Alpina B3 GT Touring review

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‘Last of the last’ offering marks the end for Alpina as we have known it

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In 2025 we'll subject around 100 cars to full and exacting road test scrutiny at Horiba MIRA proving ground, and for some manufacturers it will be the very first time. However, for one much-loved marque, we can say for sure that the reverse will be true.

In December, Alpina – formally Alpina Burkard Bovensiepen GmbH + Co KG – will cease to exist as ownership of the brand name transfers to the BMW Group and the workshops in Buchloe cease to make contemporary BMW-based creations.

In what precise direction BMW chooses to take the Alpina brand will become apparent in due course, but what is certain is that the Alpina as we have always known it will be consigned to the past, and that change is coming.

It means this is the final year of production in the Bovensiepen era, and to mark that fact, three special-edition, GT-badged cars have been launched. One is the all-new Alpina B3 GT Touring tested here, while similar treatment is also being given to the lesser-spotted B4 Gran Coupé. The upcoming Alpina B8 GT also promises to be truly spectacular reserves of power and torque – and a price to match.

We may get the chance to attach the telemetry gear to the B8 GT, but it isn’t guaranteed, and so this test of the Alpina B3 GT Touring could be our last road test of what will surely come to be known as ‘proper’ Alpinas.

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DESIGN & STYLING

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Alpina B3 GT review 2025 002 rear cornering

Alpina’s GT-specific alterations to the regular, recently discontinued B3 recipe are small but effective – at least when it comes to performance.

At the heart of the car sits the same lightly fettled version of the 3.0-litre S58 straight six from the BMW M3 Competition, although this time it’s more powerful than ever. This generation of B3 made its debut in 2020 with 456bhp, and that was increased for the mid-life update in 2022. For this final iteration, power swells again to 522bhp and would probably be greater still were there not a long-standing agreement that Alpina won’t out-box the equivalent BMW. The company doesn’t half run it close, mind: the updated M3, including the Touring, has 523bhp.

There is no such arrangement when it comes to torque, and the B3 GT’s 538lb ft is a simply monumental figure for a mere 3 Series and runs close the 553lb ft of even the old V8-engined BMW M5 CS. It’s also a figure that sits near the S58’s reliable limit, judging by the fact that the 2022 B3 made 529lb ft. Where the GT improves matters is beyond 5500rpm. Here the extra power makes itself known and higher torque levels linger.

The driveline is still an enhanced version of the xDrive found in the M340i, which is the basis of the B3. Alpina shifts the default torque split forward for greater stability and all-season traction. The gearbox is a ZF-sourced automatic that borrows parts from V8 applications, so it can cope with the onslaught of torque. The regular B3’s plethora of additional radiators and cooling tracts is unchanged for the GT, as is the surprisingly modest contact patch, via ALP-marked Pirelli rubber. The 265-section rear tyres on the Alpina are narrower than the M3’s fronts.

Note also that where an M3 Touring employs a staggered set-up for more natural adjustability, the B3 uses 20in wheels at each end.

Elsewhere, Alpina has beefed up the car’s rear anti-roll bar and tweaked the EPAS calibration. Both measures have been taken to make the B3 keener to turn in to bends. New and attractive dome-to-bulkhead struts have also been fitted to increase the car’s natural precision and agility, and there is a new, GT-specific damper set-up, although Alpina says this is more to guarantee comfort is retained. Like every Alpina in recent times, the B3 GT has a special Comfort Plus damper mode, which is something you won’t find in an M3 or M340i.

As for how you identify a B3 GT, the giveaways are the forged wheels and the presence of canards on the front bumper. Yes, canards, on an Alpina. Before this recent raft of GT-badged wares, downforce-enhancing canards haven’t been seen on an Alpina since the E92-based – and commendably hardcore – B3 GT3. Necessary? Debatable. Then again, the GT is a 190mph car, and it all helps. Alpina has also reprofiled the rear diffuser.

One area in which we might have expected improvement is weight. The GT’s 1910kg (with a full tank) makes it 30kg heavier than the regular B3 we weighed in 2020 and 40kg heavier than claimed. That’s no disgrace, and on paper the M3 Touring is only 5kg lighter. But given the presence of canards and forged wheels (each 4kg lighter than standard), sub-1900kg was expected. 

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INTERIOR

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Alpina B3 GT review 2025 005 dash

It was during the wider update of the 3 Series range in 2022 that the B3 adopted the broad, vivid displays now found in the GT. They could hardly be sharper, although some testers missed the presence of an instrument cowling and that traditional cockpit feel. Nonetheless, Alpina’s digital ‘skin’ for the dials is attractive and helps differentiate the car from its donor.

The GT gets the flat-bottomed, thick-rimmed wheel of the updated 3 Series, but it is as ever trimmed in ultra-soft Lavalina leather. As standard, the seats are half-trimmed in ‘PerformTex’, but this car has full merino leather in ‘Tartufo’ – a £3800 option that feels adequately special. Note that full Lavalina trim is unavailable as the saddlery at Buchloe can’t meet demand.

Elsewhere, the GT gets bronzed gearshift paddles and an artful carbonfibre moulding across the dash, as well as offset ‘GT’ logos stitched into the headrest. It’s a typically rarefied Alpina interior – one that feels as if it should belong in a 5 or 7 Series but has somehow been made available in a mere 3 Series. Alpina might, however, have found a way to offer the M3’s wild buckets.

