Discussion
IIRC most parts are from the BMW parts bin, rather than being Alpina specific.
I test drove a non bi-turbo and it was great - go for it!
Here is more info here. IIRC the engine is the same as the 123d's, just with a different map (may be wrong though)
http://www.evo.co.uk/carreviews/evolongtermtests/2...
I test drove a non bi-turbo and it was great - go for it!
Here is more info here. IIRC the engine is the same as the 123d's, just with a different map (may be wrong though)
http://www.evo.co.uk/carreviews/evolongtermtests/2...
I ran a D3 for a couple of years and they're great all rounders. Good performance, economy, residuals and turned more heads than any car I've had before or since.
Contemporary Alpinas share many engine components with the model they're based on. The D3 has 320d internals but the turbo, injectors, intercooler and exhaust come from the 330d. The ECU is reworked by Alpina. Brakes are standard BMW parts but by far the best thing about the D3 is the sublime Alpina tweaked suspension. My current 335i coupe might have a lot more shove than the D3 but it feels far less composed on a twisty road.
Bad bits? The lag caused by the larger turbo and the narrow power band frustrate at times and some bemoan the fixed spec that Sytner offered on the D3. Apart from the clutch being replaced under warranty it never missed a beat. Highly recommended
Contemporary Alpinas share many engine components with the model they're based on. The D3 has 320d internals but the turbo, injectors, intercooler and exhaust come from the 330d. The ECU is reworked by Alpina. Brakes are standard BMW parts but by far the best thing about the D3 is the sublime Alpina tweaked suspension. My current 335i coupe might have a lot more shove than the D3 but it feels far less composed on a twisty road.
Bad bits? The lag caused by the larger turbo and the narrow power band frustrate at times and some bemoan the fixed spec that Sytner offered on the D3. Apart from the clutch being replaced under warranty it never missed a beat. Highly recommended
There's a wealth of info over on http://thealpinaregister.com/forums/. On balance my D3 BT is a country mile better than my previous 535d M Sport. As previous said, its the subtle tweaks Alpina made to the tyres,geo and suspension.
Edited by dubbers on Tuesday 12th January 21:27
The brakes on D3 MT/BT are standard BMW items (IIRC from a 325d SE). The BT is based on the 123d engine with Alpina remap to 214bhp and ~ 330lbft.
Manual shift is a god send after 535d (LCI) - At least Im in control instead of a halfwit/dozy computer tho' the BT Clutch (Delay valve) makes smooth starts tricky but this is common for manual BMWs Im told. Power wise, there is a huge difference if your wanting interstellar travel. My 5er was mapped and could effortlessly hit the speedo limiter (where legally permitted)- The D3 is usefully quick, think MK5 GTI plus a few %. Manual air con, no big deal, it works perfectly and I read somewhere that it was a cost/weight saving.
Manual shift is a god send after 535d (LCI) - At least Im in control instead of a halfwit/dozy computer tho' the BT Clutch (Delay valve) makes smooth starts tricky but this is common for manual BMWs Im told. Power wise, there is a huge difference if your wanting interstellar travel. My 5er was mapped and could effortlessly hit the speedo limiter (where legally permitted)- The D3 is usefully quick, think MK5 GTI plus a few %. Manual air con, no big deal, it works perfectly and I read somewhere that it was a cost/weight saving.
Edited by dubbers on Tuesday 12th January 21:54
dubbers said:
The brakes on D3 MT/BT are standard BMW items (IIRC from a 325d SE). The BT is based on the 123d engine with Alpina remap to 214bhp and ~ 330lbft.
Manual shift is a god send after 535d (LCI) - At least Im in control instead of a halfwit/dozy computer tho' the BT Clutch (Delay valve) makes smooth starts tricky but this is common for manual BMWs Im told. Power wise, there is a huge difference if your wanting interstellar travel. My 5er was mapped and could effortlessly hit the speedo limiter (where legally permitted)- The D3 is usefully quick, think MK5 GTI plus a few %. Manual air con, no big deal, it works perfectly and I read somewhere that it was a cost/weight saving.
