Second Lieutenant 
Drives: 2013 BMW M5
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Long Island, New York
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2011 BMW Alpina B7 First Drive Review
From Car & Driver, a fantastic but all too brief review of the B7 on the road and on the track along with 38 mouth-watering pictures of a Black Euro-Spec model:
http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/...t_drive_review
Quote:
SpecificationsVEHICLE TYPE: front-engine, rear- or all-wheel-drive, 4–5 passenger, 4-door sedan
BASE PRICE: $124,175–$128,075
ENGINE TYPE: twin-turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 32-valve V-8, aluminum block and heads, direct fuel injection
Displacement: 268 cu in, 4395 cc
Power (SAE net): 500 bhp @ 5500 rpm
Torque (SAE net): 516 lb-ft @ 3000 rpm
TRANSMISSION: 6-speed automatic manumatic shifting
DIMENSIONS:
Wheelbase: 120.9–126.4 in
Length: 200.2–205.7 in
Width: 74.9 in Height: 58.4–58.8 in
Curb weight: 4564–4861 lb
PERFORMANCE (MFR'S EST):
Zero to 60 mph: 4.5–4.6 sec
Top speed (governor limited): 174 mph
FUEL ECONOMY:
EPA city/highway driving: 14/20–21 mpg
For readers who aren’t totally steeped in BMW lore, the Alpina name may be a bit of a mystery. But it’s a pretty simple one to clear up: Alpina is to BMW what AMG used to be to Mercedes-Benz: an independent racing and tuning shop that has factory approval. (AMG is now wholly owned by Mercedes, however.) Alpina, for instance, co-developed the fabulous 3.0 CSL coupe with BMW in the early 1970s and is formally recognized as an automobile manufacturer by the German Federal agency.
Alpina caught the eyes of the American market primarily with two cars: the Alpina Roadster V-8 that was imported beginning in 2003 and the Alpina B7 that was sold in the U.S. from 2007 to 2009. Based on the previous-generation E65 7-series, the B7 sold only 748 units here.
BMW and Alpina are hoping that the new B7 will do better, especially since it is coming to the U.S. just a year after the current F01 (F02 for long-wheelbase cars) 7-series platform went on sale in early 2009. They are aiming to sell 500 cars a year in the U.S., out of an overall production of 1000 to 1500 annually. This would vault the U.S. into position as the largest market in the world for Alpina, which says its mission isn’t quite as hard core as AMG’s. Its target is the Jaguar R-series, where the emphasis is on marrying great cornering performance with good ride quality.
Alpina takes both long- and short-wheelbase 750 BMWs, with or without xDrive all-wheel-drive, and thoroughly massages them. The 4.4-liter V-8 engine gets bigger turbochargers, reinforced cylinder heads, high-performance pistons, and Alpina software. The maximum boost pressure is raised to 14.5 psi, which helps to lift output from 400 hp and 450 lb-ft of torque to 500 and 516, respectively. These numbers are identical to the old B7’s supercharged engine, but the torque is generated at 3000 rpm, 1250 revs lower. To cope with the extra heat generated by its upgrades, Alpina fits an additional radiator and engine-oil cooler, an external transmission oil cooler, a higher-performing fan, and larger-capacity intercoolers with larger-diameter water lines.
The car doesn’t use the ZF eight-speed automatic transmission found in the regular 7-series, instead using a beefed-up ZF six-speed. Manual shifting is effected by buttons on the back of the steering wheel—right for upshifts, left for down. The driveshaft and half-shafts are reinforced, while a stiffer iron differential case is fitted in place of the 7-series’ aluminum housing.
The chassis also comes in for attention. The spring rates are stiffened by around 20 percent, the front and rear ride heights are reduced by 0.6 and 0.4 inches respectively, and the traction- and stability-control settings are tweaked. Alpina fits 21-inch wheels on all versions, but only the rear-drive short-wheelbase car gets the sticky Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 tires in staggered sizes 245/35 up front and 285/30 out back. The brakes are the biggest in BMW’s inventory, sourced from the armored 7-series protection package. Overall, Alpina says that the new car weighs 4564 pounds in short-wheelbase rear-drive form.
Whether long- or short-wheelbase, the B7 is a handsome device, the 7-series’ demeanor enhanced by its lowered stance and those utterly gorgeous wheels. Other exterior changes are unique exhaust tips, a different front spoiler and fascia that incorporates three additional intakes for cooling, and a different rear valance and trunk spoiler. Alpina says that the rear spoiler reduces lift by 15 percent at 87 mph and the front one is responsible for a 30-percent reduction. Inside, there are blue illuminated sill plates, a hand-stitched Lavalina leather steering wheel, unique piano black or myrtle burl walnut trim, an Alpina gauge cluster, and lots of Alpina logos.
We sampled B7s on road and track and can report that they are way sportier than a 750i or 750Li, but don’t have the hard-edged character of an S63 Mercedes. The engine unleashes waves of torque all the way up the rev range, but is quiet and unobtrusive unless you bury your foot to the firewall, when it makes a stirring, gruff growl. BMW claims 0 to 60 mph takes 4.5 seconds, with an added tenth for the all-wheel-drive versions. Top speed is governed to 175 mph, which is 12 mph down on the previous car’s maximum. The EPA estimates 14 mpg in the city for all cars. Rear-drivers are quoted at 21 mpg on the highway, with the xDrive all-wheel-drive models quoted at 20.
On the street, the car rides superbly in comfort mode—just like a regular 7-series, there are comfort, normal, sport, and sport-plus chassis and drivetrain settings—and is very well damped even in sport plus. As with a regular 7-series, we prefer the extra weight of the steering in the sport settings. Although the buttons work really well for manual shifts, they’re almost superfluous on a car with this much torque unless you’re planning to go to a track, which we don’t think is that likely for the vast majority of the owner body.
However, we did experience the car on track in both the wet and dry, and can report that it’s really impressive for such a big vehicle. The body motions are well controlled and it turns in to corners with an enthusiasm that seems at odds with its size and weight. With the stability system off, it’s possible to get big oversteery moments, but the car is generally well behaved. Compared with a 750Li, there’s less initial understeer and it corners with a flatter, more neutral stance. The brakes are superb, imparting much more confidence than the binders on a 750Li we tried.
The B7 starts at $124,175, including destination and gas-guzzler tax. The long-wheelbase model costs $3900 extra and all-wheel-drive adds $3000 to either. Options include active cruise control ($2400); night vision ($2600); a tech package bundling lane-departure warning, active headlamps, and blind-spot detection ($1350); a rear-seat entertainment system ($2200); and, on long-wheelbase models only, ventilated and massaging rear seats ($3700). The B7 costs $40,000 more than a 750i—still about $16,000 less than the long-wheelbase-only V-12–powered 760Li—but the long-wheelbase version undercuts the S63 AMG by $9350. We’re never quite sure why luxury-car buyers feel the need to buy sportier versions of luxury liners, but the B7 strikes us as a nice compromise, even if it lacks the grittiness of the AMG machine.
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