Alpina D3 S Touring 2020 first drive

The headline stat is 538lb ft at 1750rpm. There’s also 350bhp at 4000rpm, but it’s the torque that moulds the brawny character of the new D3 S, endowing it with the sort of low- to-mid-range punch that proves performance-based diesels really do have some life left in them.

The latest hot diesel-powered Alpina is based on the already potent BMW M340d xDrive. Like the four wheel-drive donor car, it comes in saloon and Touring bodystyles – the latter of which we drove briefly on the Bilster Berg club circuit in Germany.

As is Alpina’s way, the styling changes are subtle. The D3 S gets a front bumper extension, the firm’s signature turbine wheels and a reworked rear bumper valance that houses four round chromed tailpipes. It’s not much, but it’s enough to visually differentiate it from the more aggressively styled M340d. Even at a quick glance, you know it’s an Alpina.

The same is true inside, with its reworked digital instruments, revised steering wheel, new-look trim, reupholstered front seats and a badge within the centre console that indicates this is one of just 2000 or so Alpinas assembled each year.

It’s under the bonnet, though, where the most significant changes lie. The D3 S runs an upgraded version of BMW’s turbocharged 3.0-litre inline six-cylinder diesel with a 48V starter-generator. Its 350bhp and 538lb ft outputs are 15bhp and 22lb ft more than the M340d’s, mostly through the adoption of a new exhaust system.

The engine sounds relatively quiet within the cabin at start-up and it’s remarkably smooth at idle. There is some diesel chatter as you move off but the sound of the reworked six-cylinder is never overly intrusive.

There is a fleeting moment of turbo lag as the D3 S fully gets into its stride, but once you’ve tapped into that huge plateau of torque, it proves wonderfully determined.

There’s great flexibility to the delivery on a light throttle, making it truly relaxed when you’re just tooling around. However, it’s the rich seam of urge as you dip further into its reserves that appeals the most. The official 0-62mph time of 4.8sec doesn’t adequately describe the extraordinary performance this car can muster in lower gears, although a top speed of 168mph is a good indication of its potential.

We’ve only driven the new Alpina on a circuit, but it’s easy to see how its torque-infused hustle would make for spectacularly effortless touring. The diesel engine doesn’t have the emotional appeal of a well-sorted petrol unit and offers little above 5000rpm. But what it lacks in its ability to rev, it more than makes up for in its muscular mid-range. You can shift up manually at 3000rpm and encounter a rabid acceleration as the full load of torque is unleashed.