MCP MOTORSPORT TESTIMONIALS
Total BMW - The Big Smoke
But consider the implications of actually owning a 535d. First of all, I can discount about 40 per cent of you who wouldn't buy one simply because of the bodyshell it comes in. The E60 is perhaps the new flame-surfaced BMW which splits opinion the most, especially in saloon form. Then for those of you still left, you've got the cost aspect to think about. The 535d is going to be well in excess of the £32,000 a 530d will set you back; it'll probably be somewhere nearer £40,000. Performance diesel yes, cheap accessible motor no.
But can you already have performance and economy mixed together in a luxurious 5-Series shell? Well, the answer is yes, because BMW is only now releasing its version of a car built by Alpina over three years ago. We've introduced you to the barmy D10 Biturbo before, featuring one back in the first of our Alpina special editions in September 2001. But it's worth revisiting the big oil baron in the light of BMW's new model and finding out whether you could save yourself almost £20,000 and add an Alpina-badged motor into the bargain.
The gestation of the D10 Biturbo was quite straightforward. When the 3-litre first made its appearance back in the late '90s, Alpina simply looked at it and fathomed that strapping in a second turbo would make it seriously quick as well as parsimonious. The comparisons between BMW's impending 535 motor and the Alpina unit continue here. Alpina chose the inline six diesel because it was smoother and more frugal than the 3.9 V8 in the Euro-only 740d of the time. Bearing in mind Alpina's dedication to making a sweet-handling sports saloon, the idea of a big 4-litre hung well out over the front axle might also have weighed on the company's mind.
The addition of an extra turbo is an obvious comparison to the BMW engine, but it's not like either company just stuck in another blower to work in tandem with the first to give the car more top end power. The dual turbos work in sequence, the first cutting in at lower revs to keep things tractable around town before the second joins in higher up to give the car real surge. This method of two-stage turbocharging ensures that there's no sudden wave of power as both turbos spool up and ram air down the throat of the engine. You get progressive power and torque curves, which ensure that both the D10 and the 535d are eminently driveable.
So, would you really be happier in a nicely used D10 rather than waiting for a spanking new 535d? We're back at MCP Motorsport in Norfolk to see this superb example. We visited the company just a few weeks ago to check out a pair of petrol-powered Alpinas [May 2004] but today we're more interested in the Oxford Green D10 that Martin Pearse has just picked up from Germany. He tells us that he's been surprised by the performance of the D10, despite the fact that on his drive are the B8, B10V8, an E34 M5 and an E34 B10 Biturbo. "This D10 isn't just fast, it's ferocious," he says. "I've never driven a diesel quite like it before."
It's got impressive stats. Those twin blowers liberate 245 bhp, up from the 184 horses that the 530d was developing at the time. But it's the flexibility of the powerplant that interests more - 360 lbf.ft is just 9 lbf.ft down on the most stonking E39 engine of all: the awesome V8 from the M5.
That endows the Alpina with some serious shove throughout the rev range, especially when you consider that the peak figure is developed at just 1800 rpm. Mated to an automatic box, as in this D10, it means you plant your right foot on the floor and it hauls in the horizon with the kind of rapidity you'd only expect from the V8 Fives. I don't think a 528i or 530i would be able to keep anywhere near one of these on maximum attack. Throttle back, settle in to a steady cruise on the motorway and you'll be looking at around 40-45 mpg, with an overall average of 39 mpg returned. Not bad for something this big and powerful. Pub ammo performance figures are 0-62 mph in 6.8 seconds and a limited top speed of 155 mph.
Inside, you get all the Alpina toys and the requisite production plaque, showing this to be car number 0008 of a very limited run. The D10 was never officially sold in Britain, so you're not likely to see another one. Indeed, buy this one and no one would know you've got a D10, because it's completely debadged. It looks like a subtly beefed-up late-model 530i, albeit a left-hooker. The only indication this is an oil-burner is under heavy acceleration. Check out the back of the D10 and you'll see that despite it being a diesel, both tailpipes point straight out the back of the car, not down on the floor. Even the most modern diesels smoke slightly under acceleration (you can't totally eliminate the soot, after all] and strapping another turbo under the bonnet means it's particularly noticeable over, say, a 530d. Add in the lack of soot dissipation that downturned exhaust pipes create and the Biturbo does give itself away when you boot it. Don't get me wrong, it's nothing like as bad as a D-reg Ford Transit, but people do tend to comment on it.
Ride and handling are as you'd expect from an equivalent petrol Alpina, which means they are exceptional. And other than that, it's a 90,000 mile E39 which has an ergonomic, comfortable cabin (although not especially roomy in the back) and a capacious boot, even in saloon form. Martin wants £20,995 for this D10, so how will it compare with the 535d? Well, the advantages are that it's an E39, which was always a popular car; it's cheap and still quicker than a 530d; it's got the economy and refinement you'd want from it if you're doing motorway miles; and it's got the cred of an Alpina. But the 535d is powered by the second generation common-rail diesel engine and is even quicker than the D10, plus the Touring version will be a much more versatile motor.
In the end, it'll come down to your preferences on the E60's styling and the obvious costs. Ultimately, the choice is yours. Yet should you choose to go for the Alpina D10 Biturbo, you won't have made the wrong decision - as performance diesels go, it's up there with the very best.
Contact
MCP Motorsport
Norfolk
01263 822481
www.mcpmotorsport.com
Tech Spec
Engine
2926cc straight-six 24-valve diesel, twin turbochargers, intercooler, common-rail fuel injection. Max power 245 bhp at 3500 rpm, max torque 360 Ibf.ft at 1800 rpm
Transmission
ZF five-speed automatic with Alpina Switchtronic system
Suspension
Alpina aluminium struts and links, twin-tube gas dampers, uprated springs, anti-roll bars
Brakes
Alpina discs and callipers, ABS
Wheels & Tyres
Alpina 20-spoke 18 inch alloys, Michelin Pilot Sport tyres all round, 235/40ZR1front, 265/35ZR18 rear
Exterior
Standard E39 5-Series saloon in Oxford Green metallic paint, Alpina-branded front splitter, Alpina sideskirts and rear valance, debadged
Interior
Alpina Charcoal cloth interior with Alpina blue and green piping, Alpina multifunction steering wheel, climate control, electric windows all round, Alpina headlining plaque, TV screen incorporating onboard computer
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