Related posts: F11 Estate Diesels - BMW Alpina D5 Touring vs BMW M550d Touring, and Quo vadis Alpina, BMW and M?This is the second post comparing head to head the data and packaging of the 5-series Alpina and M. We can't compare pears and peaches, the M5 is only sold as limousine (or saloon for the British and sedan for the US), so we look at the 4-door versions (F10).
And as before, we only list values which are different in both cars. We don't care about similarities.
The match of the classic Alpina against the iconic M5.
Price-wise the Alpina is a few thousand EUR cheaper, but that won't be a decisive argument for most potential customers. (That may be different for the Diesel versions, as the Alpina D5 is significantly cheaper than the M550 d and the Diesels are aimed at a different clientel.)
Interesting for long trips, the Alpina can load 50KG more. Doesn't sound much, but in analogy to the max luggage weight for most airlines (20KG per person) that means quite a few more bags can be loaded into the Alpina.
On the other hand BMW claims less fuel consumption for the M5 than the B5 The M5 incidentally also got a 10l bigger tank. Theoretically this means a significantly longer range for the M5. That's a bit of a surpise, because traditionally Alpinas were more fuel efficient than the M cars. As manufacturer claims go, they are not realistic anyway, so who is lying more? Until proven independently, we call it a small win for the M5 purely because of the bigger 80l tank.
Alpina has slightly less horsepower but more torque. Alpina is known for understating their performance numbers, therefore again a draw.
The big difference between the two siblings is the Alpina 8-speed auto vs the M5 7-speed double clutch gearbox. The M5 equitpment is certainly more aimed for the sporty driver. The difference in the gear ratios is remarkable. Although the B5 has one more gear, the M5 gear-ratios are actually shorter.
In the end, as always when comparing Alpinas and M GmbH cars, the choice is a sporty and more elegant long-distance cruiser vs a more nervous and racy M5. But the difference is smaller than ever. Both are based on the same V8 - in the past, the M5 used to have 2 cylinders more than the B5 and the performance is virtually the when driving in normal conditions. And then there are the mighty Diesels as previously posted - the D5 and the M550 D. Around 25,000 EUR cheaper. Exhaust of both Diesels sounds good as well. Your call.
I wouldn't have a real choice as I prefer the usability and design of the estate / station wagon and only Alpina is offering such an ultra performance 5-series. So Diesel or Petrol?
BTW Why don't auto mags publish direct comparison tests? Are BMW and Alpina discouraging head to head reviews? Especially German magazines liked to run those M5 vs B5 vs AMG vs Brabus vs Jaguar XF R vs Cadillac CTS-V... The Alpina has been sold for nearly a year, the M5 is now a couple of months old... So what are they waiting for?
| B5 BITURBO Saloon SWITCH-TRONIC | BMW M5 F10 | |
| Prices EUR (GERMANY incl VAT) | 99,200 | 102,800 |
Dimensions
| ||
Length (mm)
|
4905
|
4910
|
Width (mm)
|
1860
|
1891
|
Height, unladen (mm)
|
1469
|
1456
|
Wheelbase (mm)
|
2968
|
2964
|
Track, front (mm)
|
1599
|
1627
|
Track, rear (mm)
|
1599
|
1582
|
Fuel tank capacity (l)
|
ca. 70
|
ca 80
|
Weight
| ||
Unladen (kg) (DIN norm)
|
1920
|
1945
|
Max permissible (kg)
|
2510
|
2410
|
Permitted load (kg)
|
590
|
540
|
Max axle load, front (kg)
|
1240
|
1180
|
Max axle load, rear (kg)
|
1350
|
1260
|
Max trailer load, braked (kg)
|
2000
|
2000
|
Max trailer load, unbraked (kg)
|
750
|
750
|
Engine
| ||
Cylinders
|
V8 90°
|
V8 90°
|
Capacity (cc)
|
4395
|
4395
|
Bore (mm)
|
89.0
|
88.3
|
Stroke (mm)
|
88.3
|
89
|
Compression ratio (:1)
|
9.2
|
10
|
Max output (kW / hp / 1/min)
|
397 / 540 / 5200-6250
|
412 / 560 / 6000-7000
|
Max torque (Nm / 1/min)
|
730 / 2800-5000
|
680 / 1500-5750
|
Transmission
| ||
Gearbox
|
8-speed Sport-Automatic ZF 8HP70 SWITCH-TRONIC incl. single-cylinder fade-out
|
S7-speed M double-clutch transmission with Drivelogic
|
1st
|
4.714
|
4.806
|
2nd
|
3.143
|
2.593
|
3rd
|
2.106
|
1.701
|
4th
|
1.667
|
1.277
|
5th
|
1.285
|
1.000
|
6th
|
1.000
|
0.844
|
7th
|
0.839
|
0.671
|
8th
|
0.667
| |
Final drive ratio
|
2.813
|
3.150
|
Performance
| ||
Acceleration 0-100km/h (s)
|
4.5
|
4.4
|
Top speed (km/h)
|
319
|
250 / 305
|
Fuel consumption *
| ||
Urban (l/100km)
|
15.0
|
14.0
|
Extra-urban (l/100km)
|
7.9
|
7.6
|
Combined (l/100km)
|
10.5
|
9.9
|
CO² emissions (g/km)
|
244
|
232
|
CO² efficiency category
|
F
|
Wheels and tyres
| ||
Standard wheels and tyres
|
ALPINA CLASSIC 20"
|
345M 19”
|
front
|
8,5 x 20 255/35 ZR20
|
9 x 19
265/40 R19 102Y
|
rear
|
9,5 x 20 285/30 ZR20
|
10x 19
|
Read more:The Estate Diesel Comparison - BMW Alpina D5 Touring vs BMW M550 TouringInitial blog post: Quo vadis Alpina, BMW and M?
