Dressed to impress

If you’d like a car with understated presence hiding a vast amount of performance, the B4 Biturbo is for you, writes Jack Evans

Alpina has a long-standing reputation for taking all the key cars from BMW’s line-up and tweaking them in special ways.

With the B4 Biturbo, the German tuning company has brought in a BMW 435i convertible, taken away the standard single turbocharger and replaced it with two instead. This results in a car which produces an amount of power within striking distance of a BMW M4 Cabrio but with more torque.

Of course, the car also gets Alpina’s styling tweaks. Alpinas have always been able to manage the look of a car that is understated, but shows sporting intent too.

The B4 Biturbo convertible continues this.

The large multi-spoke wheels finish the exterior look, and a ducktail spoiler at the rear looks the part too.

Inside, it’ll be familiar to anyone who has driven a current-generation 3 Series. BMW’s excellent infotainment system remains, controlled by the i-drive rotary selector in the centre of the car.

Blue and green stitching is used throughout, while a numbered metal plaque makes you fully aware – if you weren’t already – that you’re driving something a little bit special. Despite having seating for four, the B4 Convertible – much like the BMW car on which it is based – can never claim to be a fully-fledged four-seater, rather a 2+2.

The rear seats would be fine for children, but for longer trips, adults are going to find it a bit of a squeeze. Up front there’s plenty of room.

However, the roof does affect practicality somewhat. If you’d like to fold it away, you have to first lower the luggage cover in the boot, heavily compromising the area’s space. It’s a small thing, but users looking to have the roof lowered frequently may find it annoying. There’s no question about it, the B4 Biturbo is a quick car. Putting out 410bhp and 600Nm torque, it’s able to reach 62mph in 4.5 seconds and won’t stop until it reaches 187mph.

The B4 Biturbo is easy to drive quickly, with the vast amount of torque on offer making any change of pace quick and effortless. It also means the car is relaxing to drive on the motorway too. The B4 Biturbo starts at £62,950. Our test car, fitted with options such as adaptive headlights and Merino leather, came in at a hefty £72,010.

Make no mistake, this Alpina is not a cheap car. For that money though, you get a level of subtleness hard to describe.

When you also take into account the bespoke nature of the suspension and powertrain, as well as the interior, then it begins to look like good value.