Alpina B3 and B4 S check in

BY TIM NICHOLSON | 6th Oct 2017

ALPINA Automobiles Australia has introduced more powerful versions of the B3 and B4 twins while cutting the price of entry to its local line-up by up to $13,000.

The BMW performance-tuning arm launched in Australia just under a year ago with a four-model line-up consisting of the 3 Series-based B3 Sedan and Touring and the 4 Series-based B4 Coupe and Convertible.

Pricing for Alpina’s new variants start at $142,900 plus on-road costs for the B3 S Sedan, representing a $13,000 drop over the B3’s launch price, while the B3 S Touring takes an $11,000 tumble over that model’s launch pricetag to $149,900.

The B4 S Coupe and Convertible have also been cut by $11,000 apiece and now start at $149,900 and $159,900 respectively.

Sales of Alpina models have been slow since the the November 2016 launch, with Alpina CEO and son of the company’s founder, Andreas Bovensiepen, telling GoAuto at last month’s Frankfurt show that it had sold about 20-25 cars, with an aim to increasing that annual tally to 30-40 cars.

The new ‘S’ variants get a bump in power over the models they replace, with the 3.0-litre straight six-cylinder engine gaining a pair of new Alpina-specific turbochargers and an updated cooling system.

Power and torque outputs in all four variants is now 324kW and 660Nm which is 23kW/60Nm more than the outgoing B3 and B4, and the 0-100km/h dash is done in 4.3 seconds in the B3 and 4.2s for the B4, on to a top speed of 306km/h.

All variants feature an updated eight-speed ‘Sport-Automatic’ transmission with Alpina Switch-Tronic that includes Automatic, Manual and Sport modes, as well as Alpina adaptive sports suspension.

The fuel use figures have increased, with the B3 S Sedan and Touring rated at 7.9 and 8.1 litres per 100km, a rise of 0.3 and 0.4L respectively, while both B4 S variants are now 0.3L thirster than before.

The B3 and B4 S feature the Alpina 20-inch alloy wheels and a stainless steel exhaust with twin tailpipes as well as Alpina aerodynamic flourishes including a front and rear spoiler.

Standard gear includes Merino leather upholstery, electrically adjustable heated sports seats, automatic climate control, LED head and tail-lights, parking distance control, rain sensor and cruise control, while the door sills, floor mats, emblems in the seatbacks, instrumentation and a hand-stitched sport leather steering wheel feature Alpina design elements.

Since the launch, the range has expanded to include the flagship B7 Biturbo from $369,720 and the freshly revealed B5 Biturbo from $239,900.