328bhp Alpina XD3 guns for X3 M40i, Mercedes-AMG GLC43

February 27, 2018

Alpina has revealed the 328bhp, 516lb ft XD3 performance SUV ahead of its official unveiling at the Geneva motor show

Alpina has overhauled the BMW X3, making a performance car out of the 3.0-litre diesel-straight-six-engined SUV

Alpina has revealed the 328bhp, 516lb ft XD3 performance SUV ahead of its official unveiling at the Geneva motor show next month.

The XD3 has 27bhp less than the petrol-engined X3 M40i, but a torque advantage of 147lb ft over BMW’s fastest X3 so far means the diesel XD3’s acceleration from 0-62mph takes 4.7sec compared with the M40i’s 4.8sec. It is also more than one second quicker than the xDrive30d’s 5.8sec. The M40i’s top speed is limited to 155mph, where the XD3 can reach 158mph. The xDrive30i tops out at 149mph.

Powering the XD3 is a twin-turbo version of BMW’s 2993cc six-cylinder diesel engine, with maximum power available from 4000-4600rpm. Power is transmitted to all four wheels through a tweaked version of BMW’s xDrive system, with a ZF eight-speed Alpine Switch-Tronic automatic gearbox handling shifts, and buttons on the steering wheel allowing the driver to perform gear changes.

The previous XD3 was 2mph slower than the current car, and 0.2sec slower to 62mph, although fuel economy has taken a dip for this generation - 31.4mpg versus the old car’s 42.8mpg. Alpina says that the new, more rigorous WLTP test cycle is to blame for this. CO2 emissions have risen from 174g/km to 238g/km. Alpina claims that the two cars can return similar fuel economies, despite the different figures.

On the outside, the car is distinguished by Alpina’s typical suite of styling upgrades, including chrome-tipped quad exhausts, Alpina badging at the front and rear and multi-spoke alloys that are 20in as standard, with 22in wheels optional.

Pricing will rise slightly over the last car's £56,450 to around £60,000, although the brand says that the new car will be higher spec than before. First deliveries are scheduled for January 2019 for UK customers The last XD3 got a run of 150 units, with 14 making it onto UK roads. This time around, 12 will be brought to the UK per year. The previous-generation XD3 sold out for the year by April in the UK.