BMW Alpina B3 Touring review

The BMW Alpina B3 Touring looks almost identical to the car it's based on, but that appearance is deceptive – in a good way. Tuning company Alpina has taken the already accomplished BMW 3 Series Touring M340i xDrive and added a spoonful of spice to it.

Or perhaps two heaped spoonfuls of spice. The B3 Touring even has enough punch to step on the toes of the estate car version of the very athletic BMW M3 and its rival, the Audi RS4 Avant. So, why would you choose the Alpina over one of those? Well, it's attractive for a few reasons.

First of all, there’s the exclusivity – it’s highly unlikely you’ll find another one in a car park. Then there’s its blend of long-distance comfort and blistering performance. If the hardcore ride of BMW's M performance cars makes you wince, Alpina’s set-up might be a better fit for your commute. 

Finally, the B3 Touring conversion is much more understated to look at than an M car. Alpina has sprinkled it with a few subtle touches to distinguish it from a standard 3 Series, but the bodywork remains largely the same.

This review will tell you how the BMW Alpina B3 Touring stacks up against other performance-focused estate cars in terms of handling, interior quality, practicality and running costs.

The engine in the Alpina B3 Touring is the same as the 3.0-litre petrol you’ll find in the BMW 3 Series Touring M340i, but with the power output turned up from 369bhp to 488bhp.

That’s enough for a 0-62mph time of just 3.7 seconds, beating the Audi RS4 Avant and pretty much matching the BMW M3 Touring.

It offers much more than just those headline figures, though. With lots of mid-range muscle, it’s effortlessly flexible and revs keenly all the way to the red line, enabling the B3 to cover ground effortlessly. That's accompanied by an exhaust note that’s loud enough without being antisocial. 

As with the standard 3 Series Touring the B3’s slick-shifting eight-speed automatic gearbox is excellent, usually making the right call whether to shift down a gear or stick with the selected one. Power is sent through all four wheels, for strong traction with little fuss or drama, even in wet conditions. 

The effortlessness extends to the way the car behaves when cornering, with minimal body lean and plenty of grip. Four-wheel drive and a rear limited-slip differential minimises wheelspin when accelerating out of corners. As a result, the B3 isn’t as playful as the M3, but it’s reassuring that it doesn’t struggle to deploy all that power.

The brakes are effective at shedding speed, although the initial response from the pedal can be a little too sharp in low-speed traffic. Unless you’re quite delicate with the pedal, it can be a little tricky to stop smoothly.

The B3’s sports suspension is a bit firmer than that of the M340i it’s based on, and occupants will bounce over bigger potholes with sharp ridges, but the ride rounds off most bumps nicely.

There's some vibration through the steering wheel at low speeds and road noise on motorways, but wind noise is minimal and refinement levels are generally high, making the B3 an accomplished long-distance cruiser.

The interior of the Alpina B3 Touring is almost identical to that of the standard BMW 3 Series Touring. That means it’s easy to find a comfortable driving position, with electrically-adjustable seats that hold you in place and support you comfortably over long journeys. Unfortunately, it also means electric lumbar support is an optional extra.

The dashboard layout remains excellent, although the ventilation controls are not as easy to use as they could be. Visibility remains just as high as in the 3 Series, despite the low seating position, helped by the slim front windscreen pillars. You get a rear-view camera, and front and rear parking sensors as standard to help out when manoeuvring.  

The dials on the digital cockpit screen could be easier to read, although the bolder font used by Alpina on some of the readouts is easier to see at a glance, and you can opt for a head-up display to keep your eyes on the road. The Alpina logo in the centre of the screen and the blue background colour are neat touches.

Elsewhere, you’ll find Alpina badging on the steering wheel, a numbered plaque on the centre console and logos on the seats. If you find all that too subtle, you can select blue leather upholstery and carbon-fibre dash finishers.

Infotainment wise, the B3 has the same pin-sharp 10.3in infotainment system as you get in the 3 Series. It reacts quickly to your prods, but you also get a physical rotary controller that allows you to select and scroll through menus accurately.

Unfortunately – as with the 3 Series – physical knobs and dials for adjusting the climate control have been replaced by virtual ones in the infotainment screen. That makes them harder to use while you're driving.

There’s plenty of space in the front of the Alpina B3 Touring, with a generous amount of length, width and height for tall occupants.

Tall passengers in the back will find that leg room is tight if somebody tall is sitting in front of them, and there isn’t a lot of space for feet beneath the front seats. The large transmission tunnel makes life tricky for a third rear passenger. Head room is adequate, but the optional panoramic roof will reduce what’s available slightly.

The Touring does have a bigger boot than the saloon, but its shape isn’t as uniform as it is in some estate cars and wider items might be tricky to accommodate. Its wide-opening tailgate makes it easier to get bulky things in than the saloon’s narrow boot aperture, and the way the rear window opens independently of the tailgate makes access easier when space is tight.

The back seats split 40/20/40 and fold down, allowing the boot to take longer items and passengers at the same time. Check out our review of the BMW 3 Series Touring for more on the B3 Touring's practicality.

The Alpina B3 Touring’s exclusivity comes at a cost – it’s a lot more expensive than not only the M340i BMW 3 Series Touring it’s based on, but also the BMW M3 Touring and all but the most expensive Audi RS4 Avant. 

Still, that money buys you exclusivity and towering performance, and if you’re up for spending even more, you can make it truly sumptuous with upgraded leather.

You’ll keep on spending if you want to drive it properly, too: officially, it returns 28.5mpg, which is competitive with the RS4 and M3 Touring, but you’ll see much lower figures if you make full use of the performance. The B3’s 229g/km CO2 emissions figure places it in the highest company car tax band, but then this is a car you buy for personal fulfilment, not to keep a fleet manager happy.

You get a generous amount of kit as standard, but the ease with which you could add another £20,000 worth of options is quite eye-opening.

Pretty soon, you could have racked up a total price that eclipses an M3 xDrive saloon or even the V8-powered BMW 5 Series M550i xDrive saloon. In fact, at this price point, you’re not far from the larger and quicker Audi RS6 Avant.

The standard 3 Series achieved the full five-star safety rating when it was tested by Euro NCAP and standard equipment includes automatic emergency braking (AEB), lane-departure warning and a roster of airbags.

For all the latest reviews, advice and new car deals, sign up to the What Car? newsletter here