If the aggressive style and freakish speed of BMW's M8 Gran Coupe leaves you wanting, consider the 2022 BMW Alpina B8 Gran Coupe. It's an M8 throughout, but with a lighter and more sophisticated touch, including a restyled front end, softer ride, upgraded interior and Alpina's signature turbine-style wheels.
Until recently, Alpina had been an independent custom shop housed inside BMW factories, its works sold and serviced at BMW dealers. BMW acquired the brand earlier this year, but the result remains the same. Alpina's approach typically includes adding power, massaging ride quality and suspension, and resculpting exterior bits for a distinct look.
The B8 Gran Coupe builds on its base with a bump in low-end torque, up about 7% to 590 lb-ft compared to 553 lb-ft in the M8. But the M8's lone trim level — Competition — holds a slight horsepower and speed edge over the Alpina. In our testing, the M8 Gran Coupe covered 0-60 mph in a blistering 3.1 seconds. The B8 did it in 3.4 seconds. If you're inclined to the Alpina and that sounds slightly disappointing, don't waver. We're fairly certain you'll never notice the 0.3-second delay from the driver's seat.
The B8 Gran Coupe adds other details for a heightened sense of drama, especially in the cabin with illuminated Alpina treadplates, crystal infotainment controller with laser-etched Alpina logo, and a steering wheel wrapped in exclusive untreated Lavalina leather.
The Alpina B8 Gran Coupe may sound like simply another trim level in the M8 lineup, but it stands out for one key reason: exclusivity. The M8 Gran Coupe doesn't sell in high volume, but it's relatively easy to find and buy. The B8's limited production numbers mean it'll take a bit more work to find the one you like, and it's probably no surprise why Alpina models are prized by collectors. Read our Expert Rating below to see if the B8 Gran Coupe makes sense for your collection.
Edmunds Expert Rating
Our VerdictThe Edmunds Vehicle Testing Team evaluates a fresh batch of vehicles every week, pairing objective assessments at our test track with real-world driving on city streets, freeways and winding roads. The data we gather results in our Expert Ratings. They’re based on 30-plus scores that cover every aspect of the automotive experience.
Alpinas have never been the flashiest way to get around. The German tuning firm has always been about discreet speed with the comfort to match, and the 2022 Alpina B8 is no exception. It's a sleek four-door coupe that will happily whisk you around town or across the continent with both grace and pace. There are a number of cars that claim to be grand tourers these days, but few blend all of the elements of a great GT as well as the B8. If the M8 Gran Coupe is a bit too in your face and a Bentley Flying Spur screams "Russian oligarch" to you, the Alpina will hit the spot.
Rated for you by America's best test team.How does the ALPINA B8 Gran Coupe drive? Right out of the gate, thrust from the Alpina's 4.4-liter twin-turbo V8 engine is immense. Thanks to 612 horsepower and 590 lb-ft of torque, the B8 scoots from 0 to 60 mph in 3.4 seconds. That's slightly quicker than the M850i Gran Coupe but a tick slower than the M8 Gran Coupe. If you're going to go fast, you're going to need exceptional brakes, and the B8 has them. Massive Brembo calipers clamp down on equally huge steel discs, stopping the B8 from 60 mph in 94 feet. That's shorter than an M5 CS and BMW M8 Gran Coupe. For a car that weighs 4,715 pounds and is geared more toward luxury than all-out performance, that is nothing short of exceptional.
All that weight, though, shows up quickly once you start driving up twisty roads. You can really feel the mass of the B8, and the steering simply doesn't offer nearly enough feedback for the Alpina to be considered a driver's car. Even though hustling this luxury barge down a backroad can be fun, there are other high-dollar performance luxury cars that are better for the job. Instead, the Alpina is about comfort, and it crushes that purpose no matter if you're in the city or cruising down an interstate.
How comfortable is the ALPINA B8 Gran Coupe? This BMW doesn't have a single M badge on it, and that means all sporting pretense is gone. The Alpina is all about continent-cruising comfort, and it excels. The seats are covered in soft Merino leather and are exceptionally comfortable, and they're adjustable more than a dozen ways. The cabin is always whisper-quiet regardless of speed. Even the B8's ride quality, despite the oversized 21-inch wheels, is excellent.
The B8 was designed to get you and a few of your friends from wherever you are to wherever you want to be exceptionally quickly without a moment of discomfort. It's a grand tourer through and through, and it lives up to expectation almost faultlessly. If we had to nitpick we'd say the Alpina's Comfort Plus drive mode can be a little too floaty, but simply never using the setting remedies that problem.
How’s the interior? BMW's interiors have been cold and technical in recent years, but the B8 finally restores some much-wanted luxury. Yet the conversion to an Alpina doesn't upset the standard 8 Series' good ergonomics. The seating position itself is spot on, and there's plenty of adjustment range for the seat and the steering column.
Even though it's a very low-slung four-door coupe, visibility isn't too bad, though the view out the rear window is definitely compromised. Inside you'll find plenty of legroom for up to four passengers, but headroom in the back is limited so you might want to put your taller friends up front.
The Alpina's BMW iDrive system isn't the most intuitive to learn. However, once you've become acquainted with it, it works well and doesn't distract from driving duties. The presence of a dial controller and touchscreen provides much-appreciated redundant control, unlike Audi and Porsche, which have gone full-touchscreen.
How’s the tech? Even though this is an Alpina-badged car, it still gets BMW's iDrive infotainment. Take note: It's one of the most menu-dense infotainment systems on the market. It's not easy to master and takes plenty of getting used to. However, owners should give themselves time to overcome the learning curve. BMW's menu structure is logical, there are multiple ways of using the system (touch, a dial, gestures and voice commands), and it eventually becomes second nature. If you're interested in any modern BMW, spend some time sitting in a showroom and checking out iDrive to make sure it's right for you.
