rasp and cracks and pops when you lift off the accelerator. However, the M2’s wailing straight six is even easier on the ears.
Both cars have seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearboxes that shift more aggressively in the sportier driving modes. Both change gear smoothly most of the time, although they can be a little jerky during low-speed manoeuvring. However, when you decide to take control by using the shift paddles behind the steering wheel, you’ll find that the A110 responds more snappily to your commands.
The biggest differences between these cars become apparent in corners. The M2’s steering is relatively heavy but lets you to place the nose of the car with accuracy. The A110’s steering is far lighter but sharper and provides more feedback about grip through the wheel rim.
This sense of lightness permeates every facet of the A110, with the car diving into corners and changing direction like a cat.
The M2 rolls less and grips the road just as tenaciously once it’s settled in a fast corner, but it’s never quite as keen to turn in to begin with.
With its extra firepower, the M2 was quicker around our 0.9-mile test track, which is designed to simulate a typical B-road, but only by a scant 0.2sec. And although the A110’s brake discs look tiny compared with the M2’s, the fact that the A110 is so much lighter actually allows it to shed speed more quickly, and it feels more stable under really hard braking.
In normal daily use, the A110 is a more peaceful companion, mainly because its narrower tyres generate far less road noise. Ride comfort is harder to call, though.
The M2 is always firmer but has excellent damping, so bumps are dealt with quickly. The A110 can bobble around a bit over broken surfaces at lower speeds, but it really smooths out as the pace rises, gliding along bumpy B-roads like few cars in any price bracket.
BEHIND THE WHEEL Driving position, visibility, build quality
It’s easier to get comfortable in the M2, especially with the electric seats that come as part of a Comfort Pack (£1800) fitted to our test car. With adjustable lumbar support and side bolsters, as well as a memory function, they grip you tightly in corners and are comfortable on long jaunts.
Our A110 was a Première Edition (now sold out) that came with fixed-back bucket seats. These seats, which are really supportive, aren’t available on the Légende, the better equipped of the two trims now available; it gets six-way adjustable ‘comfort’ seats instead. Both cars have height and reach adjustment for their steering wheels with enough movement for drivers of most shapes and sizes.
The A110’s sections of exposed aluminium chassis, leather and carbonfibre trim look great, but the hard plastics and Renaultsourced switches are a far cry from the M2’s altogether posher and more luxurious interior.
The M2’s higher driving position allows you to see more of the road ahead, although forward visibility is good in both cars. Rearward visibility is far superior in the M2, thanks to larger rear windows and a bigger rear screen. Both cars come with front and rear parking sensors as standard, with the A110 adding a reversing camera, a £330 option on the M2.
SPACE AND PRACTICALITY Front space, rear space, seating exibility, boot
Up front, neither car feels cramped, thanks to decent head and leg room. However, the M2 slays the A110 for practicality in all other respects. For a start, it has two fairly usable rear seats. Children and shorter adults will be fine back there, while even taller folk can squeeze in for short trips.
The M2 also has a far bigger boot that can be extended further by folding down the rear seats. Even with them up, we managed to slot in six carry-on suitcases, compared with just one in the A110 (under the bonnet). There is another small boot at the rear of the A110, behind the engine bay, but it’s only suitable for squishy items or a couple of shopping bags. Just don’t leave milk in there for too long; the compartment gets quite warm due to the proximity of the engine.
BUYING AND OWNING Costs, equipment, reliability, safety and security
You’ll need deep pockets to buy either of these cars, with list prices of more than £50,000. Although the M2 is a little more expensive to begin with, it will cost you a couple of hundred quid less if you buy at our Target Price.
Neither is cheap to run, either. Fuel and servicing bills will be much higher for the M2, but those costs will be largely offset by the fact that it’s predicted to hold its value better.
If you’re taking out finance, a three-year PCP deal with a £5000 deposit will set you back £687 per month for the M2 and £711 for the A110. Company car drivers will sacrifice far less of their salaries to drive an A110 (see panel, left), thanks to its lower CO2 output.
Both come well equipped, although there are far more luxury and convenience options for the M2. Automatic emergency braking (along with lane departure warning) is a £390 option on the M2 but unavailable on the A110. Euro NCAP hasn’t crash tested the A110 or M2, but the 1 Series on which the latter is based gained five stars, albeit way back in 2012.