Alpina makes it diesel: The D3 S manages 273 km / h on the highway

Alpina brings the first hybrid car in its company history. As befits the understated sports car manufacturer, the D3 S is a wolf in sheep's clothing.

• With the D3 S, Alpina has launched the first mild hybrid model.
• The electric motor tickles even more power out of the BMW brother model.
• Alpina boss Andreas Bovensiepen talks about the advantages and disadvantages of hybrid cars.

Like all Alpina models, the new D3 S is derived from a standard BMW . The basis is the already hybridized M 340d, a three-liter twin-turbo diesel with 340 hp, which, thanks to software optimizations, now delivers 15 horsepower more than in the white-blue brother model. He is supported by a small electric motor . Now one could easily believe that the additional 11 electric horsepower are no longer significant given the 355 horsepower from the combustion engine. The crucial point, however, is when this power is used. "The 48-volt starter generatoralready pushes when starting off, "says company boss Andreas Bovensiepen." This improves the response behavior significantly. And when you're driving, you think: it depends on the gas. "Because the powerful diesel torque of 730 Newton meters (plus 30 Nm more than in the M 340d) starts at 1,750 rpm. And the sprint values ​​of 4.6 seconds respectively 4.8 seconds (station wagon) from 0 to 100 km speak for themselves and are otherwise identical to those of the BMW M 340d.

Alpina gets 15 HP and 30 Newton meters (Nm) of torque out of the three-liter diesel engine from BMW.

© Alpina

Alpina D3 S: The differences from the BMW brother model

When it comes to the chassis, the Alpina * differs significantly from the original from Munich. The D3 S has the same damper and spring system as the sharper and over 300 km / h B3. This means that the new Alpina family member also has better-balanced driving modes than those in the conventional three-seater BMW. With Comfort plus, for example, it still drives comfortably like a sedan chair, but the engine and eight-speed automatic respond extremely quickly when you want to let go of the 355 horses . The D3 S is powered on all four wheels. To emphasize the sporty character, the all-wheel drive from BMW pushes more on the rear axle than on the M 340d. If you look at the prices, the Alpina costs 70,500 euros, only about 6,000 euros more than the more conventional model.

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Aplina D3 S: Hybrid engine is advantageous in two ways

But back to the mild hybrid system . Apart from the faster response, it has two decisive advantages. Both CO2 emissions and fuel consumption decrease because the electric motor helps both when starting off and at constant speed (called sailing). Saving is not unimportant, especially at Alpina. Because in addition to the purely sporty company credo that the top speed is never limited (the D3 S manages 273 km / h as a sedan), consumption also plays an important role in the company philosophy. After all, the company headquarters is in Buchloe, which in turn is in Swabian.

Chromed exhaust pipes and classic spoke rims make the 3 Series Touring a real Alpina.

© Alpina

First a mild hybrid, then a rechargeable full hybrid model can not be far. Especially since such a vehicle can actually be driven purely electrically over long distances! "Not two to three years ago," declined Andreas Bovensiepen, "most hybrid concepts are now being implemented in bodies that were actually intended for combustion engines." An additional electric motor , the batteries and the power electronics need additional space . Bovensiepen: "So you save on the trunk and tank , which then only holds 46 liters instead of 70 liters . If you then want to go on vacation, that means less storage space and refuel every 450 kilometers at the latest. Many of our customers do not accept this. " This technology only becomes interesting for the Alpina boss when it comes to newly developed hybrid vehicles, in which the batteries are integrated into the floor assembly to save space.

The cockpit and interior are refined subtly but elegantly at Alpina in Buchloe. On request also individually.

© Alpina

Hybrid not suitable for frequent drivers

He also sees the short electrical range , which is currently - and often only on paper - barely more than 50 kilometers as a disadvantage. It doesn't do much for frequent drivers. The battery is drained relatively quickly, and the then useless additional weight of the hybrid technology then ensures corresponding additional consumption for the combustion engine on the rest of the route . For Bovensiepen, too little range and too much kilos that cost performance and performance are also the reasons why a pure electric model is likely to be a long time coming from the sports car specialist Alpina. "We have a large percentage of frequent drivers among our customers who don't want to charge every 300 kilometers," he says, pointing out a real paradox. "Does that also make so much sense when you drive fast and sportily with a heavy electric car, in which the battery alone weighs several 100 kilos ? One should think about that."

Big kidney, small lettering. The sports car specialists from Alpina love the subtle appearance.

© Alpina

Even if Bovensiepen sees the topic of hybrid technology with a certain skepticism, one is technically not completely unoccupied in Buchloe. Because already in the i8 , the hybrid flagship athlete from BMW, Alpina got involved. The Swabians even built a prototype. At that time, the developers removed the rather narrow-breasted original three-cylinder with 230 hp and replaced it with a four-cylinder with 330 hp. This would have turned the i8 into a real sports car, but it did not fit BMW's "born Electric" philosophy at the time and so the project unfortunately did not turn into anything.

How did Alpina  as a small Bavarian car maker get through the Corona crisis *? Andreas Bovensiepen hopes that things will be similar to what happened after the financial crisis. A strong year in 2009 was able to reduce the losses in 2008. However, this requires new, fresh models . Why the Buchloer Edel-Schmiede does not save at the wrong end and therefore does not save on development. Financially, Bovensiepen is optimistic: "And with a good year 2021, we will catch up again," says the Alpina boss. They could be trusted - because when it comes to catching up and, above all, overtaking, the Swabians are real experts, at least on the street.

The sharpened diesel triple is available from Alpina both as a sedan and as a station wagon.

© Alpina

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Datasheet Alpina D3 S

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Overview of cars with hybrid systems

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* tz.de is part of the nationwide Ippen-Digital editors network.