- Facelifted Alpina B3 and B4 renamed B3 GT and B4 GT
- Alpina-tuned inline-six engine now makes 522 hp, just 1 hp less than the facelifted M3 and M4, but with more torque
- B4 gets facelifted 4-Series Gran Coupe’s LED lights, B3 gains forged 20-inch wheels
When BMW facelifts a car you can be sure that Alpina won’t waste time upgrading its own versions of those same vehicles, and hot on the heels of the refreshed 3- and 4-Series sedans come the new Alpina B3 and B4 GT.
The ‘GT’ tag is new, but it’s one Alpina used last year for run-out editions of the old 5-Series-based B5. In this case, though, the B3 and B4 GT are regular Alpina production models, though they do bring some significant changes over the plain B3 and B4 they replace.
Related: Is The BMW M3 Touring A Better Performance Wagon Than The Alpina B3 Touring?
One of those upgrades relates to the S58 twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter inline six (the same engine as the M3/M4), which receives a 34 hp (35 PS) power hike over the standard B3 and B4, taking it to 522 hp (529 PS / 389 kW). With Alpina now owned by BMW, it can’t be a coincidence that the parent company’s own hot 3- and 4-Series cars, the M3 and M4, are rated at 523 hp (530 PS / 390 kW) in their top-performing guise following their recent mid-life boost – 1 horsepower higher – preserving their status as top dogs.
The Alpinas make more torque, however, pushing out the same 538 lb-ft (730 Nm) as before, and maintaining an edge over the 479 lb-ft (650 Nm) BMWs.
Those extra horses make each of the three all-wheel drive GTs 0.2 seconds quicker to 62 mph (100 kmh) than the cars they replace, the B3 GT sedan now getting there in 3.4 seconds, a tenth quicker than the M3 Competition xDrive, which takes the same 3.5 seconds as the B3 GT wagon and B4 GT Gran Coupe.
Keep the pedal pinned and the advantage versus the old B cars grows to as much as a full second by the time the new trio has hit 124 mph (200 km/h), and they all gain a couple of mph at the top end. The B3 GT sedan again takes the win, hitting 191 mph (308 km/h), with the remaining pair clocking 190 mph (305 km/h).
Chassis upgrades include a bigger rear anti-roll bar and revised shocks on the B3s, and new shocks, reinforced front suspension mounts, and a new tune for the steering and electronically-controlled rear LSD on the B4.
All models now come with small motorsport-style canards and a splitter on the front end, a new gloss black diffuser, and black tailpipes at the rear end, the B4 inherits the facelifted M4’s updated headlights and the trick 3D rear lights originally seen on the M4 CSL, and the B3 now rolls on the 20-inch forged wheels previously reserved for the B4.
