BMW M4 Vs Alpina B4 Bi-Turbo: Which Hot Bavarian Would You Choose?

Alpina, the maker of go-faster BMWs, has announced UK pricing for its new 435i-based B4 Bi-Turbo. It’s available now as a coupe for £58,950, or as a convertible for £62,950. It comes with an eight-speed automatic gearbox - sorry, no manual - which puts it in the same price bracket as a DCT-equipped BMW M4, prices of which start from £59,145 for the coupe and £63,375 for the convertible.

It’s all pretty similar on the power and performance front, too. Both have 3.0-litre engines derived from BMW’s N55 straight-six, with the single, twin-scroll turbo ditched for a twin-turbo setup. The M4 kicks out 425bhp and 406lb ft of torque, while the B4 is only just behind on power with 410bhp. The B4 trumps the M4 on torque with a meaty 443lb ft on tap, however. The M4 is quicker from 0-62mph at 4.1 seconds vs the B4’s 4.2, but while the M4 will hit the electronic buffers at 155mph, the unrestricted B4 will fly on to a 188mph top speed.

All sounds pretty similar, but there’s one big difference: subtlety. The M4 is covered in butch aero bits and intakes and has a big bulge on the bonnet, while the B4 doesn’t look too dissimilar when compared with its 4-series base; the B4’s decals are optional.

If you had £60k to drop on one of these cars, which would you go for? The loud and proud BMW M4, or the subtly rapid Alpina B4?