Alpina B5 Bi-Turbo - Geneva 2017

Can't wait for an M5? Alpina already has a 600hp 5 Series, with a Touring available too!

BMW is conspicuous by its absence on the PH homepage this Geneva show, the main draws a 5 Series Touring, an updated 4 Series and an i8 with matt black paint. Great.

Thank goodness for Alpina then. Over on its stand, alongside a glorious green-with-gold D3 Touring, is the new B5. The first all-wheel drive B5 no less, a significant moment for the brand.

Outside it's familiar Alpina, and none the worse for it. Gorgeous multispoke wheels in the classic Alpina design (forged to save 15kg of unsprung mass), a subtle bodykit, four exhausts and a few badges mark it out. It looks fab, in fact.

Underneath is where it gets more interesting though, Alpina's tweaks as thorough as they are exciting. Power from the 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 is up to 608hp between 5,750 and 6,250rpm, with torque at a massive 590lb ft from 3,000rpm. That's been achieved through modifications including an entirely reworked intake system, a pair of new twin-scroll turbos in the cylinder vee, a bigger intercooler, Mahle pistons and an Alpina sports exhaust. Excellent throttle response, "impressive emphasis across the entire rpm range" and a great V8 sound are promised. Alpina claims 3.5 seconds to 62mph, 11.4 seconds to 125mph and a top speed of 205mph. The ZF eight-speed auto has also been reworked, offering "considerably more dynamic" shifts when required and launch control too.

Chassis wise the B5 again features a range of detail Alpina tweaks that make it sound very appealing. Changes like a rework of the traction control to allow "an even more pronounced rear-wheel drive torque distribution", that sort of thing. As standard the xDrive has been recalibrated too to be "performance oriented". The B5 sits lower thanks to shorter springs, with adaptive dampers developed with Bilstein also fitted; new wishbones generate one degree of negative camber on the front axle as well. In conjunction with those much lighter wheel, turn-in response should be noticeably improved. Both saloon and Touring feature four-wheel steer and active roll stabilisation, with the estate's rear axle rear suspension also recalibrated by Alpina. For those really committed to the oversteer campaign, a Drexler limited-slip diff is available for the rear axle.

Brakes are by 395mm/398mm iron discs as standard, with a composite disc upgrade optionally available. Tyres are bespoke Pirelli P Zeros, the first time that a Pirelli tyre has featured on an Alpina from the factory since 1985.

And the cost? 112,000 euros for the saloon and 115,300 euros for the Touring, or £97,350 and £100,000 respectively. UK prices to follow as soon as possible. Should you be interested, orders are being taken now, with deliveries due in September. Or about the same time we're expecting to see an M5...