2022 Alpina B4 gets 488bhp, 538lb ft
Alpina has shown off its B4 S Grand Coupe at Goodwood
Buchloe’s new four-door coupé shown off at Goodwood's Festival of Speed
Buchloe-based tuner Alpina has shown off its upcoming B4 S Grand Coupé at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.
The new B4 S is joined by a diesel sibling – the BMW Alpina D4 S. The pair help Alpina fill the gap between the BMW 4 Series and BMW M4 Competition, and gain a pair of rear doors for the first time.
They arrive shortly after Alpina brand was acquired by BMW and thus are officially named the BMW Alpina B4 S and BMW Alpina D4 S.
They're expected to be the final additions to the marque's current-generation line-up of modified BMW models.
As with Buchloe's take on the BMW 3 Series, the Alpina B3, the new B4 uses a tuned version of the 'S58' twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre straight-six petrol engine, sending 488bhp and 538lb ft through an eight-speed automatic gearbox to both axles – only slightly less power and 59lb ft more torque than the 503bhp M4 Competition.
The D4 gets the same gearbox, but is equipped with a 3.0-litre mild-hybrid straight-six diesel powerplant pumping out 350bhp but matching the petrol car’s 538lb ft.
Despite the power deficit and weighing 240kg more than the two-door M4 Competition, the B4 is actually 0.1sec quicker than the more hardcore car from 0-62mph, needing just 3.7sec for the sprint, and it just pips it for top speed, too, topping out at 187mph. The D4 adds another 55kg and needs 4.8sec to get to 62mph from rest.
The B4 manages 28mpg on the WLTP cycle and emits 229g/km of CO2, while the D4 hits 40.9mpg and emits 182g/km.
Modifications to the gearbox include reinforcements, to cope with the substantially boosted torque output and is configured to send the bulk of the engine's power rearwards, "as befits the athletic character" of the car.
Unlike the M4, the Alpina duo are geared towards providing not only "high-level driving dynamics but also lots of comfort for relaxed touring". The chassis has therefore been extensively modified in keeping with this billing.
Upgrades including new bulkhead reinforcement struts, stiffer bushings and mounts, bespoke front anti-roll bars and a unique spring-and-damper configuration among the hardware changes that give the B4 and D4 their distinct characters. Variable dampers are said to give "noticeable differentiation between the various driving modes", while three different modes of steering response are available.
The brakes have been upgraded, too, with four-piston callipers gripping 395mm discs at the front and floating callipers paired with 345mm discs at the rear. Drilled, lightweight composite discs are optionally available.
As is customary for an Alpina car, the styling differences over the standard 4 Series are much more subtle than those of the M4. Unique bumpers, spoilers, exhaust exits, side skirts and badging are the obvious telltales, plus there's a new interpretation of the brand's hallmark 20-spoke alloy wheel design.
Alpina says a new manufacturing process means these 20in wheels tip the scales at just 12kg each.
They're wrapped in high-performance Pirelli P-Zero tyres designed especially for Alpina.
The B4 is now available to order ahead of deliveries getting under way in July, priced from £80,663. The D4 is priced from £68,517, and deliveries are expected to begin in September.