Features
From the outside, the design tweaks cultivated by Alpina are enough to make onlookers glance again, but not so much that the result is in any way overt. There were decals running the length of our navy XD3, round to the rear where quad exhausts and an Alpina XD3 badge sit. At the front, there is more aero work below the grill, and the car sits on 20-inch wheels shod in Pirelli ultra-high-performance tyres.
Inside, the same balance of difference and subtly is carefully crafted. There’s an Alpina badge in the steering wheel boss, and the leather-clad wheel rim has the company’s trademark blue and green stitching.
There are green and blue stitched diamonds set into the white leather headrests, and a metal plaque below the ventilation controls specifies which number off the production line your car was.
You get BMW’s familiar iDrive system, but on start-up, the digital driver’s dials turn electric blue, and have a green drag indicator if (when) you switch to sport mode.