@@the-boring-car-guy the G20 B3 has an S58 so the Alpina has an M motor too. Don’t think for a second that the G80 is more like an Alpina just because of the ZF and awd. It’s still an M car
I would kill to have alpina custom build this with a manual gearbox. It would be a perfect do-everything car. Beautifully done and those rims are amazing.
Chris, you are the best car journalist out there. No one else comes close to your level when it come to the way you communicate what you feel. It is almost like being there with you. Awesome stufff and great footage.. Thank you .
+Sreten Jovanovic its because its physically impossible to shift a manual transmission faster than a dual clutch automatic. sadly, most forms of driver involvement are becoming obsolete, no matter how fun they are.
Chris, please do also a review of the Alpina D3 because, for example in eastern Europe people are more tempted to buy diesel cars, and for example the Alpina B3 is exceptional but we want to know how well does a D3 go, and its rather better if u do a review because you can compare the both and see if it it worth spending money on a diesel rather than petrol car. Keep up the good work, Best regards from Romania!
This is the first time I've watched a Chris Harris video, finally someone who can really drive and tells us all the stuff matters, obviously you know because you've just watched the video :P this is what Top Gear needs to have a lot more of!
MrSockenloch I agree, they target a different kind of audience, and both are great shows, but Chris really goes in depth in his reviews, and he really can make you feel how the car feels with his videos.
The Alpina is NOT less than an BMW M. First of all the Alpina is only limited at 190 mph. (as every audi bmw or merc (called gentleman's agreement)) Second Alpina got a history. You may not know this but Alpina is the older BMW tuner out there. Third: The BMW M is designed for an aggressive trim for people who want to drive their car on the racetrack. The Alpina is designed for businessmen or other guys who want something different. Alpina is for understatement.
+Kleinermann413 Alpina cars are mostly not limited. 305 km/h is its real top speed. BMW, Audi and Mercedes usually limit their cars to 250 km/h, with some sport models that can be unlimited or have a higher limit if you pay for it.
+WhitewalkerII you'll get it at AMG and Quattro for sure , it's called Driverspackage at AMG and Dynamicpackage at Quattro. That's doable over here in Germany.
Another outstanding episode on a fantastic car. The best in the biz, Harris. On this one, I wish perhaps you would have focused more on just how special the engine in the B3 is. Alpina are the only ones so far who have managed a twin turbo kit (and a factory finish quality job at that) on the N55 motor. It simply doesn't exist outside their factory. The fact that they chose to custom-engineer a TT config on the newest platform rather than just slap an N54 in there, really speaks to their ethic.
This is my perfect daily driver/sleeper. It's a perfect all rounder and it doesn't attract attention from the cops while at the same time looks very handsome. Perfect
Since my parents came to my house in 2003 in their new car I love alpina. The car was an Alpina D10 biturbo touring (E39). The previous car was a E39 M5, and they liked the Alpina for what it was, a sleeper.
Everything about this car seems great. I had previously thought that Alpina's were just slight tuned BMW's that went a little bit faster. However, I now know that as an already huge fan of BMW, I may need to consider getting one of these! Only bad thing about this video was how short it was and I wished that I could have seen/heard him really try to push the engine to its limits. If I ever have some spare change lying around I will seriously consider this car. What a machine!
I don't know what it is exactly about Chris... All of the presenters on Drive cover great subjects. They all ooze enthusiasm. But Chris just feels like he's excited to share his discoveries with me in particular. It's very engaging. And very entertaining.
4:10 That really looked like an accident in the making D-: As always, great review. This format with Chris really is what Top Gear could´ve been if they hadn´t jumped the shark. Awesome, glad I found this channel, although I was a bit late to the party...
