BMWCAR_0408_D3BiTurbo.pdf
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THE ULTIMATE BMW MAGAZINE
APRIL 2008 £4.35
ALPINA’S DIESEL
DEMON
Jaw-dropping D3 Bi-Turbo:
150mph, 214hp, 50mpg!
Plus:
●
New 520d tested
●
Super Six: Alpina B6S
●
Supercharged E46 M3
●
Ultimate Guide: E90 3 Series
LIGHTWEIGHT M3
Super-rare 3.0-litre driven
SIX APPEAL
Original M meets new 635d
2800 CS RACER
Gorgeous road-legal classic
The Third
Dimension
If you thought Alpina’s two previous diesels
were good wait ’till you drive its third foray into
the dark side – the D3 Bi-Turbo is a brilliant steer
Words: Bob Harper Photography: Dave Smith
50 BMW
car
ALPINA
D3
BI-TURBO
APRIL 2008
51
T
his should not be happening. I’m sitting in the outside lane of
the autobahn and the speedo needle is sweeping round its
upper echelons… 240, 241, 242, 243 until we see an
indicated 248km/h before having to back off for a lumbering
leviathon up ahead. A simple mental divide by eight and
times by five calculation makes that an indicated 155mph. In an
automatic 2.0-litre diesel! While the outright speed is impressive, it was
the way it got there that left the deepest impact. Extracting the last 10
or 20mph usually takes ages as the car’s snout does battle with the
forces of aerodynamics, but in this Alpina D3 Bi-Turbo it really didn’t
seem to take long at all.
Ever since Alpina turned manufacturer in 1983, it has carved itself a
reputation for providing customers with bespoke and exclusive BMW-
based machinery, and during that time has even produced several
models that have eclipsed the M department in terms of horsepower
and performance. In the last few years though, there’s been a shift in
emphasis at Alpina – increasingly high development charges have
meant that it’s becoming ever harder to swallow those costs given the
relatively small numbers of machines produced. So in 2006, the 3
Series saloon-based D3 arrived, a 200hp development of the 320d
with Alpina wheels, styling, suspension and, most importantly, serious
grunt with little penalty in the way of emissions or economy. Alpina
conservatively reckoned on selling four cars a month in the UK, but in
2006-7 nearly 450 examples found homes in the UK – almost a
quarter of all Alpinas sold in the UK over the last 15 years!
Having established that there’s definitely a market for a (relatively)
cheap diesel Alpina, the company has turned its hand to tweaking the
new twin-turbo four-cylinder lump from the 123d to create the Alpina
D3 Bi-Turbo Coupé. From what we can glean, it looks like BMW may
not mate its excellent twin-turbo four-cylinder with the E90 generation
of Threes to produce a 323d, as in Germany there’s a marked
hierarchy to the company car structure and the less powerful six-
cylinder 325d does very well with middle management. It simply
wouldn’t do to unleash a more potent four-cylinder diesel for the lower
orders, thus Alpina should have a free rein with the D3 Bi-Turbo.
Vital stats are 214hp at 4100rpm and 332lb ft of torque available
between 2000-2500rpm – gains of 10hp and 37lb ft over the 123d.
Performance is astounding for a 2.0-litre diesel, with 0-62mph taking
just 6.9 seconds (both manual and auto) while a top speed of
152mph is, as I’ve discovered, most un-diesel-like. The engine’s
assembled at BMW’s Steyr diesel plant in Austria and, unlike the single
turbo D3, it’s virtually identical to the BMW unit bar different con rods
and big ends to cope with the additional torque. The previous D3 unit
utilised a different intercooler, bigger injectors and a bespoke
turbocharger but as, according to Alpina’s Kris Odwarka, the unit in the
123d is already fairly “maxed out” there wasn’t all that much that
Alpina could do to change the Bi-Turbo’s hardware to extract additional
oomph. Bespoke Alpina software and a Boysen exhaust (minus any
rear silencer) release the additional power and torque, while a bigger
radiator helps with cooling, but the real depth of this unit is in its
powerband. And that’s what Alpina was really after, a unit which could
produce excellent numbers but was hugely flexible in the real world,
which would lead to greater driver enjoyment. At 1200rpm it produces
more torque than BMW’s original 320d did at its peak, and Alpina
claim it’ll pull cleanly and strongly all the way to its 5200rpm red line.
This is confirmed on the road, with the D3 Bi-Turbo accelerating
hard in just about any gear anywhere in the rev range. A glance at the
torque curve shows that the D3 develops more twist from just under
1400rpm than the new V8 M3 can muster at its peak, so it’s no
wonder it feels rapid. It’s ability to haul itself so unrelentingly and
without any let up in its delivery all the way to its 5200rpm peak is
deeply impressive, and that blast up the autobahn demonstrates that
it’ll hit its maximum speed without breaking into a sweat.
Straight line speed is all very well, but not if it comes at the expense
of economy and emissions. Consider, then, that the D3 has an overall
economy of 52.3mpg (nearly five mpg better than a 325d) and an
emissions figure of just 143g/km (12 better than the 325d) and it’s
stacking up as a hugely desirable company car, should you have a fleet
manager who’s willing to break from the BMW norm. And remember
the D3 Bi-Turbo has more power, torque and better performance, too.
Alpina’s always managed to blend its performance with a supple yet
rewarding chassis and in the D3 Bi-Turbo it also manages to break free
from the 3 Series’
bête noire
– its dodgy ride in M Sport spec. The
D3’s suspension was honed by Andy Bovensiepen and a semi-retired
ex-BMW suspension guru who together experimented with literally
52 BMW
car
ALPINA
D3
BI-TURBO
Left: yes, it’s a diesel, and
yes, it’ll rev to over 5000rpm.
Switch-Tronic controls work
well. Right: UK interior should
be pretty well specced
It’s the suspension that blows me away, no matter
how many of Alpina’s machines I drive
APRIL 2008
53
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