Hartsa

Don't know about B5, but Nick, you have a good taste for avatar pics, I have noted

Hartsa

quad_m

I wonder if it will be offered like the Z8 was in US?
or to import one

hythe

Being a B5 owner, I should probably clear up a few things here...

1. The B5 will NOT be sold in the US, to avoid competition for the M5 - sorry, but you will get the B7, hopefully (next year) and a version of the E70 X5 with the supercharged engine (possibly a 4.8l "H2" variant)

2. The B5 doesn't handle as well as the M5 - I've not yet driven an M5, so I'm not sure, but TBH, my old E60 530iSE with M-Sport suspension had better balance, although not as much outright grip

3. The B5 rides better than any other E60/E61 - it's stiffer, but more smoothly damped, with no run-flats

4. At lower speeds (up to about 120mph), the B5 seems (from all I've heard and read) to have a slight edge in all-out acceleration vs. the M5, while the M5 pulls slightly harder above this speed (all to do with RPM and gearing), until the M5 hits its limiter, of course

5. The B5 has more than 500ps - 520-530 is more like it - careful running in can gain an extra 10PS!

6. If you look at the power and torque curves, it looks suspiciously as if the EMS is being used to peg back the top end (and save BMW's blushes) - a bit of chip tuning is sorely tempting...

7. The B5 is built on the line at Dingolfing - Alpina builds the engines at Buchloe, sends the mechanical parts to Dingolfing, where the car is built on the line as a BMW-Alpina. The finished car is then sent to Buchloe for trimming.

8. You can have the car trimmed however you want - much more flexible than Individual - for instance, mine has Extended Perforated Individual Caramel Merino leather. You simply cannot order that combo in an M5... If you have the cash, and the urge (and hopefully good taste), Alpina can trim the car in a completely bespoke manner - even the window switches can be coated in thin leather.

9. Rarity, people! There are 3 B5 Tourings in the UK, for instance, and the UK is traditionally Alpina's 2nd most important market

10. The big one - the sound. Ever thought the M5 sounds a bit diesel-rattly at times? Nice muted roar at high revs, but good rather than inspiring. The B5's V8 is something else. Even from inside, it sounds lovely - from outside, it's apparently borderline apocalyptic!

P.S. Even in London, I'm averaging 19-20 mpg (imperial) - on a run, I've seen 28 mpg!

wowe

Awesome rewiew of your beast Hythe

gIzzE

This is really important as well!

I get 28.2mpg from my DMS'd 535d sport touring, I could get 32mpg if I took it easy I guess but I can't be bothered to think about that when driving. I was considering the M5 touring when it is released, however I got 11mpg from the saloon on my test and even after resetting the OBC on the way home I only managed 15mpg and that was taking it easy!

I know a few of the guys who only get 8mpg round London, so 19mpg is very impressive.

If a B5 touring turns up in Alpina Blue with the Cognac leather I would be tempted to have a bash with it, as an everyday car, especially in Touring form, it makes far more sense than the M5, all that torque has got to beat having to rev the nuts off it all the time like in the M5.

It is almost the perfect sensible car.

hythe

I think Sytner just sold their blue demo car. I think there are only three cars still in the country, so not much likelihood of picking one up 2nd hand. If you want one, you'd have to buy new...

Still, I happen to know that Sytner have committed to taking a certain number of cars over the life-cycle, and are well below the necessary run-rate, so they might even offer a small discount if you play hardball!

BTW, 19mpg is my average, which is mostly but not entirely London traffic. London-only is probably 14-16mpg, I'd estimate - about the same as my 840Ci.

gIzzE

Yeah but it beats the 8 or 9mpg that the London M5 owners are moaning about on bm3w.co.uk !


I keep looking at what their demo car is colour wise, if they suddenly got one with this interior I would be tempted.....



I went onto the Alpina stand at Geneva and was really disapointed with the colours they had chosen, all grey and dowdy, looked more like a basic 5 series, very boring and cold feeling.

Alpina has to be different and luxurious, would you have specced yours with a grey leather, dash and carpets!? I can't see anyone choosing that, so it makes me wonder why Sytner keep choosing it for their demos?

hythe

Ah, now that one (#001, the Frankfurt Show car, I believe) was a special job by Alpina, that you'd have to order. I've ridden in its saloon sister, with almost the same interior - lovely, though perhaps not to all tastes with the 2-tone leather/alcantara mix. I believe one B5 saloon owner on m5board.com has his to the same spec.

Sytner will never order a demo car with the bespoke Alpina interior, because nobody will ever pay much (if anything) above list for a demo car...

gIzzE

But I have seen the pics of your Caramel interior and it looks so much nicer than the grey! You know it is something special when you see it, I am not saying spend another ?10k on the bespoke interior, but at least choose something you can't get in a BMW.

hythe

Mine was an Individual interior (my car qualifies, unusually, as both an Individual and an Alpina) - with the Individual paint, it came to a little over ?3k, as I recall.