REVIEW: The Alpina B3 is back and it's better than ever - can the powerful saloon outdo the BMW 3 Series on which it's based?
Alpina has had the ultra-rapid 3 Series estate market sewn up for quite some time. Ever since the days of the E36 generation, in fact, when the six-cylinder Alpina B3 Touring first emerged and was later joined by the rare B8 4.6 Touring replete with, yes, a 4.6-litre V8 ., and y
ou can bet the M wagon be a compelling and wildly quick machine.
As for the car itself, fundamentally not much has changed. The most noticeable updates are the slightly more thuggish front bumper and, inside, the vast curving displays of the BMW's iDrive 8 infotainment, which are a bit distracting compared with the neat screens of the pre-facelift B3, but on the various diagnostic readouts, they do now show an actual B3 Touring where before there was a paltry 320i SE or somesuch. At last.
And the mechanicals? Also almost entirely unchanged. Four-wheel drive is standard and remains tuned to deliver a fractionally more even distribution of torque between the axles compared with the M340i on which the B3 is based. This is because with so much performance on offer, it's just more sensible that way, especially given the car's potential for nearly 190mph.eight-speed automatic gearbox sits a twin-turbocharged 3.
Of the main optional extras you're likely to consider, our test car has most of them. Most obvious are the 20in forged multi-spoke wheels. With UK-appropriate pressures , the Alpina-specific Pirellis provide a degree of absoprtion that belies the lack of sidewall, but equally it would be interesting to try the car on its standard 19in wheels.
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