Alpina D3

[garcon]

Had a test drive in one of these today, and hopefully as an interesting precedent for others to follow in the Road Cars forum I wrote a review...

Alpina D3 - real world 'Ring taxi?

At first sight in the underground carpark, the black Alpina D3 looks much like any other E90 3 series. A familiar sight, and one of the better resolved post-Bangle designs. However, to those in the know the ‘Classic’ Alpina 19” alloys, the subtle but effective bodywork changes and Alpina badging (including a purposeful looking ‘ALPINA’ on the front splitter) give just enough indication that this is no ordinary 320d repmobile.

Climbing into the cabin, the first impression is of classic BMW design – simplicity, understated quality, ergonomic focus. To keep the price attractive, Alpina have resisted the temptation to raid the options brochure – no ‘individual’ leather colours, and (thankfully in this case I think) no acreage of wood. Instead, there is just enough to distinguish the D3 from a ‘cooking’ 3 series. Alpina trimmed part-leather sports seats, beautiful blue Alpina dials with red needles, lovely hand-stitched leather steering wheel, Alpina badges on wheel and gearlever and the little plaque that makes each car numerically unique. Equipment is adequate, which is no bad thing given that specifying any factory options makes the car a ‘special order’, incurring an additional two grand charge. No sunroof, no sat nav, and only a single CD player (though it does have the now obligatory MP3 auxiliary point), but the ‘BMW Business’ stereo gives a decent sound, and automatic climate is standard as are the usual array of electrics.

Starting up there’s no getting away from the truth that this is a 4 pot diesel, though there are noisier units out there and the Alpina twin chrome tailpipe exhaust seems to help by rounding off the harshness of the ‘clatter’. The seat and steering wheel adjust in infinite directions, making it possible (eventually) to find the perfect driving position, sitting snugly (for me!) in the well supported sports seats. The controls have an encouraging, positive feel, and with first gear selected pulling away is drama free even for my normally unemployed clutch leg.

On the road, it becomes clear first is more or less redundant once you’re moving, and as you go through the box it’s soon apparent that changing early and riding the wonderfully flat torque curve (302 lb/ft all the way from two to three and a half thousand revs) is the most effective method for smooth, flowing progress. It may have been the tightness of the fairly new demonstrator, but the D3 doesn’t feel like a 200bhp car if pushed higher up the rev range, and anything much over the power peak of 4000 revs extracts little more than a harsher noise. The good news is that there’s no need to explore those higher revs. The available low down ‘shove’ from all that torque, coupled with a little more experience in selecting the right gear to stay in ‘the band’, promises devastating overtaking ability and A/B road progress to embarrass more than a few petrol powered rivals. And all this in a car that can return mid 40s mpg on the mixed cycle (and a very worthy 32.4 mpg on our stop-start-squirt city test run).

The test route gave little opportunity to truly investigate the D3’s handling characteristics, though a couple of empty roundabouts allowed an indication of the prodigious grip available from the huge 265 section rear tyres. Given those 19” wheels, the ride from the Alpina tweaked suspension is a revelation. Firm enough to hint at genuine rear drive handling ability, yet supple enough not to be crashy and uncomfortable on our all too common poor road surfaces. M Sport suspension designers take note.

Looking at the available offerings around the D3’s £26,995 asking price, you can find cars that improve on some of what the D3 does – whether it be more power, more refinement, or more equipment – but the thing that impresses most of all (apart from guaranteed exclusivity with an order book of only 100 a year, and maybe the fuel bills) is the synchronicity of the overall package. Put simply, it works. The only thing to spoil an otherwise unblemished picture is the fact it sounds like a taxi when you fire it up in the morning. But given what it can do, how it looks, how it makes you feel and what it costs, surely we can forgive it that…?


http://www.alpina-automobiles.com/pd...NA_D3_couk.pdf (needs Adobe Acrobat/reader)

[bella]

when i grow up, i'm having one of these.

seriously - can't believe it's taken them this long to make a stylish diesel handles like a dream beastmobile.

nice review, garc

[Truckosaurus]

Good review Garcon. It does seem that performance diesels are the way to go for daily-drivers.

I can't wait to see what Alpina and the other tuners produce from the forthcoming 335d twin turbo Coupe, which has 286bhp as standard.

[garcon]

DMS already do a remap for the 535d, which I'm sure will be available on the 335d. Takes performance up to somewhere near the M5!

Rumour has it Alpina's next B3 will be a version of the 335i twin turbo petrol. That should be rather silly...