In a Frankfurt Motor Show dominated by electrified proposals (if you don't believe it, take a look at this page), we couldn't help but be pleased to find there the Alpine B3 Touring , the small German manufacturer's answer to the lack of a BMW M3 Touring.
It's just that under the bonnet of this rushed van (a “younger sister” of the colossal B5 Bi-Turbo Touring in the end), we don't find hybrid systems or electric motors, but a good old six-cylinder in-line gasoline with 3.0 l of capacity, “only” aided by a pair of turbos.
The target of some improvements by Alpina (turbos, a new engine management software and a new cooling system), this block started to charge 462 hp and 700 Nm of torque (To give you an idea, the sportiest of the Series 3 Touring, the M340i xDrive is at 374 hp).
Ground connections have also been improved.
Passing all 462 hp to the ground we find the xDrive all-wheel-drive system, which in this case is further aided by a BMW self-locking differential, both of which have been improved in order to handle the increased power. What was also the target of improvements was the ZF eight-speed automatic transmission, which became faster.
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Also in terms of connections to the ground, the B3 Touring also received improvements in terms of suspension, starting to count on adaptive shock absorbers. As might be expected, the changes also extended to aesthetics, with the B3 Touring receiving a more aggressive body kit, quad exhausts and traditional Alpine wheels (19” or 20”).
With the opening of orders scheduled for the beginning of next year, it is only in the summer that the first units should be delivered, with no prices yet. Interestingly, Alpina decided to unveil the B3 Touring before the sedan version of the B3 — will there be more demand for the van?