at its coronary heart, this is a more effective alpina b4, to be had as a coupé or convertible and as a b3 s with saloon or visiting bodywork. for a tuning residence keen to make clean that its activity is not to tread on the toes of bmw’s m department, the figures make for interesting reading.
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Alpina B4 S 2017[/caption]however earlier than that, a brief appearance as what’s been achieved. those new s fashions are not additional to the b3 and b4 variety, however replace them. that stated, the chassis has been left unchanged - due to the fact alpina says it didn’t need converting - so what we’re looking at right here essentially is a powertrain process.
as earlier than, the host unit is bmw’s n55 motor however with its block recast to just accept alpina’s dual-turbo utility. it has a solid metal crank, 10% larger turbos, 20% extra cooling capacity for the water and 35% more ability for the oil. and again, the sound of the motor is spat out thru akrapovič exhausts. the automatic transmission is strengthened, has a larger step between drive and recreation modes and offers faster shifts.
this paintings increases electricity via 30bhp to 434bhp and torque by means of extra than 10% up to 486lb toes. so, alpina’s hot three series and 4 collection-based totally models are now more effective than bmw m’s equivalent propositions, and offer a stack more torque. sure, the m cars are lighter (78kg for a two-pedal m4), this means that they simply control to preserve a fractional strength-to-weight ratio gain, but in phrases of the arguably more critical torque-to-weight ratio, the alpinas are a distance beforehand. the alpina is greater steeply-priced, but by means of much less than £2000. it should also be stated right here that at the same time as the alpinas are automated-simplest, unlike their m vehicle equivalents, they are to be had with rear or four-wheel drive.
the unchanged chassis keeps alpina springs, dampers and bars and springs with extra front camber relative to the m3 and m4.
what is it like?
neglect that the figures factor to an insignificant zero.1sec development in zero-62mph time, as traction barriers render such news worse than meaningless. while the b4 constantly felt undeniably speedy, the rear-wheel-power b4 s coupé we're riding here is a severe high-performance gadget.
and it’s now not difficult to peer why: it’s now not the electricity however that extra torque in the middle of the rev range that provides actual-international performance a clear step in advance of its predecessor. the motor’s throttle response is almost as suitable as a commonly aspirated unit and its unadulterated sound is virtually higher than maximum.
i had feared this extra grunt might ask questions the unchanged chassis could battle to answer, however, at the music at the least (which changed into the handiest region i used to be allowed to pressure it), it did simply quality. it’s a softer vehicle than the m4 and there’s a charge to be paid in frame manipulate thru very rapid corners and over undulations, however it in no way feels anxious, as an m4 can, and rather than skidding when power overwhelms grip on the back, it slides fantastically. i assume its lap time would nevertheless lag some distance behind that of the m4, however it would be thrilling the measure the width of the smiles on every driving force’s face on the give up of a stint.
have to i purchase one?
the m4 is a quicker, more interesting automobile than the b4 s, despite the fact that no longer always for all of the right motives. within the conventional alpina manner, the b4 s is extra diffused, considered and aimed toward folks that don’t need to trumpet their arrival an excessive amount of.
some time lower back, we drove a b4 along an m4 and considered the alpina the some distance more rewarding and fulfilling driver’s automobile, not to say being fairly simpler to stay with. i will see no cause why the extra punchy b4 s could not do as a minimum as properly inside the identical evaluation, possibly better.
even just seen as a vehicle its very own right, the b4 s has a individual you don’t find someplace else. so overlook the comparisons, and attention alternatively on the fact that this is a vehicle of actual magnificence and attraction. what’s greater, with alpina best selling around a hundred and fifty vehicles of a wide variety within the uk every year, if you got one, the chances of seeing every other like yours might be nearly nil.