Alpine A110 practicality and boot space

• Two small luggage areas will see you through most shopping trips
• It's small enough to fit happily in UK parking spaces
• It's no family car, and isn't pretending to be

Although you won't buy an Alpine A110 primarily for its practicality, it's good to know that if you and your partner are using it to have a weekend away, there's more than enough luggage space for you.

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Being mid-engined, the A110 has luggage space under the front bonnet, and rear screen, and they are both suitable primarily for soft bags.

How roomy is it?

As a car for two, the Alpine A110 is roomy enough. There's ample head- and legroom, and as previously discussed, more than enough luggage room if you favour using squashy bags rather than suitcases.

Around the cabin, you'll enjoy adequate stowage room, although a lack of door pockets and any lidded storage areas between the seats could clearly be an issue.

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Clearly, the guys at Alpine understand that just because you're buying into a sports car, it shouldn't be impractical as well. It probably helps that the company CEO is 6ft 7in tall…

Will it fit in my garage?

With a footprint smaller than the average supermini, you'll have no problem squeezing your A110 into the average UK-sized parking bay. It's delightfully compact in comparison with all of its rivals, too, making it a car that you can park as confidently as you can attack your average B-road.

Safety

• There's little chance of the A110 sitting a Euro NCAP crash test
• Lightweight, stiff structure, agile handling means good active safety
• Racing-style seats don't come with Isofix child-seat fittings

The A110 hasn't been - and is unlikely to be – testd by Euro NCAP. It's fair to say that the Alpine A110 majors on active, rather than passive safety. In other words, it's set-up, and rather good at, avoiding accidents in the first place, thanks to agile handling and lightness.

Be that as it may, there are enough safety features to pass muster as a modern car that serves all the functions it needs to. There are a couple of safety systems, which might get you out of trouble – Autonomous Emergency Braking and Hill-start Assist.

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You can also adjust the driver assistance systems, limiting traction and stability systems for track use – but left on, they're hardly intrusive, and don't spoil your fun. In short, it's a safe car.