Alpina D3 Bi-Turbo
Discussion
I've owned one Alpina before, an early E39 B10 V8, which I was completely smitten by but the running costs got the better of me in the end.
For my next car I had a reasonably healthy budget but needed something pretty economical, slow to depreciate and not wallet-bursting to run. I'd been looking at cheap lease deals, low mileage used Golf GTDs, Merc C250s and BMW 123d's, that sort of stuff.
I never thought that a D3 BT would be within range, but as luck would have it there was one coming to the end of the stock cycle at a BMW dealer not too far from me, so there was a deal to be done.
I did have to stretch the budget a bit, but not uncomfortably so. Even better was that the car is well known on the Alpina Register and I was able to speak to both of the previous owners before deciding to buy, obviously a huge plus when buying used.
As far as I can tell this ticks every single one of my boxes, good to drive, economical, comfortable, strong residuals, relatively cheap to keep on the road (for an Alpina) and also a little bit different.
Pics from the dealer:
I know the Alpina stripes are marmite, but I love them.
BMW Performance steering wheel - much nicer to hold than the standard wheel, although the extra gauges and shift lights are a bit unnecessary.
I pick it up next week. Can't wait
For my next car I had a reasonably healthy budget but needed something pretty economical, slow to depreciate and not wallet-bursting to run. I'd been looking at cheap lease deals, low mileage used Golf GTDs, Merc C250s and BMW 123d's, that sort of stuff.
I never thought that a D3 BT would be within range, but as luck would have it there was one coming to the end of the stock cycle at a BMW dealer not too far from me, so there was a deal to be done.
I did have to stretch the budget a bit, but not uncomfortably so. Even better was that the car is well known on the Alpina Register and I was able to speak to both of the previous owners before deciding to buy, obviously a huge plus when buying used.
As far as I can tell this ticks every single one of my boxes, good to drive, economical, comfortable, strong residuals, relatively cheap to keep on the road (for an Alpina) and also a little bit different.
Pics from the dealer:
I know the Alpina stripes are marmite, but I love them.
BMW Performance steering wheel - much nicer to hold than the standard wheel, although the extra gauges and shift lights are a bit unnecessary.
I pick it up next week. Can't wait
The 330d is definitely the "elephant in the room" when looking at these, on the surface it does look like a much more compelling proposition and the pricing is pretty similar for a much better spec (unless you go for a D3 with the Lux pack, but they're extremely rare).
The reasons I went D3 are:
Lighter engine - the 330d engine alone is apparently about 40kg heavier and that's a fair chunk to have over the front wheels
Better ride and handling
Better fuel economy
Much prefer the looks of the D3 to the LCI M-Sport models
The 330d does look like it should have the D3 beaten as a used proposition, and to be honest if your priorities are more towards spec and outright grunt it probably does beat it.
The thing is that everyone I've spoken to who's owned one, and all the long term tests, say that the D3 is one of those cars which is somehow more than the sum of it's parts. I've also spoken to a couple of people who for one reason or another have gone from a D3 to a 330d and even one who's gone from a D3 to a 335i and they all say they preferred the D3 for it's poise and balance. It's not as fast, but it's just a sweeter overall package to drive.
It's really going to come down to individual priorities as to which people prefer, they're both very good cars, I don't think you could definitively say which one is better, only which one better suits your own preferences.
I'm looking forward to finding out
As for the wheels I think they actually look a lot better in the flesh than the photos, but they are a bit gangsta.... Still in two minds over them, but I'll see.
One thing that is for sure is I'm going to get a pretty good feel for the car very quickly. Due to a bit of bad planning and an accident of timing I've got over six hundred and fifty miles to cover in the first four days of ownership. Knackers!
The reasons I went D3 are:
Lighter engine - the 330d engine alone is apparently about 40kg heavier and that's a fair chunk to have over the front wheels
Better ride and handling
Better fuel economy
Much prefer the looks of the D3 to the LCI M-Sport models
The 330d does look like it should have the D3 beaten as a used proposition, and to be honest if your priorities are more towards spec and outright grunt it probably does beat it.
