The new Alpina B4 Gran Coupe has more power than a BMW M4

The new Alpina B4 Gran Coupe is a rather big deal. It’s the first car that the stupendously-cool German tuner has unveiled since the news broke that it’d been bought out by the BMW Group.

Happily though, the ownership announcement a few weeks back stated that the current process – cars pre-assembled on BMW production lines before being sent to Buchloe for Alpina mods – will continue until the end of 2025, and the B4 Gran Coupe looks like it follows the original Alpina recipe to a tee. 

The styling changes are subtle, with the classic 20-spoke Alpina wheels paired new spoilers front and rear, some traditional graphics and a fresh rear diffuser. That rear three-quarter is a particularly good angle, isn’t it?

The engine is based on the twin-turbo 3.0-litre straight-six S58 unit that’s found in the M4. However, like in the 3 Series-based B3 and B3 Touring, Alpina fits it with new air intakes, a high-performance cooling system and smaller turbos that work better at lower revs. In the B3 the result is 462bhp, but a fancy new exhaust system means that the B4 GC is putting out 488bhp and a huge 538lb ft of torque. That’s more power than a standard M4 (480bhp) and more torque than an M4 Competition (479lb ft). Lovely. 

There’s rear-biased four-wheel drive and the eight-speed auto gearbox has been beefed-up to deal with the extra poke. Alpina claims 0-62mph can be dealt with in 3.7 seconds, while top speed is up to 187mph.

There’s new Alpina sport suspension with bespoke springs and dampers, but don’t expect M4 levels of harshness. Alpina reckons on ‘lots of comfort for relaxed touring’. That interior looks rather comfortable too. Apparently customers can spec pretty much any colour of leather, while a special little plaque lets occupants know you’ve spent upwards of €91,800 (£77,500) on your modified four-door coupe. 

What do we think, folks?