While the US is not too keen on BMW wagons, the Europeans are quite the opposite. So it comes as no surprise that Buchloe-based automaker ALPINA used the 2019 Frankfurt Auto Show as the venue to unveil their new ALPINA B3 Touring. Which basically, it’s an M3 sports wagon that we won’t be getting.
Lots has been written about the ALPINA B3 Touring, but there is one little detail that some of you might have missed. Under the hood, the ALPINA B3 Touring doesn’t use the B58 engine seen in the BMW M340i, for example.
Instead, the ALPINA B3 Touring is the first non-SUV car from BMW and ALPINA to be powered by the S58 engine. If the engine code doesn’t ring a bell, allow us to clarify it. The powerplant is going to be used in the upcoming G80 M3 and G82 M4.
This S58 in the ALPINA is a detuned unit with bespoke turbos and cooling making 462 horsepower. The maximum power is released between 5,000 and 7,000 rpm while the 700 Nm of torque is released between 3,000 and 4,250 Nm.
The very same engine would have been used in an M3 Touring as well, but since that’s not in BMW’s future plans, this ALPINA B3 Touring will do.
Of course, all that power and torque needs to be kept in check, so ALPINA equipped the car with the xDrive four-wheel drive, an electronically controlled locking differential on the rear axle and an adapted eight-speed automatic transmission developed together with ZF. The top speed of this brand new popping station: more than 300 km / h.
To cover a wide range of driving characteristics, the ALPINA B3 Touring has the Comfort, Comfort +, Sport and Sport + modes. Under the car hangs a completely newly developed stainless steel exhaust system.
Furthermore, to put more salt on the wound, the folks at ALPINA released a full-set photoshoot of the new B3 Touring, which shows how spectacular the car is.
Perfect!
Ugh… as someone who lives in USA… reading this is painful
No 0-60 times?
Not yet
Except high 3s, just like X3M. It could be faster than the X3M due to lower weight and more torque.
Should be good for 3,6 secs.
LOVELY. I guess in America they think a car like this, is not the same as an SUV, in regards of luggage space? It may be slighty smaller, but just lower to the ground, maybe…. Anyway over here in the EU, we love them!
BMW sabotaged Touring sales by not installing any I6 engines here. Also cancelling 5 Touring did not help.
Great, maybe we won’t have to put up with more lame excuses about the absence of a high performance version of the G29 platform by BMW.
Make a new Roadster S, Alpina people.
I’ll take the one with the 5 star wheels thanks.
If this is indeed the S58 and not t he B58, this is the first time Alpina has had access to a M engine.
Nope! The E46 B3’s engine was a modified S52…
Was it? I did not know that either.
Well, this makes tuning them a whole different proposition. Dumb of BMW to detune the S58 for Alpina.
It makes sense. They don’t wanna it to be an M3 wagon.
Neither BMW nor Alpina want the Touring to be an M wagon. But it would be nice if it through some shade on the MB AMG ones.
They are not really detuned, they are differently tuned. The Alpinas are about midrange torque and top speed.
If we look at some of the newer Alpinas, the B57D30S0 based Alpinas have more torque over a higher rev range than the BMW MPerformance cars with the same engine. The BMWs have a bit higher peak horsepower. It’ll be similar here. The whole intake and turbo setup could be a bit different to reach this result.
Are not B57 diesel engines? The Alpina gasoline engines have always higher HP and torque outputs than the BMW engines upon which they are based because of Alpina’s substantial reworking of engine internals and tuning.
It is debatable wether the S52 is an M engine. Yes it was in an Alpina and some e36 “M3” etc but it was a cast iron version of the M52 with one vanos intake cam – the end. No itb, no high flow exhaust manifold no extra oil supply or anything that indicates Motorsport. Almost every other M engine found some use in Motorsport or has at least the internals to do it.
Alpina B3 is the new M3. M3 next gen will get the same ugly grille as next gen M4.