Driver aids like blind-spot warning and forward collision warning were helpful without being intrusive. Then there is BMW's optional Driving Assistance Professional package, which, when certain road conditions are met, will drive the car completely by itself at speeds up to 40 mph. All it asks is the driver pay attention to the road, but there's no need to keep your hands on the wheel. It made traffic-laden mornings a breeze, and while not as complete as GM's Super Cruise or Tesla's AutoPilot, it's an aid that shouldn't go unmentioned.
How’s the storage? Despite its sleek shape, this long and lean coupe offers a usable amount of trunk space — 15.5 cubic feet of free air to be exact. It neatly splits the difference between competitors like the Porsche Panamera and Mercedes-Benz AMG GT, but the Alpina's 40/60-split rear seats do allow for the loading of longer items like multiple bags of golf clubs. Because the whole car is quite low, the load lip is too, and hands-free operation of the trunk makes loading easier.
Interior storage in the B8 is just about adequate, but you're likely to run out of room if you're carrying a lot of small items. There are four cupholders up front that only fit medium-size bottles, with a center console that's nice and deep for larger items. There is also a small cubby beneath the center stack where you can hide away smaller items, and it features a wireless charging mat for your smartphone.
How’s the fuel economy? The EPA says the Alpina B8 will deliver 19 mpg combined (17 city/24 highway). Over the course of 10 days and nearly 1,000 miles in the B8, we saw 16.6 mpg on average, a bit below the EPA's estimates.
Is the ALPINA B8 Gran Coupe a good value? The higher you go up the proverbial food chain, the less money matters, but the concept of value remains the same. Is the Alpina B8 worth the $148,095 asking price? That's entirely up to those who can afford it, but there are very few cars that so seamlessly meld understated luxury and barn-storming performance as well as the B8 does. As well built as a Mercedes S-Class, as quick as some supercars, and beautiful to behold, the B8 almost makes you think $150,000 is a bit of a bargain.
BMW's three years/36,000 miles of free maintenance and four years of roadside assistance is on par with competitors in this segment. The basic and standard drivetrain warranties both extend to four years/50,000 miles.
This Alpina might be one or two cuts above anything else BMW will sell you right now, and the best part might be that no one knows it. There is a fly-under-the-radar quality about the B8, and only those who are in the know really know. It's special without shouting about it, and that understated excellence is definitely part of the B8's appeal.
There's only one well-loaded trim offered, but you can still add a personal touch to the Alpina B8 Gran Coupe. We'd include both the Driving Assistance and Driving Assistance Professional packages to get the full breadth of safety and semi-automated driving features. You'll want them for road trips. For the same reason, we'd also consider the 20-inch wheels for a softer ride and the premium Bowers & Wilkins audio system for full sonic glow.
The 2022 BMW Alpina B8 Gran Coupe is a more comfort-oriented twist on BMW's high-performance M8 Gran Coupe. It seats five passengers and comes with a twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter V8 engine (612 horsepower, 590 lb-ft of torque) paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive.
Among the B8 Gran Coupe's notable standard features are:
- 21-inch wheels with performance tires
- Adaptive suspension
- Rear-wheel steering (at low-medium speeds, rear wheels adjust independently of front wheels for improved handling)
- Adaptive LED headlights
- Panoramic sunroof
- Soft-close doors (catch as they're being closed and gently pull shut)
- Power trunklid
- Four-zone automatic climate control
- Leather upholstery
- Leather steering wheel with Alpina-specific stitching
- Glass-trimmed interior controls
- Alpina illuminated doorsill plates
- Heated armrests and steering wheel
- Heated and ventilated front sport seats with massage
- Heated rear seats
- Power rear sunshades
- 10.25-inch central touchscreen
- 16-speaker Harman Kardon sound system
- Apple CarPlay (wireless) and Android Auto smartphone connectivity
- Wireless smartphone charging pad
- Navigation
- Wi-Fi hotspot
- Head-up display (displays important information in your sight line on the windshield)
The Alpina B8 Gran Coupe also comes with driver aids such as:
- Forward collision mitigation (warns you of an impending collision and applies the brakes in certain scenarios)
- Lane departure warning (alerts you if the vehicle begins to drift out of its lane)
- Automatic high beams
While well equipped from the factory, the B8 Gran Coupe offers a handful of options, including:
- Driving Assistance package
- Blind-spot intervention (automatically steers the car back into its lane if you try to change lanes while a car is in the vehicle's blind spot)
- Forward collision mitigation with pedestrian detection
- Rear cross-traffic alert (warns you if a vehicle behind you is about to cross your vehicle's path while in reverse)
- Parking sensors (alert you to obstacles that may not be visible in front of or behind the vehicle when parking)
- Automated parking system (steers into a parking spot with little or no driver intervention)
- 360-degree camera system (gives you a top-down view of the Alpina B7 and its surroundings for tight parking situations)
- Driving Assistance Professional package (requires Driving Assistance package)
- Adaptive cruise control (adjusts speed to maintain a constant distance between the vehicle and the car in front)
- Lane keeping assistance (makes minor steering corrections to help keep the vehicle centered in its lane)
- Evasive steering assist (enhances the forward collision mitigation system with steering-based collision avoidance)
- Front cross-traffic alert
- Automated lane change
Stand-alone options include:
- 20-inch wheels
- All-season tires
- Carbon-fiber roof
- Bowers & Wilkins premium audio system
- Variety of wood, metal and carbon-fiber interior accents
- Chrome exterior trim
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