2003 Alpina B10 V8 S review and pictures
The largest model BMW ALPINA ever created is the B10 V8 S model. It is powered by a 4.8-liter 8-cylinder engine that is able to develop 375 BHP. But power is not the only thing the car inspires, but also the kind of refinement expected from a luxury saloon. The model is capable of speeding up to 284 km/h and can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 5.4 seconds. For ALPINA, the superior unfolding of engine performance is a decisive requirement for deploying the vast potential of its automobiles. The model is safe and performs easy so that the driver will be not taxed, not even over a long drive. The power is being sent to the wheels through a five-speed automatic transmission. To drive in a sporty manner, you need the SWITCH-TROMIC, developed by ALPINA which enables the driver to manually shift the gear of the automatic transmission.
The B10 V8 S is the latest in a long line of BMW ALPINA's produced using the company's philosophy and attention to detail. It builds upon the outstanding qualities of the BMW 5-series in a way that only a specialist car maker like ALPINA can. At the heart of the B10 is its 4.8-litre eight-cylinder engine. This hand-built powerplant not only produces 276 kW / 375 bhp, and the excellent performance that comes with this level of power, but also the kind of refinement expected from a luxury saloon.
Exclusivity
Throughout ALPINA's 40-year history, its automobiles have been known for their notion of exclusivity. Over this period, BMW ALPINA's have evolved, taking advantage of, and improving upon, the technology offered at the time - and not just in the pursuit of more power, for improving performance is only one part of ALPINA's philosophy. The ALPINA customer is an enthusiast who appreciates high technology and seeks great driving pleasure from his car, yet prefers a car more refined and more practical than today's sports cars. The BMW ALPINA B10 V8 S is high performance in a most subtle guise.
V8 Powerplant
The B10 V8 S is the latest in a long line of BMW ALPINA's produced using the company's philosophy and attention to detail. It builds upon the outstanding qualities of the BMW 5-series in a way that only a specialist car maker like ALPINA can. At the heart of the B10 is its 4.8-litre eight-cylinder engine. This hand-built powerplant not only produces 276 kW / 375 bhp, and the excellent performance that comes with this level of power, but also the kind of refinement expected from a luxury saloon. The V8 propels the BMW ALPINA B10 from a standing start to 100 km/h in just 5.4 seconds (touring 5.6 seconds) and on to a top speed of more than 284 km/h (touring 273 km/h). Sure, there will be few opportunities to drive at this speed, but the figure shows the abundant power reserves available, if required.
An Efficient V8
In developing the 4.8-litre powerplant, ALPINA has also created one of the most efficient V8 engines available. The most effective and relevant way of measuring an engine's efficiency is to calculate its mean effective pressure. The B10's figure of 13.1 bar is truly exceptional for a naturally aspirated engine. As a result, the BMW ALPINA B10 V8 S - despite its outstanding power output - is also remarkably economical. Its ECE fuel consumption of 12.7l/100km (touring 12.9l/100km) can easily be bettered in normal driving while the driver can still regularly enjoy the B10's performance.
The BMW ALPINA B10 V8 S goes against the belief that large capacity high performance cars both guzzle fuel and harm the environment. The B10's particularly effective emission control system uses EMITEC steel catalysts to ensure that the V8's emissions stay within the limits of the Euro 3 standard.
Switch-Tronic
For ALPINA, the superior unfolding of engine performance is a decisive requirement for deploying the vast potential of its automobiles. The BMW ALPINA B10 V8 S performs without drama, in safety, and with an ease that will not tax its driver, even over a long drive. To this end, the BMW ALPINA B10 V8 S is supplied exclusively with a five-speed automatic transmission. This doesn"t mean to say that the driver is assigned a passive role. To the contrary, all BMW ALPINAs are designed and engineered for the enthusiast driver.
It is possible to drive in a very sporting manner with SWITCH-TRONIC - developed by ALPINA - which enables the driver to manually shift the automatic transmission's gears.
SWITCH-TRONIC was developed in co-operation with ZF and BOSCH, ALPINA has developed an electronic control system for the ZF automatic gearbox in BMW ALPINA automobiles, offering a new, more sporting dimension of driving an automatic car.
The two driving programmes, Automatic and SWITCH-TRONIC, constitute the ideal basis for this driving style in any kind of situation.
Automatic-programme: Offers a perfectly matched programme for relaxed automatic driving, changing gears according to driving style, torque and performance characteristics. Additionally, a more dynamic driving style is possible without having to resort to the use of kick-down. The optimum programme character in each case is automatically selected based on the current driving situation, road conditions, and the individual driving style - in other words, a programme which can adapt to all conditions within a split second, if necessary. It increases not only the ease of operation and road safety, but also reduces fuel consumption at the same time.
SWITCH-TRONIC-programme: When selecting the SWITCH-TRONIC- programme, the gear currently in use is fixed. By touching one of the two switch buttons integrated into the reverse side of the steering wheel, the driver can shift up or down using the right and left buttons, respectively.
The shift in gear comes immediately and without interruption of traction force. The gear is then held until the driver chooses another gear by switching at the steering wheel - as with the "Formula 1" semi-automatic gearboxes. Therefore, the driver changes gears deliberately in the same way as he would with a manual gear, thus always having an active and own choice of gear.
In this way, the advantage of engine braking can be used, it can be downshifted prior to entering a bend, and the gear can be fixed when driving on mountain roads so that unnecessary shifting up and down is avoided. Because a gear can be selected immediately regardless of throttle position, the car can be accelerated without delay, important in overtaking manoeuvres where lifting the throttle on approaching the vehicle in front would produce an upshift in an ordinary automatic. Whilst in SWITCH-TRONIC mode, the torque converter lock-up clutch is normally closed, producing the minimum of power loss through the converter.
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