2019-10-01_CAR_UK

OCTOBER 2019 | CARMAGAZINE.CO.UK 55

This junior 911 is now a damn fast sports car
that’ll make you question the need for more. I
often prefer the lesser Porsches with their more
accessible pace, greater value and less extreme
vibe. The Carrera 2 is all the 911 you’ll ever need
and has the comfort, gadgetry and refinement
to make a superlative grand tourer.
The problem is, if you hanker after a 911 you
may wish for more character, more edge – and
you’ll find that further up the Porsche food-
chain with the current S or forthcoming GTS,
Turbo and GT3 models. If the S didn’t exist, or
if this basic Carrera were significantly cheaper,
then there would be less of a quandary. But as
it stands, it’s well worth finding the extra 10
grand or so that will get you an S.
TIM POLLARD

THE FIRST HOUR

1 minute

It looks great on

optional 22-inchers

3 minutes

Alpina logos here,

there and everywhere

9 minutes

First serious uphill

climb... hang on, what

hill? 516lb ft of torque

flattens all gradients

39 minutes

First serious bends:

lots of grip, letting you

enjoy the engine

47 minutes

One the wrong

surface, too much

wallowing. Blame

the wheels

First verdict

Starter-spec Carrera is brilliantly polished
gateway drug to more serious 911s, but it
prioritises luxe over athleticism
★★★★★

▲

PLUS

Well co-ordinated

engine and gearbox;

awesome traction

MINUS

▼

Huge wheels compro-

mise ride quality; that

interior’s not subtle

If you want the look

and most of the

dynamic excellence,

this is your 911

You’ll be aware of the One

Song to the Tune of Another

round on the radio panel game

show I’m Sorry I Haven’t a Clue.

Graeme Garden sings Kung Fu

Fighting to the tune of Green-

sleeves, that sort of caper. The

Alpina XD3 is a lot like that –

its comedy value heightened by

the knowledge that it’s actually

very tricky to pull off.

BMW tuners Alpina have

given themselves the mission

of bringing out the on-road

excellence of the BMW X3.

So it’s a diesel 4x4 with a

sophisticated limited-slip rear

diff, cranked-up power output

(392bhp), upgraded cabin and

20-inch wheels as standard,

or optional 22s. For whatever

reason, plenty of people like

this sort of thing – see the

success of the Merc GLC 63 –

and are prepared to pay for the

privilege: in this case £57,900,

or £70,135 with our car’s extras.

The starting point is BMW’s

3.0-litre straight-six diesel

with twin turbos. Some of

the running gear is BMW’s.

What’s not been replaced has

been tweaked by Alpina.

The bespoke suspension is

excellent – sportily firm, but

smooth. It works very well with

the tuned power steering, the

wide tyres and the breathed-

on torque distribution to make

cornering grippy, accurate and

responsive. Also fast.

In Sport mode the gearbox

is rewardingly aggressive

about changing down to dip

into all that torque, but even

in Comfort it still gives you

a taste of Pikes Peak. There’s

endless pleasure to be had

from blasting uphill.

The only downside, dynam-

ically, is when an undulating

surface disagrees with our test

car’s 22-inch wheels. Then you

find yourself playing Buckaroo

on a stormy sea, and you think

you might be better off in

something less individual.

COLIN OVERLAND

Ridiculously good

BMW ALPINA XD3

Costly overkill, but also great quality and a blast to drive

First verdict

An excellent answer to

a bizarre question

★★★★★

At a glance, still a

BMW. But far better

than any propeller-

badged X3