Such a beauty, amazing car. The wheels are Huge for a 3 series, I think they could have settled with a 19 rather than a 20 to improve ride quality and reduce the risk of damaging those gorgeous but very expensive Alpina alloys
Indeed, with the greatest respect i find the other guys jarring to say the least. No flair at all. Perhaps it's because they are American but i don't find all Americans annoying by any means. Chris is fast turning into a bit of a legend- it helps that he can clearly 'Drive' ;). I'd love to see him driving some random older stuff too, maybe an Ultima GTR 720 just to see how it really stacks up with some of these modern hypercars..... Keep it up Chris :)
it's not how much time JF gives him, it's how much footage Chris can manage to shoot in the limited amount of time he's given with the car. He and other Drive hosts have mentioned before that at times they are only allowed to have to car for a few hours and in that time they must shoot the actual shots of the car (drifts, etc.) while giving their honest impression of it. Frankly, I'm amazed that Chris and Neil are able to put out these quality videos on their own.
SUPERB video. Chris has such a fond following (he's the best there is), but how about the guys who put this video together? It was beautiful to watch. Made the car that much more desirable. Many thanks.
More of this, please! I'd like to see more cars "tuned" by other companies than the manufacturer, like Alpina and BMW, or the Callaway Corvettes and more examples (if there are any) to see what sets them apart. Thanks and congratulations for this wonderful review, Chris and crew.
Chris's segments are by far my favorite automotive shows - if the shows were longer and more frequent they might be better than TopGear UK. I wish TopGear would do a segment with Chris - that would be epic.
Another great review from Chris Harris! The Alpina B3 is definitely an interesting vehicle, but one we think worth passing unless you have deep pockets... it is an Alpina after all.
you are most very welcome. The Alpina are very interesting cars. Funny/strange that the reviewer (Chris Harris?) never covered these details. I like the cars. For myself I think I would probably take diesel power for the fuel economy either D3 or better still the D5. Cheers David thanks
Great video review Chris! Can't wait for the new M3/M4 reviews you're gonna do and comparing them back to the 335i/435i and this Alpina B3. Keep up the awesome work man!
Really need to seek out those roads one weekend, there's just nothing like that around where I live :( nice video, i remember seeing my first alpina about 7 or 8 years ago and thought it looked the doggies b's. Glad your back squire!!
Welcome back Chris, hope you enjoyed your time off. I volunteererd to fill in for you, but alas, they never called me. Oh well "que sera, sera." Will this Alpina model be offered in the U.S.? I like the stealthness of it all and the performance doesn't hurt either. I would, however, replace the 20" wheels with some 19's thus lowering the unsprung weight and improving ride quality while in Sport mode.
I think I remember seeing a Sony FS-700 in the 991 GT3 episode in the passenger seat. From all the slo-mo work Neil does, I assume he uses a FS-700 for at least some shots. In-car shots are probably DSLR. Friggin beautiful shots and journalism work here.
'Chris Harris on Cars' is what Top Gear 'used' to be (when it was just Clarkson) and what I hope it will be again one day. Easily the best car review program on the net (or telly for that matter).
0:48 the camera angle doesn't show how steep that corner is, the black mountain road is one of the best in Wales. Always loved going up there on my bandit =) there's an old video on RUclips of some guy doing the road on an R1 and it's mental hahaha
It is amazing how Alpina can put the same wheel design on all of their cars and they all work well !!!
Mike K. EXACTLY. Alpina is simply brilliant in regards to that.
Ok I own an alpina my self by I can tell u the alpina does not look good on the B3
Love this review
We can say the wheel design is timeless though
Nasty wheels
If anyone is interested, the road used for this test is the A4069 near Gwynfe :)
Thank you sir, will be visiting in mid-April 😉
Très beau
All these years later, and I still never get tired of watching that.
ikr?! my fav "sleeper" car
Not gonna lie, 4:12 caught me off guard lol
I would definitely choose this over the new M3 / M4
@Joe Costner it was 6 years ago when I posted this post and is far more elegant and a lot rarer too
With those stupid paddles? No thank you. It's interesting to see now that the G80 M3 has become more alpina like given its use of 4WD and a ZF
It still do
@@the-boring-car-guy the G20 B3 has an S58 so the Alpina has an M motor too. Don’t think for a second that the G80 is more like an Alpina just because of the ZF and awd. It’s still an M car
I would kill to have alpina custom build this with a manual gearbox. It would be a perfect do-everything car. Beautifully done and those rims are amazing.
This is the seventh time I've watched this video.
