Alpina Automobiles Australia has brought in the B5 Bi-Turbo, the factory modified sports saloon that’s based on the G30 5-Series from BMW, bringing their total locally-available count of models to four.
Most closely related to the M550i, the B5 Bi-Turbo, like nearly all products to emerge from Alpina’s handmade production, can be loosely considered as a more sophisticated, comfort-oriented alternative to products from BMW’s own M division.
Now operating under the Autosports Group, Alpina Australia’s new super saloon addition slides in at $210,000, a substantial $30,000 less than what the figure was expected to be prior to the car’s launch, puts it awfully close to the new and equally all-wheel driven M5. Unfortunately, there’s no word yet about the arrival of the B5 Touring (wagon).
Alpina proper only produces a limited number of cars each year, which given their history and relationship with BMW, each chassis designated to become an Alpina emerges from the Munich production line with its brand-specific VIN.
As such, the number of units allocatable to the Australian market will be limited to say the least and will typically be carried out through a per-order basis. Once placed, with all the requisite customisation options selected, it will take roughly 4-5 months for the car to be delivered.
Thrust for each B5 Bi-Turbo, as opposed to the diesel-powered D5 S, is supplied by a 4.4-litre N63 twin-turbocharged V8 engine that produces 447kW and 800Nm which, by both metrics, outgun the most recent F90 M5. That said, the Alpina is slightly heavier.
An 8-speed automatic transmission is responsible for transmitting power to the all-wheel drive system, a tweaked version of BMW’s own xDrive. The 0-100km/h dash is accomplished in a quoted supercar-beating 3.5 seconds while top speed stands at 330km/h.
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