Alpina’s diesel-powered BMW X3 arrived a little late at Geneva, which is a shame, because it deserves a lot more attention than it’s getting. To be brutally honest, the X3 is a dull, ugly and very uninteresting crossover. The Alpina treatment makes it a bit less annoying.
On the styling front the X3 gets a typical Alpina body kit; subtle and dignified, yet very effective in improving the aesthetics. New spoilers and air intakes, combined with side skirts and rear valance with new tailpipes, as well as Alpina wheels, are all spot on perfect for this car.
The interior is also lavishly styled with leather upholstery and contrasting stitching, ALPINA LAVALINA sport steering wheel with Blue/Green stitching, as well as ALPINA instrument cluster, door sills, floor mats and emblems in the setbacks.
As for the powertrain, the BMW specialist picked the 3.0 liter straight six diesel with two meaty turbochargers. By optimizing the turbos, air intake, exhaust and cooling systems, Alpina managed to extract 350 horsepower and up to 700Nm of torque out of this engine. They have used a bespoke Akrapovic exhaust system that also enhances the soundtrack of the diesel engine.
The engine is mated to a ZF SWITCH-TRONIC 8-Speed Sport-Automatic transmission, which lets the car go from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.9 seconds, and reach a top speed of 235 km/h. The four-wheel-drive SUV returns 6.8 liters per 100 km (41 mpg).
