Alpina D4

Alpina D4: which version to buy

The Alpina D4 to buy is one of two 3.0 AT Cabrio versions that ran from March 2014 through May 2022: both make 350 hp (257 kW) at 4000 rpm and 700 Nm from 1500–3000 rpm from the same 2993 cm³ Diesel, 6 Inline, Turbo, 8-speed Automatic, RWD layout. The split is weight and what that weight does to the stopwatch and the tank.

The Alpina D4 to buy is one of two 3.0 AT Cabrio versions that ran from March 2014 through May 2022: both make 350 hp (257 kW) at 4000 rpm and 700 Nm from 1500–3000 rpm from the same 2993 cm³ Diesel, 6 Inline, Turbo, 8-speed Automatic, RWD layout. The split is weight and what that weight does to the stopwatch and the tank. The lighter 3.0 AT (kerb 1660 kg, gross 2105 kg) reaches 100 km/h in 4.6 s, tops out at 278 km/h, uses 6.0 / 4.9 / 5.3 L/100 km (city / highway / mixed) and is listed at 139 g/km CO2. The heavier 3.0 AT (kerb 1890 kg, gross 2265 kg) is 230 kg heavier at the kerb, 160 kg heavier fully laden, 0.4 s slower to 100 km/h (5 s), 3 km/h slower at the top (275 km/h), uses 0.6 L/100 km more in each published cycle (6.6 / 5.5 / 5.9) and 16 g/km more CO2 (155). Ground clearance is not measured on either. The 2 generation Liftback from June 2022 has 0 listed versions, so there is no later engine, gearbox or weight figure to “upgrade” into.

Alpina D4 generations: what actually changed

The catalogue lists 3 generation rows, but they are not three separate cars. 1 generation is the Cabrio sold from 2014-03-01 to 2017-06-30 with 2 versions, both named 3.0 AT. 1 generation, restyling (still the first generation, facelifted) is the same Cabrio from 2017-07-01 to 2022-05-31, again with 2 versions, both named 3.0 AT. Every published engine, transmission, drive, tank, wheel and chassis label is identical across those two time windows. The restyling did not add a third power figure, a different displacement, or a new gearbox: it kept the same two 3.0 AT packages.

2 generation starts 2022-06-01, has no stop date in the data, and is a Liftback. It lists 0 modifications. That is the generation change that matters for a buyer: body type moves from Cabrio to Liftback, and the specification sheet for engines, 0–100, mpg-equivalent consumption, weight and wheels is empty. Choosing a second-generation D4 from this catalogue is choosing a body with not measured power, torque, consumption, mass and tank.

Alpina D4 specs and engine: both 3.0 AT versions side by side

People search “Alpina D4 biturbo specs”, “BMW Alpina D4 specs” and “Alpina D4 engine”. The data names the boost Turbo, the fuel Diesel, the layout Front, longitudinal, cylinders 6 Inline, valves per cylinder 4, compression 16.5, bore × stroke 84 × 90. Displacement is 2993 cm³ on every listed 3.0 AT. Peak output is 350 hp / 257 kW at 4000 rpm and 700 Nm at 1500–3000 rpm on every listed 3.0 AT. Gearbox is Automatic, 8 speeds. Drive is RWD. Fuel system is not measured. Those fields do not separate the two versions.

What does:

Power per litre is the same on both 3.0 AT cars: 350 / 2.993 ≈ 116.9 hp per litre. Specific torque is 700 / 2.993 ≈ 233.9 Nm per litre. Weight per horsepower is not the same: 1660 / 350 = 4.74 kg/hp on the light 3.0 AT versus 1890 / 350 = 5.40 kg/hp on the heavy 3.0 AT — 0.66 kg more mass for every horsepower, or about 14% more kerb mass for the same 350 hp.

Front and rear suspension are Independent, spring on both. Front brakes are Ventilated disc; rear brakes are listed as Disc ventilated. Wheels are 245/35 R19 and 265/35 R19 on both. Euro class is Euro 6 on both. Tank is 57 L on both.

Alpina D4 performance, mpg-style consumption, and CO2

The 0–100 and top-speed gap is small in absolute terms and large relative to how identical the engines are. 4.6 s versus 5 s is 0.4 s, or about 8.7% longer for the heavy 3.0 AT. 278 versus 275 km/h is 3 km/h, about 1.1%. That is what 230 kg of extra kerb weight buys you in the opposite direction: you do not get more horsepower, you give back time and a few kilometres per hour.

