BMW Alpina B4 Bi-Turbo coupe 2016 Review

BMW Alpina B4 Bi-Turbo coupe

Alpina is a firm that cares dearly about its multi-spoke alloy wheels. The 20-spoke wheels adorning the B4 Bi-Turbo Coupe recall a design theme dating back decades. It's a conservative look, one that could lead unsuspecting BMW M4 drivers to think here's a car that's 'just' a 440i or even a four-cylinder 4 Series variant.

But the new-to-Australia B4 combines comfort and convenience with 'M-level' performance.

What makes the B4 better than the cheaper M4? You could sum it up as exclusivity, comfort and presentation, mostly.

While the B4 and the M4 could be mistaken as the same car from a distance, the Alpina errs more on the grand touring side of the ledger. Ride comfort is one element of that, but the standard ZF automatic and the Alpina's extra 50Nm (600Nm versus 550 for the M4), as well as its lower power rating – 301kW against the M4's 317kW – make the B4 just that little bit more of a cruiser.

In character, the B4's twin-turbo six is more like a high-performance BMW engine of old. Very quiet at idle and in low-load situations, the engine's snarl turns from subtle to startling with a determined prod of the accelerator. The revs immediately jump to at least 3000rpm, but a wide-open throttle from low speeds will likely prompt the ZF eight-speed transmission to kick down at least a couple of gears and spin the engine up to 5000rpm, where it does its best work.

All that dramatic surge in power and torque is accompanied by a blood-curdling six-cylinder howl at high revs, all delivered by the Akropavic exhaust system that is fitted as standard.

The M4 scoots to 100km/h faster, however, helped by its strong power output. There's virtually nothing in it though. Claimed acceleration figures place the M4 0.1sec ahead of the B4 (4.2sec) for the 0-100km/h time. But if the automatic B4 is not as fiery from a standing start as the dual-clutch M4, it is reputed to be faster around a track.

We say reputed, because we haven't had a chance to compare the two cars on an Australian track and it's unlikely we'll ever get the chance to do so. But we were told on the quiet that a B4 did beat an M4 around a European circuit recently.

That would be in the dry, we're tipping.

In the wet – on local roads – the B4 was over-endowed with torque and under-endowed with traction. While the car could be quite docile most of the time, giving it some stick would have the B4 cranking sideways as the 265/30 ZR20 Michelins (Pilot Super Sport) failed to rein in the performance.

Although the B4's engine is a screamer when pushed hard, the 600Nm of torque available from much lower revs allows the transmission to hold the same gear up steep hills without kicking down. With this sort of effortless performance, the combination of engine and transmission is impressive.

It also helps keep fuel consumption in check. According to the trip computer, fuel use averaged 11.3L/100km during the few days the car was in our possession. The same figure was also posted over a 60km test loop.

The Alpina has a different Drive Experience setup which, unlike other 4 Series variants, doesn't change the transmission shift mapping through a toggle switch. Instead, for more aggressive shifting (at higher points in the rev range), the driver need only push the shift lever across to the left, into Sport mode.

Somewhat mercifully, the Michelin tyres fitted to the Alpina's alloy wheels are not run-flats and that helps the ride quality. According to a local spokesman for Alpina, the company opted to stick with conventional tyres and a repair kit rather than run-flats that might tempt owners to continue driving the B4 up to its potential top speed of more than 300km/h. The additional benefit for Aussie consumers is that the B4’s ride comfort is acceptable on our parlous country bitumen.

Like the M4 (and other 4 Series variants), the B4 is a little noisy at speed, with the tyres contributing some roar on coarse-chip bitumen as well as an audible thumping over potholes, expansion joints and cats-eyes. It's possible that the B4’s wheel and tyre combination has never been tested in Australia prior to the ADR homologation process beginning with this particular car. It has been in the country for two years but, according to the odometer, had completed less than 3000km.

At around 100km/h wind noise begins to intrude, but the drivetrain doesn't. In Comfort mode the engine is ticking over at around 1500rpm in eighth gear, but push the lever across to change the shift points and the ZF drops back to seventh for 2000rpm.

The B4 is softer, dynamically, than the M4. Nowhere is that more apparent than in the car's ride comfort. There's a little more body roll in corners too, even in Sport mode. The steering is direct, with a quick ratio ensuring immediate response, but it’s lighter than the M4's and doesn't offer the same level of feedback.

That said, the B4 is undeniably easier to live with, day by day – and at night. In the dark, the B4's High-beam Assist responded rapidly to oncoming traffic and worked very well in combination with the adaptive LED headlights.

Whatever the dynamic strengths of the two cars, there are some comfort and convenience aspects of the B4 that certainly outgun the M4. Blue dials in the dash, a couple of unique colours, Alpina badging and livery, bespoke leather upholstery and those Alpina-specific 20-inch alloy wheels with a clever, concealed tyre valve that's accessed through the hub cover are the more obvious examples.

The interior presentation is not as brash as the M4's – which is in fact at odds with the B4's exterior. There is plenty of Alpina badging visible from outside the car, with 'Bi-Turbo' on the boot lid as a further tell-tale that you want to be packing M4 performance at least before tackling this otherwise innocent-looking 4 Series on the track.

We're told that buyers can opt to delete the badging as part of the purchasing process. The Alpina crest is reserved for the seats and steering wheel boss inside, and the alloy-wheel hub covers. Otherwise the BMW roundel is the stand-out brand identifier.

Packaging is in the same mould as the 4 Series, with some niceties thrown in. Headroom in the rear is marginal for adults of average height, but entering and leaving the rear is easy enough with a low step height and wide spacing between the front seats and the B pillars. There's no spare in the boot – just a repair kit – so the luggage space is relatively useful for a rear-wheel drive four-seat coupe of this size.

While the centre fascia is a direct lift from the 4 Series, the B4 is trimmed in Merino leather for the seats and the dash, plus piano gloss black lacquer emblazoned with the Alpina corporate logo. There are also Alpina floor mats and the blue-faced instrument dials, which are basically easy to read, although the 100km/h calibration on the speedo is not specifically labelled. According to the car's build plate in the lower section of the centre fascia, we were driving car number 41 in the production run.

Alpina's own multifunction steering wheel features blue and green thread (the former inside the rim on the upper section, the latter in the lower section) in a series stitch that is less of a distraction under the driver's finger tips. Another feature of the steering wheel is its shift buttons in lieu of shift paddles. While it would seem counter-intuitive, these are actually quite easy to use and quickly become second nature. They seem to be better located and easier to find without changing grip on the wheel.

About the only issue encountered with the B4 Bluetooth during its few days in our custody was the part-time connection which needed prompting to stream audio from an already-paired smartphone.

So now BMW has two 4 Series models to offer you, one with great power and a take-no-prisoners attitude. The other – the B4 – provides a similar level of performance, but in a subtler package that's more comfortable and a practical daily driver to boot. Personally, I'd pay the extra...

2016 BMW Alpina B4 Bi-Turbo pricing and specifications:
Price: $160,900 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder twin-turbo petrol
Output: 301kW/600Nm
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Fuel: 7.6L/100km auto (NEDC Combined)
CO2: TBA
Safety Rating: TBA

Also consider:
>> Audi RS5 (from $156,400 plus on-road costs)
>> BMW M4 (from $149,615 plus on-road costs)
>> Mercedes-AMG C 63 (from $162,400 plus on-road costs)