The thing is that everyone I've spoken to who's owned one, and all the long term tests, say that the D3 is one of those cars which is somehow more than the sum of it's parts. I've also spoken to a couple of people who for one reason or another have gone from a D3 to a 330d and even one who's gone from a D3 to a 335i and they all say they preferred the D3 for it's poise and balance. It's not as fast, but it's just a sweeter overall package to drive.
It's really going to come down to individual priorities as to which people prefer, they're both very good cars, I don't think you could definitively say which one is better, only which one better suits your own preferences.
I'm looking forward to finding out
As for the wheels I think they actually look a lot better in the flesh than the photos, but they are a bit gangsta.... Still in two minds over them, but I'll see.
One thing that is for sure is I'm going to get a pretty good feel for the car very quickly. Due to a bit of bad planning and an accident of timing I've got over six hundred and fifty miles to cover in the first four days of ownership. Knackers!
One week and 800 miles in to ownership and I'm really happy.
I wasn't blown away by the comfort initially, I couldn't get the driving position quite right and suffered with a bit of backache. That was down to the PITA manual seat controls BMW fitted, what's wrong with a ratchet and/or a dial as used by VAG and Merc?
Specifically the seat height adjustment caused me some problems. The system of having a spring-loaded seat with fixed adjustment points and a release lever just doesn't work that well IMO. Luckily I'll be the only person driving the car 99% of the time so now the seat height is right for me it can stay as it is and I'm completely comfortable in the car.
The ride is generally good, especially at speed. It doesn't deal with bad road surfaces at low speeds too well, the ride gets quite harsh, but everything's relative. Given the wheels and tyres it's running on and by comparison with some other cars I've driven it's actually very good. For example, it's a much better ride than either a 120d or Leon FR which were both on 18" wheels.
Once up to speed the ride is actually quite cosseting, although things like slightly recessed drain covers or shallow potholes (like the typical motorway ones where the top inch of tarmac has come away) do send a bit of a thump through the car.
Performance is probably best described as effortless. The engine is incredibly smooth for a four pot diesel, I'd swear it had more than four cylinders if it wasn't for the usual chunter at idle. There is very little lag and it actually likes to rev, although there's little point in revving it out as you're not gaining any performance by doing so. It's certainly no rocketship with "only" 214bhp but it's more than quick enough for my needs and the in-gear grunt is plentiful even in 6th gear at 2000rpm.
I can imagine it would be very easy to end up doing licence losing speeds if you're not paying close attention to the speedometer. I'd also guess that the natural cruising speed of the car is much closer to three figures than the UK motorway speed limit. Pure guesswork and supposition, obviously
I've not had much of a chance to really explore the handling as it's been a very busy week and driving for pleasure hasn't really been on the menu. The few roundabouts and corners I've been able to properly chuck the car into do definitely show promise though, I've had a couple of big grins on my face over the week which bodes well for when I can get out for a proper run away from heavy traffic.
MPG looks to be settling down to high 40s on my commute which I'm more than happy with. I easily cracked 50mpg on a long motorway run at sensible speeds but where's the fun in that?
I'm really tempted to take it out on track to explore the handling properly, but having seen the price of the tyres I think that can wait until they're nearly worn out and I can then go out for a last hurrah before replacing them.
Having spent a week living with the car I personally think the looks are still *just* the right side of aggressive. Purposeful yes, but not too "in yer face". Many of my friends are telling me I'm deluded and it's an over the top gangsta pimp-mobile. I don't care, I like it just the way it is. The black wheels are staying.
Some new pics:
I wasn't blown away by the comfort initially, I couldn't get the driving position quite right and suffered with a bit of backache. That was down to the PITA manual seat controls BMW fitted, what's wrong with a ratchet and/or a dial as used by VAG and Merc?
Specifically the seat height adjustment caused me some problems. The system of having a spring-loaded seat with fixed adjustment points and a release lever just doesn't work that well IMO. Luckily I'll be the only person driving the car 99% of the time so now the seat height is right for me it can stay as it is and I'm completely comfortable in the car.
