What a Car - UK - (2020-04)

Total

£ 37,9 97

0 5000 10,000 15,000 20,00025,00030,000 35,000 40,000 45,000

20,000

30,000

40,000

50,000

60,000

£3351

£15 0 0

£930

£ 3162 £930

£5773

£25,953 £15 0 2 £6450

Total

£32,006

Value

£

0 year 1 year 2 years 3 years

£36,358

£ 27,012

AlpineA110

PorscheCayman

£20,452

78 April 2020 whatcar.com

ALPINEA110

COMPARISON

A110providesslightlymorehead,legandshoulderroom,butbothcarsarenefora coupleof 6ft-plusadults.While

youcangetonecarry-onsuitcaseunderthebonnet,thetinyrearbootis suitableonlyforsoftbags

Boot 100 litres(r), 95 litres(f)

Suitcases 1

Visibilityisanotherissuein

theA110,becauseitsmoresteeply

angledwindscreenpillarscan

obscureyourviewatjunctions,

andithasatinyrearscreen.

However,yougetfrontandrear

parkingsensorsasstandard,

whereasPorschecharges£623.

SPACEANDPRACTICALITY

Frontspace,seatingexibility,boot

Whilethesecarsarestricttwo-

seaters,bothhaveenoughhead

andlegroomtokeep6ft-plus

occupantshappy.Ineveryother

respect,though,theCaymanisthe

morepracticalchoice,notleast

becauseithasdoorbinsanda

glovebox–exoticfeaturesthatare

missingfromtheA110.

True,thereissomestorage

spacebeneaththeA110’scentre

console.Butthesolitarycupholder

issoshallowthatyourdrinkwill

probablyfalloverthefirsttime

youturnthesteeringwheel,

whereastheCaymanhastwo

cupholdersthatcanbeadjusted

toensureyourchosenbeverage

doesn’tendupinyourlap.

Becausethey’remid-engined,

bothofthesecarsactuallyhave

twoboots–oneateachend–but

theCayman’saremuchlarger.

BUYINGANDOWNING

Costs,equipment,safety

TheA110ispriced£3215higher

thantheCayman.However,the

tablesareturnedwhenyoufactor

inallownershipcostsoverthree

years;theA110isalmost£6000

cheaper,thankstosuperiorresale

valuesandfueleconomy.

Thoseresalevaluesalsohelpto

makeitcheaperonPCPfinance:

£665 per month, compared with

£687 for the Cayman on a three-

year deal with an annual limit of

10,000 miles and a £5000 deposit.

Finally, Alpine gives you more

luxuries, including climate

control, cruise control and leather

upholstery. It’s just disappointing

that neither car has automatic

emergency braking, given how

important this safety feature is.

Noiseisanotherareawherethe

A110hastheadvantage,because

there’sanappealingrasptoits

enginenotewhenyouaccelerate,

followedbytheatricalcrackling

fromtheexhaustasyouliftoff.

Bycontrast,theCaymanproduces

amonotonousdrone.It’salsothe

noisiercruiser,mainlybecauseit

suffersfromalotofroadroar.

Ontheotherhand,theCayman

issurprisinglycomfortablewhen

itsadaptivesuspensionisinits

softestsetting.Andit’sgreatthat

there’sanIndividualmodethat

letsyoucustomisethecar;for

example,youcanchoosetohave

razor-sharpacceleratorresponses

atthesametimeasthesuppleride.

Thisisn’tpossibleintheA110.

Indeed,youcan’tadjustits

suspensionatall.Butwhilethe

newSmodeljostlesyouaround

moreoverscruffyroadsthanboth

theCaymanandtheregularA110,

itremainsbrilliantatdealingwith

speedbumpsandbigundulations.

BEHINDTHEWHEEL

Drivingposition,visibility,

buildquality

TheinterioroftheA110looks

prettyspecialatfirstglance,with

theSgettingafaux-suederoof

liningandorangestitchingtogo

withthebitsofbody-coloured

metaltrimwhichallA110shave.

StartusingtheRenault-sourced

switches,though,andtheyfeel

lesssubstantialthanthebespoke

onesintheCayman.Plus,the

Cayman’smaterialsfeelclassier.

You’llhavenotroublefindinga

drivingpositionthatworksinthe

Cayman,either,thankstoplenty

ofadjustment,whereastheA110’s

backrestisfixed,sotheangle

will either suit you or it won’t.

And while the Cayman’s seat can

be cranked up and down using a

ratchet lever, changing the height

of the A110’s requires a spanner;

that’s likely to lead to arguments

if you and your partner both drive

the car and are different heights.

At least the A110’s seat holds you

tightly in place through bends –

better than the Cayman’s, actually.

940mm

1090mm

1350mm

960-1060mm 750mm

330mm

230mm 515mm

190mm

Boots’ suitcase-carrying capacities are measuredwith a 560x350x230 Antler suitcase

All prices correct at time of testing

PRICES

WHAT THEY WILL COST

Alpine A110

Strong resale values help make

it cheaper in the long run

Porsche 718 Cayman

Servicing and insurance are

competitive; economy less so

List price £56,180 £52,965

Target Price £56,180 £52,965

Company car tax £690, £690, £690 £637, £637, £637

(per month, until April 2021, 2022, 2023)

Contracthire(permonth) £763 £700

PCPFINANCECOSTS

Three-year term, £5000 customer deposit, 10,000 miles per year

Car Alpine A110 Porsche 718 Cayman

Monthly cost £665 £687

Manufacturer deposit contribution na na

Optional  nal payment £34,251 £31,929

Representative APR 4.9% 6.9%

Excess mileage charge 8p per mile 20p per mile

Other fees na £10  nal purchase

RESALE VALUE BY YEAR

THREE-YEAR COST

 Depreciation  Insurance  Servicing  Road tax

 Fuel (Test MPG)

 Alpine A110  Porsche 718 Cayman