ENGINES & PERFORMANCE

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Alpina B3 GT review 2025 024 engine

Sending the B3 beyond the 500bhp barrier was always going to result in a very quick car. What we weren’t prepared for is just how quick.

The claimed 0-62mph for the B3 GT Touring is already a scant 3.5sec (the saloon is rated at 3.4sec), and our test car went a tenth better. With launch control the getaway is viciously clean, and thereafter the powertrain initiates something of a pile-on, taking your breath away with its muscle as torque grips nearly two tonnes of metal and leather. We reached 100mph after just 7.4sec, making this lavish family estate a mere tenth slower than an M4 CSL to triple figures. The difference, of course, is that a B3 will put its vast reserves to work in nearly all conditions, whereas something like the CSL needs conditions to be close to optimal.

Indeed, it’s the B3’s ability to go from mooching around serenely to rattling off an overtake a Porsche 911 Turbo would be proud of that leaves you in awe of the thing. It is perfectly easy to drive in everyday use – and for the GT, Alpina even seems to have mollified the slight spasm of torque you would sometimes get under light throttle loads in previous iterations of the B3. Gearshifts are excellent without being an event in themselves (a dual-clutch unit would be required for that to be true), and the mapping is sensible. There is rarely if ever a point at which you can’t get the car to accelerate how you want it to.

There’s also genuine forced-induction character to this Alpina-tuned S58. Not just in the way the rate of acceleration markedly kicks up from about 2000rpm (delightfully old-school, this), but in the various pneumatic exertions you can hear. There’s a lot going on.

As for braking, Alpina doesn’t offer carbon-ceramic discs because Andreas Bovensiepen isn’t a fan of them for road car applications, but the effectiveness of the GT’s standard-fit ‘high-performance’ brake kit isn’t in question. However, a little more bite and resistance in the pedal action would yield more confidence. Slowing the car down often requires 10% more commitment than expected, which just interrupts your flow a touch.

RIDE & HANDLING

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Alpina B3 GT review 2025 029 front pan

Were you to drive the GT back to back with the regular B3, we have no doubt the precision of the special-edition car would be palpable. However, in isolation there isn’t quite enough to differentiate the two.

This is mostly down to the steering, of which there is nothing untoward in terms of the speed of the rack and weight of the action – both are sweetly judged – but there remains a slight remoteness and lack of communication that might have been improved on. The GT tracks into corners faithfully and accurately, but your exit is generally a more enjoyable and carefree exercise than entry, and this is particularly true in the wet. By comparison, an M3 Touring bites hungrily and vividly on turn-in.

Ultimately it’s a minor flaw. A tiny blot on an otherwise spotless copybook. The B3 GT has a degree of compliance rare and perhaps unique among cars that will crack 60mph in 3.3sec, yet its suspension has breadth enough to cope with barrelling down a tawdry B-road without losing control of the body, if you select Sport Plus mode. There is a discernible polish to its manner.

The car also has a duality that means it will respond to heavy-handed inputs on a damp road with total traction and stability, yet it will indulge more careful drivers with delicious slithers of yaw and a natural adjustability. The GT also thrives in inclement weather, and is very much the everyday supercar.

Moreover, if the GT is as fast as an M3 in its point-to-point pace, long-distance comfort is superior to that of an M340i fitted with its M Sport springs. Alpina could have chosen to sacrifice a little rolling refinement for dynamic bite with this special edition, but most owners will probably be glad it didn’t. GT or not, in a B3, 500-mile days remain straightforward fare.

MPG & RUNNING COSTS

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Alpina B3 GT review 2025 027 front cornering Richard Lane

The B3 has advanced somewhat from the £67k proposition it was in 2020. At £90k, the GT is a little more expensive than even the M3 Touring, and it’s a good £11k more than the standard B3, a car facelifted in 2022, was. It’s also the only B3 you can now buy from new.

Equally, the forged wheels, dark tailpipes and high-performance brakes are standard on the GT but were pricey options on the regular car, so the uplift in price isn’t that large in reality. It will be rare too: expect fewer than 100 UK cars. And residuals an M3 couldn’t dream of.

 

VERDICT

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Alpina B3 GT review 2025 022 badge

‘Fitness for purpose’: it’s the criterion that underpins every Autocar test verdict, and it’s a quality that Alpina’s take on the 3 Series continues to nail.

The B3 GT is an expensive extravagance and ballistically quick, but its ease of use, versatility and quiet specialness will make it a joy to own whether or not you tap into its epic reserves of all-weather, point-to-point pace.

It is the marriage of that pace with comfort and stability that has always defined the B3, and so while we might have liked a touch more dynamic bite in the GT, we can understand Alpina’s decision to prioritise balance to the last.

Richard Lane

Richard Lane, Autocar
Title: Deputy road test editor

Richard joined Autocar in 2017 and like all road testers is typically found either behind a keyboard or steering wheel (or, these days, a yoke).

As deputy road test editor he delivers in-depth road tests and performance benchmarking, plus feature-length comparison stories between rival cars. He can also be found presenting on Autocar's YouTube channel.

Mostly interested in how cars feel on the road – the sensations and emotions they can evoke – Richard drives around 150 newly launched makes and models every year. His job is then to put the reader firmly in the driver's seat.