Chris, you are the best car journalist out there. No one else comes close to your level when it come to the way you communicate what you feel. It is almost like being there with you. Awesome stufff and great footage.. Thank you .
The intro.... God bless Alpina! And God bless the art of drifting!
Watching this in 2020 and remember how much better Chris Harris was before he was diluted by top gear :(
DC Williams get through what?
He's diversifying on many platforms now. Topgear isn't his only outlet. It just pays his bills
I'd wet myself if this was a manual
It really should be
Sam I think there is not manual gearbox on the market that can hold 700NM of torque, that's why it has zf 8 speed which can take 1000NM I think.
Sreten Jovanovic I am sure there is one from Tremec.
+Sreten Jovanovic its because its physically impossible to shift a manual transmission faster than a dual clutch automatic. sadly, most forms of driver involvement are becoming obsolete, no matter how fun they are.
+James Lampe this car doesnt have a dual clutch automatic though. its got a torque converter automatic.
Thank God he's back! This is the only thing I watch on the entire Drive Channel!
2:28 You can easily... BROOOOM... A bit too much
i think this car is more desirable than the new m3..
I just don't understand how people can't see how amazing Alpina is!
Thank god Harris is back... Drive is worth bloody watching again.
0:49 turn on subtitles
Oh god
Haha, Oh dear !!
I hate those people.
So so clean looking, oh my. The little rise on the rear boot, subtle lip, just wow
Chris, please do also a review of the Alpina D3 because, for example in eastern Europe people are more tempted to buy diesel cars, and for example the Alpina B3 is exceptional but we want to know how well does a D3 go, and its rather better if u do a review because you can compare the both and see if it it worth spending money on a diesel rather than petrol car. Keep up the good work, Best regards from Romania!
This is the first time I've watched a Chris Harris video, finally someone who can really drive and tells us all the stuff matters, obviously you know because you've just watched the video :P this is what Top Gear needs to have a lot more of!
Fantastic both car and the review
It's Chris Bloody Hell Harris! These videos never disappoint.
Chris, you make such good car reviews! Top Gear is a joke compared to this.
BUT Top Gear is epic fun, you must agree with this
MrSockenloch I agree, they target a different kind of audience, and both are great shows, but Chris really goes in depth in his reviews, and he really can make you feel how the car feels with his videos.
the irony
yea :D
Lennart Nieuwland lmao the irony indeed
Those were beautiful shots of the cars wheels sliding close-up.
A lovely car and a simple yet very good review.
Chris Harris really is the best car reviewer with just a dash of tongue in cheek and understatement
The Alpina is NOT less than an BMW M.
First of all the Alpina is only limited at 190 mph. (as every audi bmw or merc (called gentleman's agreement))
Second Alpina got a history. You may not know this but Alpina is the older BMW tuner out there.
Third: The BMW M is designed for an aggressive trim for people who want to drive their car on the racetrack. The Alpina is designed for businessmen or other guys who want something different. Alpina is for understatement.
+Kleinermann413 Alpina cars are mostly not limited. 305 km/h is its real top speed. BMW, Audi and Mercedes usually limit their cars to 250 km/h, with some sport models that can be unlimited or have a higher limit if you pay for it.
+WhitewalkerII you'll get it at AMG and Quattro for sure , it's called Driverspackage at AMG and Dynamicpackage at Quattro.
That's doable over here in Germany.
Alpina is NOT a tuner. Its a manufacturer
Love those rims! Legendary!
The whole car just looks right.
Wish these were available in the U.S.
Don't make assumptions unless you can prove them dumbass.
+MKB35
Are you sure they arent? Ive seen a lot of B7's here in Canada
+Price of Freedom you can get the B7 in america
+MKB35 Pretty sure you can order any Alpina through any BMW dealer.
+Grant Novak No. Only where Alpina has partnerships. And in the US and Canada it's a completely different system where BMW sells the B7 and B6 GC.
Another outstanding episode on a fantastic car. The best in the biz, Harris.
