Alpina tweaks BMW 320d

Oil-burner gets new induction hardware and bodykit

By PH Staff / Wednesday, 5 October 2005 / Loading comments

Long-established BMW tuner Alpina is offering a diesel -- perhaps for the first time, and showed the car off at the recent Frankfurt motor show.

The BMW Alpina D3 is based on the E90 320d, and offers 200bhp with maximum torque of 302lb-ft at 4,000rpm. That compares to 163bhp and 250lb-ft for the unaltered 320d.

The Alpina D3 will cover the 62mph sprint in 7.4 seconds and has a top speed of 148mph. Prices start at €35,900 (about £24,300), about £1,000 more than the £23,225 you'll pay for the 320d before options.

You might think that such a small increase over BMW's list price implies that Alpina has barely touched the hardware but instead has obtained most of the power and torque gains by chipping the car. However, the company's official release said that Alpina's engineers "performed intensive development work on the injection system, burn pattern, inter-cooling and exhaust gas emissions (particle filter)".

Reactions from BMW enthusiasts have been muted, with disappointment vented for the relatively low torque figure. Some wondered if a 5-Series-based D5 might be on the cards.

Pictures by Sebastian Giesler