Click to read the full Alpine A110 review
It doesn’t matter if you’re popping to the shops to buy a pint of milk or tackling a mountain pass, you’re guaranteed a good time in the Alpine A110. It’s far lighter than the majority of sports cars out there so it wrings surprising performance out of its little 1.8-litre engine. It’s not even that thirsty, making an early morning blast for the hell of it less of a financial burden than in most rivals.
But you don’t choose a car like this for the sensible stuff. It’s how it deals with the twisty stuff that really matters. The Alpine A110 excels in this area with steering that’s always streaming little messages to your fingertips, surprising compliance over challenging surfaces and an addictively adjustable handling balance.
The best bit? You don’t have to push as hard or travel as fast as you would in a Porsche Cayman to feel like you’re involved in the driving experience. Don’t get us wrong the A110 is anything but slow, but its narrower tyres and lesser heft means you can enjoy it more at saner speeds. A facelift has refreshed the range and finally introduced both Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, although the entry-level car is still our pick of the range.
RUNNERS UP
Click to read the full Chevrolet Corvette Stingray review
No, we can’t quite believe the Chevy Corvette Stingray is here either, but it most definitely deserves its runner-up position. Available from the factory with right hand drive and sold officially in the UK, it slots a hearty American V8 into the middle of a brand-new chassis that can lock horns with European rivals and come out on top.
Despite long distance comfort that’d shame many a saloon or SUV, flicking the optional adaptive dampers to a stiffer setting sharpens everything up to allow you to get the best from a truly talented chassis that rewards its driver. An Audi R8 or Porsche 911 might be slightly better built inside, but neither feels as special as the Corvette when you’re just tooling around. That it’s also significantly cheaper than both, especially given the ‘Vette’s long list of standard equipment, you could even argue it’s a bit of a bargain.
Click to read the full Mazda MX-5 review
If the idea of spending over £80,000 doesn’t sound like much of a bargain to you, may we point you towards the Mazda MX-5. Despite a price that starts comfortably south of £30,000 it still has the key ingredients needed to deliver plenty of smiles per mile. Both engine options are willing and sound great, with the 1.5-litre delivering just enough performance to entertain and the 2.0-litre even more excitement.
Like the A110, the MX-5 uses its light weight to maximise driving pleasure with relatively soft suspension that makes it a good match for scruffy road surfaces so common in the UK. Both steering and gearshift feel great to use too, making every journey the perfect opportunity to have some fun behind the wheel.
