Description
At first glance, let’s be honest, an Alpina looks a lot like a BMW. But everything changes as soon as you get closer—and especially once you’re behind the wheel: you notice far better-quality materials, the technical tweaks, and little by little it dawns that an Alpina might be better than a BMW…
Almost as discreet as a BMW (particularly our example, carefully stripped of the famous Alpina body stripes), it can turn into a proper lap-time killer when you push it to its limits, and it shows off huge versatility. When you start this Alpina B3, the bi-turbo straight-six, what a sweet song—especially as Alpina hasn’t retained BMW’s ActiveSound system, so you hear the “real” engine noise, and nothing else. As for this six-cylinder, it puts out 410 hp and 600 Nm of torque, enough to dispatch the 0–100 km/ h sprint in 4. 1 seconds—delightful for an estate weighing in at 1, 700 kg! This engine is smooth, full of urge at every rev range, flexible and yet ferocious; Alpina has transformed the heart of a 335i brilliantly to deliver even more enjoyment.
As for the chassis, it’s so well optimised that you quickly forget those 20-inch Alpina wheels: comfort, compliance and firmness are all there. Don’t overlook the steering accuracy either—you put the car exactly where you want it. Again, Alpina has done major work on the BMW 3 Series chassis: lowered body, new adaptive dampers, increased rigidity—you get closer to an M car, while retaining more comfort.
Our car is the Allrad version, so four-wheel drive, essentially equivalent to BMW’s xDrive. The principle is the same, but with an even more optimised setup for maximum grip.
Below is a telling Chris Harris test—he’s clearly smitten by this BMW Alpina B3 as well:
- details above
2 February 2015: Vehicle put into service in Germany
19 May 2016: Serviced by BMW Germany at 29, 910 km
12 April 2018: Serviced by BMW-Alpina Cuntz Neustadt Germany at 63, 201 km
2 May 2018: Change of ownership in Germany via BMW-Alpina Cuntz Neustadt at 63, 231 km
1 February 2023: Passed the German technical inspection at 77, 126 km
9 March 2023: Annual service by BMW Pelras Toulouse at 78, 485 km
27 June 2023: Final registration of the vehicle in France
15 February 2024: Annual service by BMW Pelras Toulouse at 82, 931 km
27 August 2024: Replacement of an engine turbo coolant hose by BMW Pelras Toulouse at 84, 714 km
1 February 2025: Passed the French technical inspection at 87, 552 km
20 June 2025: Annual service including replacement of both front dampers, gearbox transfer-case oil change, and differential oil change by BMW Pelras Toulouse at 89, 606 km
24 September 2025: Replacement of both rear tyres and technical inspection at 90, 460 km
24 June 2026: Service and replacement of VANOS by BMW Limoges EDEN AUTO
In thirty-four years of driving, I’ve been lucky enough to drive many excellent cars—but putting together such a perfect balance between engine, transmission, chassis, traction, sportiness, comfort, versatility and build quality is extremely rare, and truly exceptional. Without exaggeration, this Alpina can be described as the best compact estate in the world. It’s impossible not to fall for it after a road test…