The ride is generally good, especially at speed. It doesn't deal with bad road surfaces at low speeds too well, the ride gets quite harsh, but everything's relative. Given the wheels and tyres it's running on and by comparison with some other cars I've driven it's actually very good. For example, it's a much better ride than either a 120d or Leon FR which were both on 18" wheels.
Once up to speed the ride is actually quite cosseting, although things like slightly recessed drain covers or shallow potholes (like the typical motorway ones where the top inch of tarmac has come away) do send a bit of a thump through the car.
Performance is probably best described as effortless. The engine is incredibly smooth for a four pot diesel, I'd swear it had more than four cylinders if it wasn't for the usual chunter at idle. There is very little lag and it actually likes to rev, although there's little point in revving it out as you're not gaining any performance by doing so. It's certainly no rocketship with "only" 214bhp but it's more than quick enough for my needs and the in-gear grunt is plentiful even in 6th gear at 2000rpm.
I can imagine it would be very easy to end up doing licence losing speeds if you're not paying close attention to the speedometer. I'd also guess that the natural cruising speed of the car is much closer to three figures than the UK motorway speed limit. Pure guesswork and supposition, obviously
I've not had much of a chance to really explore the handling as it's been a very busy week and driving for pleasure hasn't really been on the menu. The few roundabouts and corners I've been able to properly chuck the car into do definitely show promise though, I've had a couple of big grins on my face over the week which bodes well for when I can get out for a proper run away from heavy traffic.
MPG looks to be settling down to high 40s on my commute which I'm more than happy with. I easily cracked 50mpg on a long motorway run at sensible speeds but where's the fun in that?
I'm really tempted to take it out on track to explore the handling properly, but having seen the price of the tyres I think that can wait until they're nearly worn out and I can then go out for a last hurrah before replacing them.
Having spent a week living with the car I personally think the looks are still *just* the right side of aggressive. Purposeful yes, but not too "in yer face". Many of my friends are telling me I'm deluded and it's an over the top gangsta pimp-mobile. I don't care, I like it just the way it is. The black wheels are staying.
Some new pics:
Justin S said:
Looks much better in the flesh and the detailer has done a great job too ;-)
Who let you in here? And to think that until last weekend I thought the "Two bucket method" was a variant on a particularly nasty porn film.....
Anyway, I digress. I've actually got the original grills coming back to me from the previous owner so I'll see which I prefer. The wheels genuinely do look much better in real life than in my (rather dark) photos but you'll have to take my word for that. In any case I like them and that's what matters.
I can't deny a set of classics would be my ideal, but with a car this rare sometimes you compromise a bit to get a good example.
The lights are shift lights, you can configure the revs they cover and they flash when you're about to hit the limiter. I've actually found them quite useful when out for a hoon and they're set up so that they don't show anything until about 3000 rpm so they're not distracting when just pottering around.
The display shows coolant temp (but not oil temp because it's a diesel, which is a shame), a G-meter and a stopwatch for lap timing etc.
I've just collected a stone right through the central grille in the front spoiler, which is a bugger. Hopefully it's just the standard M-Sport grille as that's quite cheap. I bet it won't be cheap if it's Alpina-specific
The display shows coolant temp (but not oil temp because it's a diesel, which is a shame), a G-meter and a stopwatch for lap timing etc.
I've just collected a stone right through the central grille in the front spoiler, which is a bugger. Hopefully it's just the standard M-Sport grille as that's quite cheap. I bet it won't be cheap if it's Alpina-specific
Thanks for all the comments.
The spec is pretty sparse, it was set by Sytner who are the UK importers and my understanding is that there was a drive to keep costs down to bring new customers to the brand. They also wanted to keep the P11D costs sensible and get a (very) small presence in the company car market.
