Another hot wagon is heading to Frankfurt.
When you come from the same bloodline as the so-called fastest sedan in the world, you’re going to be packing some serious firepower under the hood. That’s likely what we have here in these latest spy photos of the upcoming 2020 Alpina B3 wagon. This model is based on the latest G21 BMW 3 Series (G20 for the sedan), and will come in both sedan and wagon variants.
At first glance, it may be tough to tell it apart from its standard BMW counterpart. From the front, it looks pretty much the same, but there are some more subtle clues. The large-diameter multi-spoke Alpina wheels are a lock, as are the wider rear tires and quad oval exhaust out back.
As far as powertrains are concerned, we can almost certainly expect to see a twin-turbo version of BMW’s 3.0-liter straight-six engine. Here it will be amped up from the standard M340i models, which puts out 382 horsepower in U.S. spec. While the 2020 Alpina B3 will make more power than that, it may not pack as much punch as the full-on M3. Those models will make 473 horsepower in standard form, while the Competition variants manage 503 horsepower.
Supposedly, this new B3 could make the 0-60 sprint in under four seconds, which would put it on par or faster than its German rivals.
Hot wagons aren’t exactly hot commodities in the U.S., but the Alpina B3 will face some competition over in Europe. Buyers over there have the Audi RS4 Avant as well as the Mercedes-AMG C-Class, in either six- or eight-cylinder forms.
We should know more specifics about the 2020 Alpina B3 next week around the Frankfurt Motor Show. Stay tuned for more auto show updates!
