Alpina has revealed that the 328bhp, 516lb ft performance version of the X3 called the Alpina XD3, will cost from £57,900 - £5445 more than the xDrive M40d.
Revealed at the Geneva motor show earlier this year, the XD3 has 2bhp more than M-performance's diesel-engined X3 M40d, and a torque advantage of 14lb ft over BMW’s fastest diesel X3 means the XD3’s acceleration from 0-62mph takes 4.7sec compared with the M40i’s 4.9sec. The M40d’s top speed is limited to 155mph, where the XD3 can reach 158mph.
Powering the XD3 is a twin-turbo version of BMW’s 2993cc six-cylinder diesel engine, with maximum power available from 4000-4600rpm. Power is transmitted to all four wheels through a tweaked version of BMW’s xDrive system, with a ZF eight-speed Alpine Switch-Tronic automatic gearbox handling shifts, and buttons on the steering wheel allowing the driver to perform gear changes.
European-spec XD3s get quad-turbos which hike the power to 383bhp and torque to 568lb ft, trimming the 0-62mph to 4.6sec and upping the top speed to 165mph. This format is only available on left-hand drive cars, however.
The previous XD3 was 2mph slower than the current car, and 0.2sec slower to 62mph, although fuel economy has taken a dip for this generation - 31.4mpg versus the old car’s 42.8mpg. Alpina says that the new, more rigorous WLTP test cycle is to blame for this. CO2 emissions have risen from 174g/km to 238g/km. Alpina claims that the two cars can return similar fuel economies, despite the different figures.
On the outside, the car is distinguished by Alpina’s typical suite of styling upgrades, including chrome-tipped quad exhausts, Alpina badging at the front and rear and multi-spoke alloys that are 20in as standard, with 22in wheels optional.
Pricing rises slightly over the last car's £56,450 to around £57,900, although the brand says that the new car is higher spec than before. First deliveries are scheduled for January 2019 for UK customers. The last XD3 got a run of 150 units, with 14 making it onto UK roads. This time around, 12 will be brought to the UK per year. The previous-generation XD3 sold out for the year by April in the UK.
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Alpina XD3 review
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This Deisel issue...
why are BMW and the like still insisting on Deisels?, most of BMW Range are Deisel powered, you’d think Petrol was the social pariah!, will they ditch Deisel in the next five years?
All that work, all that design
Confused
So it costs £5445 more than the M40d, which isn't for sale in this country and thus doesn't have a UK list price. The power and torque figures are then compared with the M40d, which you say results in an acceleration advantage over the M40i, which is petrol engined. Can we have some consistency please? Essentially this car doesn't have a diesel competitor from BMW in the UK, which makes it quite a bit more attractive (if you still diesel), albeit at a price.