On this one, I wish perhaps you would have focused more on just how special the engine in the B3 is. Alpina are the only ones so far who have managed a twin turbo kit (and a factory finish quality job at that) on the N55 motor. It simply doesn't exist outside their factory. The fact that they chose to custom-engineer a TT config on the newest platform rather than just slap an N54 in there, really speaks to their ethic.
nice rolex sub
This is my perfect daily driver/sleeper. It's a perfect all rounder and it doesn't attract attention from the cops while at the same time looks very handsome. Perfect
much more attractive than the m3
absolud !
Love the Alpina wheels... saw a E60 M5 on giant Alpina rims the other day it it looked fantastic.
I have them on my 335i
Learn more about cars every time I watch Chris's videos!
Who else cried at 5:54 ?????
Yeah i know
Me
Like a river
Absolutely brilliant analysis Chris!! As per usual, huge fan.
5:55 - poor tyre :)
Chris Harris is the David Attenborough of cars.
I've never seen any real Alpina/Hamann BMW on the road before (besides those who only put on the bodykits and rims). Who buys these cars?
+MasMember Really often is exaggerated. I've only seen two yet. And one belongs to my neighbour. E46 B3 manual. He wants to sell it, too.
+Virelio in cincinnatti ohio there is a black b7. have observed it personally. ive heard one of the Bengals football players. owns it.
7:15 The new M3 will be faster and more exciting...boy did BMW not get the memo.
4 exhausts, alpina b3 biturbo emblems, big alpina front splitter, discreet my anus.
You have to see one in real life. They are FAR more discreet than the M models.
Chris has driven those roads so much I can confidently say he can navigate them blind folded and in reverse better than I could regularly.
20 profile = beautiful
I'm back watching this again in 2024.
The B4 is ALL the car you'll ever need on the road. And looks good, unlike this B3.
I like the 3 series looks........ and i´ve sit in both of them, 3 and 4, and i´ve to say i feel a little more comfortable with the 3 series.
To me Chris and Neil are the best team in automotive journalism.
those wheels are ugly
lies
Chris Harris, Finally, did not disappoint
as always
Never liked the Alpina wheels though...
My weekly fix of motoring perfection. Another fantastic review.
I agree 100%...The M3 nameplate is iconic and so powerful that even women who know nothing about cars know that the M3 name means something special.
Chris harris is the only reason i have subscribed this channel :)
Since my parents came to my house in 2003 in their new car I love alpina.
The car was an Alpina D10 biturbo touring (E39). The previous car was a E39 M5, and they liked the Alpina for what it was, a sleeper.
Everything about this car seems great. I had previously thought that Alpina's were just slight tuned BMW's that went a little bit faster. However, I now know that as an already huge fan of BMW, I may need to consider getting one of these! Only bad thing about this video was how short it was and I wished that I could have seen/heard him really try to push the engine to its limits. If I ever have some spare change lying around I will seriously consider this car. What a machine!
Alpina cars are best.. they never get old and never get depreciated
I don't know what it is exactly about Chris...
All of the presenters on Drive cover great subjects. They all ooze enthusiasm. But Chris just feels like he's excited to share his discoveries with me in particular. It's very engaging. And very entertaining.
Finally, feels like i have waited all my life for Chris to come back :D
Yay another Chris Harris video at last! And I love that road
Very good video Chris. Hats off to you. The best on youtube by a country mile.
4:10 That really looked like an accident in the making D-:
As always, great review. This format with Chris really is what Top Gear could´ve been if they hadn´t jumped the shark. Awesome, glad I found this channel, although I was a bit late to the party...
Such a beauty, amazing car. The wheels are Huge for a 3 series, I think they could have settled with a 19 rather than a 20 to improve ride quality and reduce the risk of damaging those gorgeous but very expensive Alpina alloys
i just cannot get enough of chris harris reviews
Absolutely great test with awesome shots - love it!
A truly perfect car. Chris is the goat.
