Alpina’s new flagship is a torquier, more elegant and yet cheaper alternative to the BMW M8 Competition it’s related to.
The 2021 Alpina B8 Gran Coupe is launching in Australia in July, priced at $322,900 before on-road costs.
Packed under the bonnet is a 4.4-litre twin-turbo V8 engine producing 457kW of power and 800Nm of torque, or 3kW less power but 50Nm more torque than the M8 Competition.
A unique suspension tune developed by Alpina aims to “provide greater vehicle stability” to “guarantee balanced suspension characteristics”.
Exterior differences over an 8 Series include larger front air intakes, rear spoiler lip, rear black diffuser and quad exhaust tips.
Two Alpina-exclusive ‘hero’ colours are available including metallic Alpina Blue and metallic Alpina Green. Other BMW colours may be optioned.
Inside, Alpina builds on the 8 Series cabin with extra touches such as illuminated door sills, crystal glass shifter and iDrive controller, and optional Lavalina leather upholstery.
While the two are similar in power and torque figures, the Alpina is the cheaper alternative.
A BMW M8 Competition Gran Coupe rings in at $354,900 before on-road costs, or $32,000 more.
With the introduction of the B8, Alpina now has a rival for the Mercedes-AMG GT63 S 4-Door Coupe. It’s priced at $363,700 before on-roads.
Pricing
- 2021 Alpina B8 Gran Coupe: $322,900
All prices exclude on-road costs.
Engines
The 2021 Alpina B8 Gran Coupe is powered by a 4.4-litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine which produces 457kW of power and 800Nm of torque.
The V8 is paired to an eight-speed automatic transmission and puts power to the ground via a rear-biased all-wheel drive system.
With all that power and grip, the Alpina B8 Gran Coupe can accelerate from 0-100km/h in a claimed 3.4 seconds.
Fuel Economy
The 2021 Alpina B8 Gran Coupe has a combined fuel consumption of 11.9L/100km, albeit on the WLTP standard. We’ll update this when an ADR combined figure is available.
The B8 Gran Coupe runs on 98RON premium unleaded fuel.
Dimensions
The 2021 Alpina B8 Gran Coupe is 5092mm long, 1932mm wide and 1428mm tall, on a 3023mm wheelbase.
Servicing and Warranty
The 2021 Alpina B8 Gran Coupe is covered by a three-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty. Complimentary roadside assist is also provided for this time.
All Alpina vehicles can be serviced at BMW dealerships and are available with a five-year, capped-price servicing package.
A basic five-year, 80,000km servicing package is included in the cost of the Alpina, with the Plus plan – also for five years or 80,000km, and covering items like brake pads and discs – costing $3830.
Safety
The Alpina B8 Gran Coupe and BMW 8 Series have yet to be assessed by ANCAP or Euro NCAP.
Standard safety equipment includes:
- Autonomous emergency braking
- Lane-centring assist
- Lane-keeping assist
- Blind-spot monitoring
- Rear cross-traffic alert
- Front, front-side and curtain airbags
- Adaptive cruise control with stop/go
- Traffic sign recognition
- Night vision with pedestrian detection
- Intelligent emergency calling
Standard Equipment
The 2021 Alpina B8 Gran Coupe comes standard with the following features:
- 10.25-inch touchscreen infotainment system
- 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster
- Head-up display
- Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
- Alpina Classic 21-inch forged wheels with Pirelli P Zero tyres
- Ambient lighting
- Automatic stop/start
- BMW Laserlight headlights
- DAB radio
- Illuminated door sills
- Selectable drive modes with Comfort, Comfort +, Sport, Sport + and Adaptive modes
- Sport rear differential
- Sport suspension
- Wireless phone charging
- Stainless steel exhaust system
- Multi-function front sport seats
- Heated and ventilated front seats
- 16 speaker Harman/Kardon surround sound system
- Panoramic glass sunroof
- Semi-autonomous parking assist
- Tyre-pressure monitoring
- Driving Assistant Professional package
- Dynamic Safety package
High-gloss Walnut Anthracite trim is standard, though piano black, carbon fibre, aluminium, and fine-wood trims are no-cost options.
The Merino leather upholstery is available in black, Ivory White, Cognac, Night Blue/Black, Tartufo/Black, and Fiona Red/Black.
Options include:
- BMW Individual paintwork
- Alpina Exclusive paintwork
- M Carbon roof (deletes sunroof)
- High performance braking system
- Front spoiler and sides in black
- Alpina Classic 21-inch forged wheels finished in black or Himalaya Grey
- Alpina floor mats
- Alpina luggage compartment mat
- Alcantara headlining
- CNC-milled aluminium gearshift paddles
- Lavalina leather upholstery
- Bowers & Wilkins Diamond surround sound system
- BMW Drive recorder
- TV function
