As a result, according to Alpine, their new SUV drives like a sports car
Alpine A390
At the end of this year, there will be a new model in the Alpine showroom: the A390. It is an all-electric fastback SUV with five seats and up to 470 hp of system power. It combines the practicality of a family car with the driving characteristics of a sports car, according to the brand. How do they pull that off? The French have come up with a clever piece of technology they call Alpine Active Torque Vectoring. That system makes the five-seat sportfastback steer, accelerate and take corners as if it were a lot smaller (and lighter) than it really is.
Three motors
No fewer than three electric motors are hidden under the A390’s body: one on the front axle, and two in the rear, each driving a wheel. That means not only all-wheel drive, but also the ability to regulate power per wheel. No mechanical limited slip differential, but software that determines within thousandths of a second which wheel gets extra power.
Smarter than a limited slip differential
The idea is simple: when turning into a corner, the outer rear wheel gets just a little more power, making the car turn around its axis faster and smoother. And if a wheel loses grip, the system intervenes with lightning speed to maintain stability. According to Alpine, the result is a car that exhibits hardly any understeer or oversteer – which is quite clever, considering the A390’s size and weight.
“It feels like you are one with the car,” says Alpine engineer Constance Leraud-Reyser. “There is no more delay between your steering movement and the car’s reaction.”
Figures
The A390 GTS produces up to 470 hp and over 800 Nm of torque. From 0 to 100 km/h takes less than four seconds, and in 22 seconds there is one kilometer on the counter. Not bad for an SUV with five seats and a boot that is usable. With five driving modes – from