Does anyone else not ‘get’ Alpina?
Discussion
Quite a few folk not digging the look, which is completely fair enough. I’m not a fan of the decals personally and whilst I do love the Classic rims I can see why they would be pretty divisive.
So I post this out of curiosity as to the reception. A touring and a saloon, both without the decals and both wearing 19” Dynamic wheels (standard option on the B3 - you have to pay £2k for the Marmite option!)
So I post this out of curiosity as to the reception. A touring and a saloon, both without the decals and both wearing 19” Dynamic wheels (standard option on the B3 - you have to pay £2k for the Marmite option!)
bobbysmithy said:
Scrimper said:
They are fantastic cars and personally I would rather have an M3 than an Alpina 3 series. Where I think they come into their own is on the bigger cars, especially for the 7 series where there was no M car, this is my B12. Not lightning fast by today’s standards but still a joy to drive and I love the look of it. 
Each to their own. A lovely car ruined with chav wheels and zorst IMO.
(Needs the body-coloured lower sills though)
Scrimper said:
They are fantastic cars and personally I would rather have an M3 than an Alpina 3 series. Where I think they come into their own is on the bigger cars, especially for the 7 series where there was no M car, this is my B12. Not lightning fast by today’s standards but still a joy to drive and I love the look of it.
Beautiful car. DeWar said:
Quite a few folk not digging the look, which is completely fair enough. I’m not a fan of the decals personally and whilst I do love the Classic rims I can see why they would be pretty divisive.
So I post this out of curiosity as to the reception. A touring and a saloon, both without the decals and both wearing 19” Dynamic wheels (standard option on the B3 - you have to pay £2k for the Marmite option!)
That front end treatment really isn't getting any less sSo I post this out of curiosity as to the reception. A touring and a saloon, both without the decals and both wearing 19” Dynamic wheels (standard option on the B3 - you have to pay £2k for the Marmite option!)
t with time and exposure. The way the plastic grille overlaps the bonnet and is higher than the line of the lights looks even worse in black than plasti-chrome too, truly awful. With all that visual noise and black plastic crap over the front end they still couldn't find somewhere decent to hide the radar sensor either?!
stickleback123 said:
That front end treatment really isn't getting any less st with time and exposure. The way the plastic grille overlaps the bonnet and is higher than the line of the lights looks even worse in black than plasti-chrome too, truly awful. With all that visual noise and black plastic crap over the front end they still couldn't find somewhere decent to hide the radar sensor either?!
I guess if you don't like the look of the donor car then no amount of lipstick will smarten up the pig. I do agree with the radar sensor point mind; an issue sadly not confined to just Alpina and BMW.t with time and exposure. The way the plastic grille overlaps the bonnet and is higher than the line of the lights looks even worse in black than plasti-chrome too, truly awful. With all that visual noise and black plastic crap over the front end they still couldn't find somewhere decent to hide the radar sensor either?!
Jag_NE said:
I really like BMW’s but I’ve never quite understood the circle jerk that kicks off when Alpina comes up in articles.
Had to Google to see what a "circle jerk" was. Clearly you went to a much posher school than me!Anyway, Alpina...
I get it. A BMW M5 has a more aggressive sporting character. An Alpina B5 has similar performance but with more emphasis on luxury and comfort. You pay your money and take your choice. I'd choose an Alpina B5.
Limpet said:
I love Alpina. They seem to be designed to work primarily on the road, in the real world, and are generally less shouty than the equivalent M car, which I appreciate won't be to everyone's taste. Unlike M Division, they have also resisted getting stuck into every model in the BMW range, or flogging their stuff on cheap finance deals, which gives them an exclusivity that M Division themselves forfeited years ago.
M Division's reputation was devalued significantly in my view when they started producing stuff like the X5M and X6M. You can make a two and a half tonne bungalow fast by throwing power at it, and yes it can be made to drive impressively "for a two and a half tonne bungalow", but a car like this is never going to be anything other than a massively flawed base for a driver's car. For an organisation that is supposed to be purely about the driver, and one which for years said it would only focus its attention on models with "lateral agility", it's a sad decline, in my view.
