We all know what a BMW M-Car is. They’re the pinnacle of BMW’s performance cars. The faster ones. the more expensive ones that are made to put a smile on your face. If you want a performance car, the first thought in your head is BMW M-cars, and the reason why is because they have a reputation for making some of the best cars ever made. Take the M5 for example. It’s a supercar with four doors and it’s always been at top of the review charts. The M5 is very well known and people love it because it’s just so practical and fast. Same story with the smaller M3 and the M2.
However, you can still have a high-performance tuned BMW without the M badge. How is that possible? You simply purchase an Alpina. What is an Alpina? They are a separate car brand to BMW who tune BMW cars to make them faster and more luxurious. They started properly in 1965 and have had a very close partnership with BMW ever since. In actual fact, their roots date way back to 1962, which is almost 60 years ago. Alpina became an independently recognized car brand by the German government in 1983 and since then their cars have been sold under the “Alpina” name not “BMW.”
Alpina tunes both petrol cars and diesel cars, unlike BMW M who only tune petrol cars. They have very high standards for what a car should be and it isn’t just about performance. They tune the exterior, the interior, the driving dynamics, and the exhaust as well as the engine. However, they mainly tune standard non-performance BMW engines rather than the high-performance M engines but the latest B3 is an exception as that uses the same engine as the new M3.
The reason why is that Alpina doesn’t just want to create an engine that makes a car go fast. They want an engine that is smooth too. Hence why using a standard engine from BMW is the best option because they are already smooth and they are blank canvases. Alpina can tune it to however they want to.
Why On Earth Would You Buy an Alpina Over an M-Car?
Let’s take a question. You want to purchase a fast BMW 3-series high-performance sedan. You can have the new M340i but maybe that isn’t fast enough. The next step is the BMW M3 which is a very controversial car due to its looks. So what happens if you don’t want an M3 because it’s just too ugly? You think around and you realize there aren’t any more options available. You have exhausted them all except one. The Alpina B3 which looks classy, has a normal grille, AWD, and uses the same engine as the BMW M3.
It also has 456hp and 518 lb-ft of torque which accounts for a 0-60 of only 3.8 seconds with a flat-out speed of 188 mph which is more than what the BMW does. It has no speed limiters either so it shows it’s a serious car, unlike the M3 which is limited to 155 mph. The B3 has similar performance stats then to the non-competition G80 M3 and it costs around $70,000 too which is a bit more than an M3 but it has a lot more luxury. However, you won’t have to worry about the price if you live in North America because you can’t have one. It’s not sold in North America.
Alpina does sell their SUV the XB7 in North America though as that’s more suited to the market over in Canada and the USA. The XB7 is essentially a tuned version of the X7 M50i SUV and it’s the closest to an X7 M that you will probably ever find unless BMW does decide to make an X7 M themselves. The standard X7 is made in South Carolina and that’s to reduce import taxes and transportation costs for the car since its target market is the USA. The XB7 is made on the same platform.
The XB7 uses a 4.4 liter twin-turbo V8 from the X7 M50i and also the BMW M850i. However, it has been tuned to 613hp and 590 lb-ft of torque which is a 90hp difference from the M50i and a 37 lb-ft of torque difference too. The result is a 0-60 of 4.2 seconds and a top speed of 180 mph. The XB7 though hasn’t been made at all into a racecar-like SUV with lightweight everything and all the luxuries removed. In fact, it has been made to be even more luxurious than the standard X7.
It has softer leathers, bigger wheels, a bigger body kit, more paint samples, etc. It even has a smoother ride though you would expect all of these things because the price has also increased. The X7 M50i starts at $113,845 which is a lot. The XB 7 starts at $142,295 which is almost $30,000 more than the standard car. That’s before the options too. You have leather options that cost upwards of $30,000, you have also many decal options, many interior finishes, etc. A fully loaded one would somewhat cost almost $200,000 which is supercar money. Though a fully-loaded car will be more luxurious than really 90% of penthouses and mansions.
Alpina takes the already good quality of a BMW and makes it so much better. On the track, their cars are slower than BMW M-Cars but that is exactly what Alpina wants. They tune their cars of course to handle well and to have great driving dynamics but they also want their cars to feel luxurious. Like a GT car in a nutshell. It can go very fast when it needs to but modern Alpinas can also be comfortable cruisers. BMW M-Cars are still comfortable and usable but they’re not as comfortable as an Alpina car since BMW tune their M-Cars for optimum track and driving performance. Hence why they’re better on the track. they are more hardcore and have stiffer suspension.
Alpina cars even have a comfort plus setting, unlike any BMW. That just shows how Alpina wants these cars to be relaxing machines too. They even have an automatic gearbox based on the same ones used in the normal BMW’s. It’s even been tuned for more comfort. However, stick any Alpina into sport mode and it shifts both in the straights and the bends. It stiffens up and everything becomes far faster.
If you are a tad older, few grey hairs, etc and you want a fast BMW then buying an M-Car is an option. Though let’s face the fact. BMW makes their M-Cars for a younger market hence why they are all very sporty and very hardcore. An M-Car is a Nike shoe. Very trendy and very fun, however, would it really look that cool driven by an elder guy? They’re not old man cars and if you want to go fast with a few gray hairs whilst diving a BMW, then an Alpina is the one to get. It’s classy, fast, and very luxurious.
As a young man’s car, an Alpina classic is quite cool as they were sportier back in the day. However, the newer Alpina model is driven by a younger guy. It’s for a certain personality. Somebody classy or someone who wants to be unique. They’re not as fun as an M-Car but they are more special as they’re rarer. They also look a tad more understated as it doesn’t have a wide crazy bodykit unlike the M-Cars.
Featured image credits via: caranddriver.com