For me it's a case of it having everything I need and nothing I don't need, the lack of toys doesn't really bother me because it drives so well. You could spec whatever you wanted on these, but you'd be hit with a £1500 charge before the cost of any options so not many people did so. There was a "Lux pack" available and there are a few cars out there with that fitted - Nav, Xenons, etc.
As a dealer demo car this does have a couple of upgrades on it - the 19" wheels and Professional HU. It's got bluetooth, cruise, remote locking, auto-dim rear view mirror, all the usual 320d kit. The spec is perfectly fine for me, I've never really got the thing about having to have Nav and I'm not a fan of the iDrive system. I even prefer half leather to full leather, always have. I know, that makes me some sort of crazy deviant
If the headlights were rubbish that would wind me up and I'd always regret not having the Xenons, but they're actually very good so it's not a problem. I think the only thing I'd really like is climate control, but the manual AC is perfectly fine to be honest, I hardly ever need to adjust it more than a click or two on the temperature dial.
As for speed it's certainly not slow - it sits somewhere between the 325d and the 330d. I honestly don't know why BMW never put the 123d engine into the E90, I guess they decided the 6-pot 325d was more of a lure than a 4-pot at that price point. It really is a great engine though, I love the fact that it is actually willing to rev all the way round to the red line and doesn't sound like a bag of spanners when you do it either.
The spec is pretty sparse, it was set by Sytner who are the UK importers and my understanding is that there was a drive to keep costs down to bring new customers to the brand. They also wanted to keep the P11D costs sensible and get a (very) small presence in the company car market.
For me it's a case of it having everything I need and nothing I don't need, the lack of toys doesn't really bother me because it drives so well. You could spec whatever you wanted on these, but you'd be hit with a £1500 charge before the cost of any options so not many people did so. There was a "Lux pack" available and there are a few cars out there with that fitted - Nav, Xenons, etc.
As a dealer demo car this does have a couple of upgrades on it - the 19" wheels and Professional HU. It's got bluetooth, cruise, remote locking, auto-dim rear view mirror, all the usual 320d kit. The spec is perfectly fine for me, I've never really got the thing about having to have Nav and I'm not a fan of the iDrive system. I even prefer half leather to full leather, always have. I know, that makes me some sort of crazy deviant
If the headlights were rubbish that would wind me up and I'd always regret not having the Xenons, but they're actually very good so it's not a problem. I think the only thing I'd really like is climate control, but the manual AC is perfectly fine to be honest, I hardly ever need to adjust it more than a click or two on the temperature dial.
As for speed it's certainly not slow - it sits somewhere between the 325d and the 330d. I honestly don't know why BMW never put the 123d engine into the E90, I guess they decided the 6-pot 325d was more of a lure than a 4-pot at that price point. It really is a great engine though, I love the fact that it is actually willing to rev all the way round to the red line and doesn't sound like a bag of spanners when you do it either.
AFAIK they never did replace the BMW roundels with their own, certainly I know for sure that they've never done it in the last 25 years or so. Alpina say it's a symbol of the close relationship that the cars carry both brands - they're always "BMW Alpina" when they talk about the cars or the brand. Who knows how much of that is true and how much is a licensing deal
You can get the replacement roundels easily enough but they're fakes.
Edited to add: Just checked and confirmed from the Alpina Register FAQ - No Alpina ever left the factory with Alpina roundels fitted, they've always had the original BMW ones.
You can get the replacement roundels easily enough but they're fakes.
Edited to add: Just checked and confirmed from the Alpina Register FAQ - No Alpina ever left the factory with Alpina roundels fitted, they've always had the original BMW ones.
Edited by anonymous-user on Wednesday 8th April 16:18
The D3 MT engine is very good indeed, but the BT engine definitely turns it up a notch. I had the chance to take it out on some roads which really suit it yesterday and had a proper play.
The key to having fun in it seems to be to forget you're driving a diesel and drive it like a petrol. Peak power is up close to peak revs and it really does like to rev out. Because it's got the 330d gearbox in there with the slightly longer ratios that makes 3rd and 4th gear absolutely perfect for fast A road driving, you just make sure you've got the room to make the overtake and go.