Consumption is published in L/100 km, not mpg, and every cycle is measured:

• Light 3.0 AT: city 6.0, highway 4.9, mixed 5.3.
• Heavy 3.0 AT: city 6.6, highway 5.5, mixed 5.9.

The heavy car uses 0.6 L/100 km more in city, highway and mixed — the delta is the same on all three rows. Relative to the light car that is +10.0% city, +12.2% highway, +11.3% mixed. On a 57 L tank, mixed range as a simple division of tank by mixed use is 57 / 5.3 ≈ 10.75 hundred-kilometre units (≈1075 km) for the light 3.0 AT versus 57 / 5.9 ≈ 9.66 (≈966 km) for the heavy 3.0 AT — about 109 km less theoretical mixed range for the same tank.

CO2: 139 g/km (light 3.0 AT) versus 155 g/km (heavy 3.0 AT), a gap of 16 g/km, about 11.5%. Both remain Euro 6.

Nothing in the data measures Alpina D4 versus B4 or M4, so those comparisons are not measured. Reliability is not measured. Ground clearance is not measured. Fuel-system type is not measured.

Alpina D4 dimensions and weight

Ground clearance is not measured for every listed 3.0 AT. Length, width, height and wheelbase are not measured. What is measured is mass, tank and wheels.

The light 3.0 AT kerb 1660 kg, gross 2105 kg: payload as arithmetic is 2105 − 1660 = 445 kg. The heavy 3.0 AT kerb 1890 kg, gross 2265 kg: payload 2265 − 1890 = 375 kg. The heavy car is 230 kg heavier empty and only 160 kg heavier fully laden, so it carries 70 kg less payload. If the buying question is “which 3.0 AT takes more load,” the light 3.0 AT is the one with the larger kerb-to-gross gap.

Tank 57 L on both. Wheels 245/35 R19 and 265/35 R19 on both. There is no tyre-size upgrade between versions or between 1 generation and the restyling.

2 generation Liftback: kerb not measured, gross not measured, tank not measured, wheels not measured, clearance not measured.

Which Alpina D4 version to choose

Buy the 3.0 AT with 1660 kg kerb if the numbers you care about are time, speed, fuel and payload. Same 350 hp, same 700 Nm, same 2993 cm³ Diesel 6 Inline Turbo, same Automatic 8 and RWD, but 4.74 kg/hp instead of 5.40, 4.6 s instead of 5 s, 278 instead of 275 km/h, mixed 5.3 instead of 5.9 L/100 km, CO2 139 instead of 155, payload 445 kg instead of 375 kg. Every published performance and economy figure favours this 3.0 AT. The restyling years (2017-07-01–2022-05-31) do not change those figures relative to 1 generation (2014-03-01–2017-06-30): you are choosing a date of production, not a different powertrain.

Buy the 3.0 AT with 1890 kg kerb only if you need that specific kerb/gross pairing. It is not a more powerful D4. Horsepower, kilowatts, torque, displacement, boost, gearbox, drive, tank, wheels, Euro class and compression are the same. You pay 230 kg extra empty mass for 0.4 s more to 100 km/h, 3 km/h less top speed, 0.6 L/100 km more on every cycle, 16 g/km more CO2 and 70 kg less payload. There is no extra litre, extra gear or extra driven axle in the data to offset that.

Do not treat 1 generation and the restyling as two different cars to “step up” into. Both windows list the same two 3.0 AT packages with the same hp, Nm, 0–100, top speed, consumption, CO2, masses, tank and wheels. The generation count in the file is 3 rows; the buyer-relevant split inside generation 1 is the 230 kg kerb gap, not the 2017 date.

Do not buy 2 generation from this sheet expecting a measured engine. From 2022-06-01 the D4 is a Liftback with 0 versions. Power, torque, 0–100, consumption, weight and wheels are not measured. Searches for Gran Coupe, D4 S, price and “for sale” are outside this dataset: price is not measured, and no Gran Coupe or D4 S modification name appears in the version list. The only named versions to specify on a Cabrio are the two 3.0 AT lines, told apart by 1660 kg / 4.6 s / 278 km/h / 5.3 L/100 km mixed / 139 g/km versus 1890 kg / 5 s / 275 km/h / 5.9 L/100 km mixed / 155 g/km.