Rams Eye The Track Guy
It's in a league "well beyond the reach of the current Porsche crowd." That's what Car and Driver had to say about the new Corvette during their test after posting a 1.08 g score on GM's black-lake circle. Much like the outgoing C6 Corvette, opinions about the new Corvette seem to be anonymous. However, unlike the outgoing C6 Corvette which was praised for its performance capabilities and value but criticized for the quality of the interior and the seats, the C7 Corvette Stingray seem to be basically flawless. We'll get the easy stuff out of the way first - the numbers. The best numbers were achieved by Edmunds, where they were able to do a 0-60 mph sprint in just 3.8 seconds and the 1/4 mile was dealt with in 12 seconds flat at 117 mph. For comparison, the last Grand Sport Edmunds tested did the same deeds in 4.2 seconds and 12.5 s @ 115.1 mph.
Downshifts feel a little laboured, too. Still, it was good enough to hurl the A110 from 0-60mph in 4.7 seconds, thanks to launch control.That鈥檚 0.6 seconds slower than the Audi, but just under a second quicker than the Porsche. Its in-gear times were stellar because the 320Nm of torque doesn鈥檛 have to lug a heavy body around. This is where the A110 falls down. Storage inside is restricted, too, so our car鈥檚 bag on the bulkhead as part of the 拢468 storage pack was useful, but it鈥檚 extremely pricey. Rear visibility is poor through that small window, although the view forward is great. Other minor gripes include the driving position, which feels quite far back in the cabin and a little too reclined relative to the steering wheel. However, you can manually adjust the position of the seat with tools. As a small brand, Alpine didn鈥檛 rank in our Driver Power 2018 survey. However, because much of the tech inside is borrowed from Renault, it鈥檚 mostly intuitive.
This mainstream French firm finished 24th out of 26 manufacturers. Safety kit comprises two airbags and not much else. There aren鈥檛 any upgrades available on Pure trim. This is one of the sacrifices you have to make in order to get the great driving dynamics. Less weight means lower CO2. The A110 emits only 144g/km, which puts it in the 29 per cent BiK bracket; that鈥檚 four per cent less than the TTS and eight ahead of the Cayman. It means the Alpine will cost higher-rate earners just 拢5,411 a year to run as a company car, compared with 拢5,848 for the Audi and 拢6,523 with the Porsche. Testers鈥?notes: 鈥淭he 拢1,380 sports exhaust鈥檚 note is toned down in Comfort mode. For years the Cayman has had things its own way in this sector, but new and refreshed rivals like its two competitors here have brought things closer. Now that the 718 Cayman is the entry point into Porsche鈥檚 sports car range - it used to be the Boxster - the German coupe has got some tough opponents, so can it continue its winning ways?
The Porsche 718 Cayman offers something neither of its rivals in this test can: a manual gearbox. This six-speed entry-level Cayman costs 拢44,959, so is on par with the TT S for price and undercuts the Alpine by around 拢2,000. Of course, you can also spec a seven-speed PDK model, which levels the playing field a little more with the A110, at 拢46,959. However, when manual transmissions are this good they鈥檙e worth savouring. Besides, these cars are all about driving enjoyment and this element of the 718鈥檚 repertoire adds another addictive layer to the driving experience. Like the Alpine, the Porsche is mid-engined and sends drive to the rear. It has multi-link-style suspension at the front and rear, and while the chassis is made mostly of steel it鈥檚 actually closer in concept and layout to the Alpine鈥檚 predominantly aluminium set-up. Unlike the TT鈥檚 MQB underpinnings, the Porsche鈥檚 platform is limited to the Cayman and Boxster roadster.