It's got a proper split personality. You can either do the usual diesel thing and just use the torque band or you can rev it out - either way it's hot-hatch quick but using the revs is a lot more fun. Yes it's still a four pot diesel no matter what you do, but if that's what you need this is quite some engine
I've not heard of any DPF issues on the D3 BT and my driving is high-ish mileage, so I don't anticipate any problems there. Other than pottering them around town all the time AFAIK the thing that usually causes DPF issues on the E90 is failed thermostats which stop the engine getting up to the full operating temperature. With the coolant temperature reading on the performance steering wheel I've got that covered.
The timing chain issues aren't really a worry for me either TBH. This will be one of the slightly revised engines which doesn't fix the problem entirely but does make it less likely. It's definitely an issue or BMW wouldn't have issued the PUMA guidelines for it, but there's no way I'm running an Alpina without a warranty on it so if the chain does get noisy I'll be sorted. Given the number of N47 engines out there happily running to stupid mileages without issue I can't get too excited about it.
Replaced the central front grille yesterday, what a complete pig of a job! I honestly wish I'd just taken the bumper off. You can do it without removing the bumper but it takes a lot of cajoling, wiggling, shoving and swearing. Thankfully I've got a set of plastic trim removal tools because without them I'd have been completely sunk. My hands are scratched to hell and back! Still, at least it's done.
I also put the silver kidneys back on the car yesterday and I definitely prefer them. The car looks less aggressive and imposing without the black ones fitted, but that suits me just fine. Personal preference at the end of the day, but here's a pic with the originals back in place.
The key to having fun in it seems to be to forget you're driving a diesel and drive it like a petrol. Peak power is up close to peak revs and it really does like to rev out. Because it's got the 330d gearbox in there with the slightly longer ratios that makes 3rd and 4th gear absolutely perfect for fast A road driving, you just make sure you've got the room to make the overtake and go.
It's got a proper split personality. You can either do the usual diesel thing and just use the torque band or you can rev it out - either way it's hot-hatch quick but using the revs is a lot more fun. Yes it's still a four pot diesel no matter what you do, but if that's what you need this is quite some engine
I've not heard of any DPF issues on the D3 BT and my driving is high-ish mileage, so I don't anticipate any problems there. Other than pottering them around town all the time AFAIK the thing that usually causes DPF issues on the E90 is failed thermostats which stop the engine getting up to the full operating temperature. With the coolant temperature reading on the performance steering wheel I've got that covered.
The timing chain issues aren't really a worry for me either TBH. This will be one of the slightly revised engines which doesn't fix the problem entirely but does make it less likely. It's definitely an issue or BMW wouldn't have issued the PUMA guidelines for it, but there's no way I'm running an Alpina without a warranty on it so if the chain does get noisy I'll be sorted. Given the number of N47 engines out there happily running to stupid mileages without issue I can't get too excited about it.
Replaced the central front grille yesterday, what a complete pig of a job! I honestly wish I'd just taken the bumper off. You can do it without removing the bumper but it takes a lot of cajoling, wiggling, shoving and swearing. Thankfully I've got a set of plastic trim removal tools because without them I'd have been completely sunk. My hands are scratched to hell and back! Still, at least it's done.
I also put the silver kidneys back on the car yesterday and I definitely prefer them. The car looks less aggressive and imposing without the black ones fitted, but that suits me just fine. Personal preference at the end of the day, but here's a pic with the originals back in place.
Update: Have had the car long enough now to get through the "ooooh, new, shiny, isn't it wonderful" phase and I'm still completely smitten with the thing.
Niggles?
I hate the way you get reverse gear, it's all too easy to get it when you want first.
The stereo gives a nice quality sound but runs out of steam at too low a volume. That will be an easy fix if it starts to really bother me - even at my advanced age I still like some bangin' choons occasionally
BMW's stupid indicator stalk design.
I did find the gearbox quite notchy but that seems to be getting better with use, I've added another 10% to the mileage on the car since I bought it so it's certainly getting used a lot more than it was by the previous owners.