Indeed, with the greatest respect i find the other guys jarring to say the least. No flair at all. Perhaps it's because they are American but i don't find all Americans annoying by any means. Chris is fast turning into a bit of a legend- it helps that he can clearly 'Drive' ;). I'd love to see him driving some random older stuff too, maybe an Ultima GTR 720 just to see how it really stacks up with some of these modern hypercars..... Keep it up Chris :)
Chris Harris, definitely one of the greatest car reviewers in the world right now
Thats one wonderful car. Always loved alpinas.
it's not how much time JF gives him, it's how much footage Chris can manage to shoot in the limited amount of time he's given with the car. He and other Drive hosts have mentioned before that at times they are only allowed to have to car for a few hours and in that time they must shoot the actual shots of the car (drifts, etc.) while giving their honest impression of it. Frankly, I'm amazed that Chris and Neil are able to put out these quality videos on their own.
it gets to the point where I don't care about the car, Chris' reviews are entertaining and brutally honest
SUPERB video. Chris has such a fond following (he's the best there is), but how about the guys who put this video together? It was beautiful to watch. Made the car that much more desirable. Many thanks.
More of this, please! I'd like to see more cars "tuned" by other companies than the manufacturer, like Alpina and BMW, or the Callaway Corvettes and more examples (if there are any) to see what sets them apart. Thanks and congratulations for this wonderful review, Chris and crew.
Looking at this car chasing the camera and I imagine I am Jason Bourne and the other trained killer is after me in an Alpina. Great vid, beautiful car
I love those wheels. This looks like a fantastic car!
Love Chris Harris reviews. Never disappoint. Keep it up mate
lovely camera work and cinematography. another enjoyable / watchable review.
Chris's segments are by far my favorite automotive shows - if the shows were longer and more frequent they might be better than TopGear UK. I wish TopGear would do a segment with Chris - that would be epic.
Harris, you are killing those closing shots. Well done sir. Looking forward to the next video.
I've just seen one in black like this one. What an amazing sound
oh my god this car is so beautiful 😭😍
Another great review from Chris Harris! The Alpina B3 is definitely an interesting vehicle, but one we think worth passing unless you have deep pockets... it is an Alpina after all.
Chris Harris you are the best, sir.
Nowadays I just like Chris Harris's videos before I even watch them.
you are most very welcome. The Alpina are very interesting cars. Funny/strange that the reviewer (Chris Harris?) never covered these details. I like the cars. For myself I think I would probably take diesel power for the fuel economy either D3 or better still the D5. Cheers David thanks
Glad to have you back Chris!
Great video review Chris! Can't wait for the new M3/M4 reviews you're gonna do and comparing them back to the 335i/435i and this Alpina B3. Keep up the awesome work man!
Never been much of a beemer fan, but man if Chris were an Alpina salesman he'd make a sale on me any given day
Really need to seek out those roads one weekend, there's just nothing like that around where I live :( nice video, i remember seeing my first alpina about 7 or 8 years ago and thought it looked the doggies b's. Glad your back squire!!
Welcome back Chris, hope you enjoyed your time off. I volunteererd to fill in for you, but alas, they never called me. Oh well "que sera, sera."
Will this Alpina model be offered in the U.S.? I like the stealthness of it all and the performance doesn't hurt either. I would, however, replace the 20" wheels with some 19's thus lowering the unsprung weight and improving ride quality while in Sport mode.
This, is my perfect car. Absolutely lovely.
I think I remember seeing a Sony FS-700 in the 991 GT3 episode in the passenger seat. From all the slo-mo work Neil does, I assume he uses a FS-700 for at least some shots. In-car shots are probably DSLR.
Friggin beautiful shots and journalism work here.
Lovely car. It looks amazing
Thank god you are back Chris, I was getting worried!
Chris Harris Rocking his new Grid 2 Video game T-Shirt, Awesome trailer...
Alpina's rims are just fabulous.
'Chris Harris on Cars' is what Top Gear 'used' to be (when it was just Clarkson) and what I hope it will be again one day. Easily the best car review program on the net (or telly for that matter).
ya i prefer a 8min chris harris video to an episode of top gear. guy does some great work
My fav vids on youtube chris, keep em coming man
Can u pleeeeease tell me which camera do you use for the shoots and also which is the software for the slomo's?
Great video by the way ;-)
0:48 the camera angle doesn't show how steep that corner is, the black mountain road is one of the best in Wales. Always loved going up there on my bandit =) there's an old video on RUclips of some guy doing the road on an R1 and it's mental hahaha