RE: Alpina B3 Bi-Turbo: Review
Discussion
greygoose said:
Have Alpina ever changed their wheel design?
Yes, they introduced a new style, known as the Dynamic. It was available on the Z4 based Alpina Roadster and the Z8 based V8 Roadster, It was also available on the B6 and the E9x editions of the B3 and D3. Even the traditional wheel design (now known as the the Classic since the introduction of the Dynamic) has undergone some tweaks over the years but the 20 spokes have remained
Kawasicki said:
If the steering is half as bad as reported why would anyone who is actually interested in driving buy this car?
That's exactly what I am thinking. The review (short as it is) suggests that this car has a fabulous engine but the chassis and handling departments have substituted the usual bushes and joints for a few pots of yoghurt.Article said:
.... the steering is spookily light. Around the straight-ahead position there's often a sense that the steering column has been disconnected entirely from the wheels. The Sport modes address this with added weight, but never do you have total faith in the steering and nor is there any degree of feedback.
On a twisting, narrow road that can become an issue because you find yourself unable to place the car with total accuracy. Allied to a chassis that, even in one of the Sport modes, feels a little blunt you do find yourself having to second guess your steering inputs and correct your lines. The B3 soon feels uncomfortable being hustled down a demanding stretch of blacktop for there isn't the precision and iron-fisted body control to make such a thing enjoyable.
I'll pass on this one, thanks. On a twisting, narrow road that can become an issue because you find yourself unable to place the car with total accuracy. Allied to a chassis that, even in one of the Sport modes, feels a little blunt you do find yourself having to second guess your steering inputs and correct your lines. The B3 soon feels uncomfortable being hustled down a demanding stretch of blacktop for there isn't the precision and iron-fisted body control to make such a thing enjoyable.
Oli.
Re the exhausts and why this is better for it than a Golf R:
The Golf R has an inline 4 cylinder engine with a single manifold into a single exhaust pipe (via a turbo)
The 335/B3BT has an inline 6 with 2 manifolds into 2 exhausts (via a turbo(s))
All 6 cylinder BMW's have 2 pipes the length of the car. The non turbo charged ones have them exiting out of one side. The turbo has one each side. The M has 2 each side.
Generally speaking one pipe has a butterfly in it to dull low RPM noise levels.
Not sure how that works on standard 335's with one each side, but on M's one pipe each side is usually silenced.
So there you go, totally reasonable explanation as to why this car has too many exhausts.
The Golf R has an inline 4 cylinder engine with a single manifold into a single exhaust pipe (via a turbo)
The 335/B3BT has an inline 6 with 2 manifolds into 2 exhausts (via a turbo(s))
All 6 cylinder BMW's have 2 pipes the length of the car. The non turbo charged ones have them exiting out of one side. The turbo has one each side. The M has 2 each side.
Generally speaking one pipe has a butterfly in it to dull low RPM noise levels.
Not sure how that works on standard 335's with one each side, but on M's one pipe each side is usually silenced.
So there you go, totally reasonable explanation as to why this car has too many exhausts.
Drove one a couple of weeks ago. It's overwheeled. It's needs to go down a size, it's just a bit too nervous. Steering is a bit wooden too which gives it a bit of a confused feel on typical UK roads. I actually came away from it not particularly impressed. It's OK, but it just feels like what it is, a tuned BMW (the base car is great anyway). Outside of the engine you could get a set of brembos, KW's and a better set of wheels, and you'd be halfway there with a remapped (aaiit) 335i. Price wise it's not too far off the mark. I'd give it a 7 out of 10 and expect the new M3 to piss all over it. The Alpina is a nostalgic choice, not a logical choice IMO. It's funny despite all that, it's still rather lustworthy? Love the F31 estate version in that green! lol
I still find it astonishing you can buy a (brand new) saloon car that can do 190mph for 50 and a bit k...
When I were a lad, that kind of performance was the stuff of dreams in the form of an F40 / 959.
Yeah, I know the Lotus Carlton was lurking in that era but it was a bit of an exception at the time.
When I were a lad, that kind of performance was the stuff of dreams in the form of an F40 / 959.
Yeah, I know the Lotus Carlton was lurking in that era but it was a bit of an exception at the time.
Edited by Zombie on Thursday 10th October 00:18
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