Thanks dubbers,mind you I reckon a D3 bi- turbo is as fast as you can really use on our roads .I mean my 120d auto is plenty TBH.Manual shift is a god send after 535d (LCI) - At least Im in control instead of a halfwit/dozy computer tho' the BT Clutch (Delay valve) makes smooth starts tricky but this is common for manual BMWs Im told. Power wise, there is a huge difference if your wanting interstellar travel. My 5er was mapped and could effortlessly hit the speedo limiter (where legally permitted)- The D3 is usefully quick, think MK5 GTI plus a few %. Manual air con, no big deal, it works perfectly and I read somewhere that it was a cost/weight saving.
Edited by dubbers on Tuesday 12th January 21:54
bmwcsl said:
Is the bi turbo a lot better?
I too am interested in this. Looking at the classifieds, it seems that early non Bi Turbos are advertised for 16K - 20K and that biTurbos start around 25K. If anyone has experience of driving both, I would be interested to hear.
Thanks in Advance.
I had a mono-turbo D3 for 2.5 years.
There's an ad for it on this very site.
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2432189.htm
I have to correct what someone said earlier.
The brakes are not changed, they are standard 320D brakes.
Alpina felt no need to change them, as the car's weight was not increased.
I had no trouble with the car, I took great joy and pride in owning it.
My only issue was with the wheels, which are easily damaged on our very poor roads.
There's an ad for it on this very site.
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2432189.htm
I have to correct what someone said earlier.
The brakes are not changed, they are standard 320D brakes.
Alpina felt no need to change them, as the car's weight was not increased.
I had no trouble with the car, I took great joy and pride in owning it.
My only issue was with the wheels, which are easily damaged on our very poor roads.
Edited by Magnus Barelegs on Monday 14th February 13:21
I have recently driven the bi-turbo and didn't notice any turbo lag. Was this evident in the mono turbo model?
Magnus Barelegs said:
I had a mono-turbo D3 for 2.5 years.
There's an ad for it on this very site.
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2432189.htm
There's an ad for it on this very site.
http://www.pistonheads.com/sales/2432189.htm
hendy said:
I too am interested in this. Looking at the classifieds, it seems that early non Bi Turbos are advertised for 16K - 20K and that biTurbos start around 25K.
If anyone has experience of driving both, I would be interested to hear.
Thanks in Advance.
I had a test drive in both before settling for an earlier D3 (mono turbo), didn’t think that it was worth the price difference. Saying that, D3BT was new so it had stiffer stick which I didn’t like and BMW sport steering wheel, which I’m also not a big fan of. Lack of automatic air con was another thing that put me off. I don’t care too much about the gadgets although if you are spending a lot of time in the car, BT has a cruise control and Bluetooth as well as better fuel consumption so it may make more sense.If anyone has experience of driving both, I would be interested to hear.
Thanks in Advance.
Ride and handling is great on both, BT will have a smoother power delivery, more petrol like but MT has a nice pull when turbo kicks in.
On the cons side, for me, insurance is about 50% more than 330i/d, less companies offering and it’s not easy to find GAP insurance. There should be no problem finding 3rd party warranty but you will have to phone them. I didn’t have any problems with wheels (dynamics), hope it stays that way. Tyres are also not the cheapest around, 235/35/19 for the fronts and 265/30(MT)/35(BT)/19 for the rears. If you live in the north of the country, you may have to consider different wheels for the winter. It will also help with potholes.
Magnus Barelegs said:
It's neither.
The performance may look dull on paper, but it's more than enough for most and more than enough for the most crowded roads in Europe (official).
And Alpinas look better than normal BMWs, by a country mile.
Compared with an M5, it is slow and it is dull.The performance may look dull on paper, but it's more than enough for most and more than enough for the most crowded roads in Europe (official).
And Alpinas look better than normal BMWs, by a country mile.
In all respects.
That Alpina stooped to producing a diesel, and not even a quick one, is a travesty.
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