Alpina have versions of the X3 and X7M Division's reputation was devalued significantly in my view when they started producing stuff like the X5M and X6M. You can make a two and a half tonne bungalow fast by throwing power at it, and yes it can be made to drive impressively "for a two and a half tonne bungalow", but a car like this is never going to be anything other than a massively flawed base for a driver's car. For an organisation that is supposed to be purely about the driver, and one which for years said it would only focus its attention on models with "lateral agility", it's a sad decline, in my view.
i think i am in the camp of not really getting them... i mean they are rare and unusual but to me the styling is a bit weird and they always seem like they release their models in advance of the new equivalent M car, and it never ends up being quite as good, just earlier to market. The older ones are cool from a retro perspective, but i guess lots of things are.
gizlaroc said:
Drive it fix it repeat said:
Who wouldn’t jump at the opportunity to buy an even more overpriced beemer, what’s not to like? You even get a set of Halfords wheels into the deal.
Yeah, you tell 'em! In your Audi TT.
Alpina take a top of the range BMW and improve every aspect of it. M take a top of the range BMW and change it. They're both great but they aren't comparable because they cater to two different users. If you take the F30 340i as a starting point - if you have one and really liked how it drove, but wanted it to be a bit quicker and a bit comfier, ie just improved but not compromised, an Alpina is the logical choice. Its the same car, its slightly better looking, its more comfortable, more usable and its much faster. M caters to a different market entirely - the ideal usage of the car is changed. Its stiffer, noiser, slightly compromised, peaky power delivery, a 10/10ths car. They have different design briefs.
As of recent the ideological differences between them have grown smaller and smaller - M cars have become more luxurious and Alpina have become more performance focused. But the differentiation is still there. Alpinas are for people who like BMWs but just want a bit more. M cars are for people who want a sports car that is just about practical enough to do normal duties too.
Rarity and status may play into it for some, but the owners I know buy an Alpina because the hundreds of small changes add up to a compelling package that nobody else quite matches. And to compare something like an Alpina 5 series to a Bentley or a 7 series is wilfully absurd...
As of recent the ideological differences between them have grown smaller and smaller - M cars have become more luxurious and Alpina have become more performance focused. But the differentiation is still there. Alpinas are for people who like BMWs but just want a bit more. M cars are for people who want a sports car that is just about practical enough to do normal duties too.
Rarity and status may play into it for some, but the owners I know buy an Alpina because the hundreds of small changes add up to a compelling package that nobody else quite matches. And to compare something like an Alpina 5 series to a Bentley or a 7 series is wilfully absurd...
In terms of being released before the M version, is that really an issue when the cars aren't strictly built to be M beaters?
With the older generations of E21/30/36/39/46 cars Alpina would try to start with the largest engines in the range and often bore them out hence things like 3.2/3.3L E36 3 series, 3.3L an 4.8l V8 E39 5 series, the monstrous 5.7 v12 e31 8 series certainly gave them a USP.
Things like the E30 based C2 2.7 or the later B3 stand out as a packages which BMW couldn't offer, The 2.7l out performs a 325i and gives the M3 (which was available at the time) a dam good run beating it in sprints to 60mph & 100mph. Many will argue the 4 cylinder in the M3 is a glorious engine and offers a wonderful character yet I suspect a lot of people would enjoy the 2.7 6 cylinder more, especially if you can still potentially snag a C2 for 1/2 of the price of an M3.
With the older generations of E21/30/36/39/46 cars Alpina would try to start with the largest engines in the range and often bore them out hence things like 3.2/3.3L E36 3 series, 3.3L an 4.8l V8 E39 5 series, the monstrous 5.7 v12 e31 8 series certainly gave them a USP.
Things like the E30 based C2 2.7 or the later B3 stand out as a packages which BMW couldn't offer, The 2.7l out performs a 325i and gives the M3 (which was available at the time) a dam good run beating it in sprints to 60mph & 100mph. Many will argue the 4 cylinder in the M3 is a glorious engine and offers a wonderful character yet I suspect a lot of people would enjoy the 2.7 6 cylinder more, especially if you can still potentially snag a C2 for 1/2 of the price of an M3.
The M vs Alpina arguement is an old one and whilst they aren't really aimed at same audience its often a battle the Alpina would win.
The reason for this is simple, and that is that on that oh so rare occasion that the stars align and you're on the right road at the right time the M car is amazing. But on every other road, every other occasion the Alpina will trump it in every conceivable manner.
Oh and even on those rare times the Mcar is better the Alpina will still be superb.
The reason for this is simple, and that is that on that oh so rare occasion that the stars align and you're on the right road at the right time the M car is amazing. But on every other road, every other occasion the Alpina will trump it in every conceivable manner.
Oh and even on those rare times the Mcar is better the Alpina will still be superb.
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