The B5 Bi-Turbo, Alpina’s take on the new G30 5 Series is shaping up to be another cracker of a car, at least from the impressions ascertained from the 2017 Geneva Motor Show where it made its official debut.
It’s a high performance saloon (or wagon) just like other Alpinas, and will be an early - as well as compelling - alternative to the upcoming next-generation M5. The headline details about the car is pretty much already a known quantity as it’s based on the M550i xDrive and uses a fettled version of its 4.4-litre twin-turbocharged V8.
It generates 453kW and a whopping 800Nm of twist at peak, a substantial from the 340kW/651Nm output from the engine it’s based on. Like the M550i, the Alpine B5 sends that power to all four corners via the xDrive system, delivering ample traction that will be useful to manage that much brute force as it’s transmitted to the road.
The grip is also handy when it comes to a standing start, and Alpina says it needs just 3.5-seconds to sprint up to 100km/h, whereupon it will keep going all the way to a lofty 330km/h top speed, and beyond the abilities of the current M5 and the new Mercedes-AMG E 63.
Alpina engineers have also taken measures to make sure that the B5 is supremely talented in the laterals, fully using the BMW-developed chassis tech such as active rear-wheel steering, adaptive dampers, and active anti-roll bars.
The strive towards making the B5 as dynamically capable as possible doesn’t dampen Alpina’s prioritisation of comfort and luxury. Built into the B5 is a Comfort Pro mode that’s a shortcut to enabling all the car’s most plush settings and the it’s transformed, supposedly, into an opulent mile-munching high speed cruiser.
As with all Alpina’s, the signature ‘snow plough’ front apron features prominently on the B5’s front end, emblazoned with the Alpina name. It also wears the famous 20-inch CLASSIC alloys wheels of many spokes, naturally.