I think it's the most complete car I've ever owned.
Niggles?
I hate the way you get reverse gear, it's all too easy to get it when you want first.
The stereo gives a nice quality sound but runs out of steam at too low a volume. That will be an easy fix if it starts to really bother me - even at my advanced age I still like some bangin' choons occasionally
BMW's stupid indicator stalk design.
I did find the gearbox quite notchy but that seems to be getting better with use, I've added another 10% to the mileage on the car since I bought it so it's certainly getting used a lot more than it was by the previous owners.
I think it's the most complete car I've ever owned.
I'll look into the Alpine kit, thanks for that.
It definitely needs a firm, positive move to get reverse initially, but the problem I have with it is once you've done that and have come out of reverse it's easy to go over into reverse again if you immediately try to select first. It's just a learning thing and I'm used to it now, but it still catches me out if I'm hurrying to park to catch a train for example.
It definitely needs a firm, positive move to get reverse initially, but the problem I have with it is once you've done that and have come out of reverse it's easy to go over into reverse again if you immediately try to select first. It's just a learning thing and I'm used to it now, but it still catches me out if I'm hurrying to park to catch a train for example.
Quick update: car has been faultless, it fits my current needs perfectly and can still put a smile on my face on a good road. Can't be bad
I've decided I will get the Alpine hi-fi upgrade at some point. I've found a supplier in Germany who sell it far cheaper than I can get it in the UK so I'll probably get it from them.
I've decided I will get the Alpine hi-fi upgrade at some point. I've found a supplier in Germany who sell it far cheaper than I can get it in the UK so I'll probably get it from them.
Sorted myself out a set of winter wheels. I reckon this staggered set of genuine Style 188's will do the job a treat. A bit scuffed but straight and true, I'm quite looking forward to seeing them on the car.
I've decided to get the dynamics refurbished in a lighter colour, either a light version of shadow chrome or silver. They look great when they're clean but once even slightly dirty they just vanish into the car and also I don't deal drugs on the side
I've decided to get the dynamics refurbished in a lighter colour, either a light version of shadow chrome or silver. They look great when they're clean but once even slightly dirty they just vanish into the car and also I don't deal drugs on the side
Haven't updated this for a while, because there really hasn't been anything to update. It's been completely faultless, doesn't use a drop of oil, just fill the fuel tank up every 550 to 600 miles and that's that. I still need to get the Alpine hi-fi upgrade sorted out but it's not a priority.
I did have a major wobble over the D3 and put it up for sale a few weeks ago. It was on the market for all of about four hours until I took it back off again
I'd convinced myself that it was dull and didn't offer me enough entertainment, when in fact it was driving that was the problem. I'd settled into a fuel economy/bimble along mindset and any car would have been dull doing that. Changing my driving style has dropped a whole 4mpg off the fuel consumption which is basically bugger all but has made the world of difference to the grin factor. Lesson learned.
It's in for a service and brake fluid change on Monday which is going to hurt as it has to be at BMW to keep the AUC warranty. Once that's out the way I'll get the winter tyres sorted out. Really looking forward to seeing how the car looks on silver wheels, almost certain I'm going to get the Dynamics refurbished in silver but this'll be the clincher.
I did have a major wobble over the D3 and put it up for sale a few weeks ago. It was on the market for all of about four hours until I took it back off again
I'd convinced myself that it was dull and didn't offer me enough entertainment, when in fact it was driving that was the problem. I'd settled into a fuel economy/bimble along mindset and any car would have been dull doing that. Changing my driving style has dropped a whole 4mpg off the fuel consumption which is basically bugger all but has made the world of difference to the grin factor. Lesson learned.
It's in for a service and brake fluid change on Monday which is going to hurt as it has to be at BMW to keep the AUC warranty. Once that's out the way I'll get the winter tyres sorted out. Really looking forward to seeing how the car looks on silver wheels, almost certain I'm going to get the Dynamics refurbished in silver but this'll be the clincher.
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