New BMW D3 BiTurbo

emzino

emzino

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http://www.pistonheads.com/news/default.asp?storyId=18495

I know this isn't Audi related but the figures are just insane! How are they pulling it off it baffles me :readit:

The press release covering the Coupé is peppered with references to the concept of ‘added lightness’ to achieve performance. Meanwhile the D3’s engine comes from the excellent BMW 123D and isn’t currently available in any of the main 3-Series range. In Alpina guise, the 4-cylinder twin turbo diesel powerplant’s output rises to from 201 to 214bhp. A revised cooling system ensures it’s capable of withstanding prolonged enthusiastic use and the ECU-work is said to virtually eliminate turbo lag.

All this results in a car capable of over 150mph and 0-60mph in 6.9 seconds. What’s more impressive, however, is the fact that it also returns a claimed 52.3mpg (combined) and emits just 143g/km of CO2. Interestingly, these figures trump the BMW 330D, which costs over £2,000 more.

Despite this, Alpina says the D3 isn’t really about straight-line performance. Revisions to the suspension, along with the new lighter 19” alloys and conventional tyres (in place of the BMW’s run-flats) are intended to produce not just sharper handling, but also a significantly improved ride.

Being an Alpina it also guarantees exclusivity – less than 100 are expected to be sold this year – and each one will offer a far greater degree of customisation than its BMW cousins. Perhaps sir like a full leather dual-colour interior? No problem. Would you prefer an alternative shade of stitching on steering wheel or floor mats edged with more hide? It can be arranged… The possibilities are endless, but naturally all are cost options.

The D3 with a manual gearbox costs £32,950 and the auto version costs £34,540.
Click to expand...
 
I find the combination of power/torque/fuel economy pretty amazing on mine, and that's with the 'old' engine (single turbo).
I'm due to get a test drive of a Bi-turbo D3 when the dealer gets one in.
Coupe's no good for me though, I'd have to wait for the saloon (some time next year).
Being able to spec one up at normal cost is good news too.
It used to be a £2k surcharge to change the spec, then the cost of the actual option above that.
Not that I'd change much, just the stereo really.
 
Still relatively slow and sound like a bag of spanners - petrol will have to rise a lot more before I defect to the derv side.

Have to appreciate the CO2/MPG/Performance figures there though, which I suppose is what you were getting at :lmfao:
 
An S3 will dispose of a bi-turbo D3 in a 0-60 dash, no argument there, but I don't think you'd find it so easy to dispose of after that.
You'll use a lot more fuel in the process too.
I could, if I'd been willing to take the chance, have done Aberdeen to Brighton on one tank of fuel (589 miles) last week.
Incredibly impressive, for a car that really won't be that far behind your S3 in real life.
 
I dont disagree with the fuel consumption statement, I do disagree with the not being able to dispose of it after 60mph though. Infact I'd love to have a race. :) :) :)

I dont really worry too much about fuel consumption. Im fortunate not to have a major hike to work etc. When i do travel far for work purposes, my fuel costs are covered anyway.
 
Its a very good engine - no doubting that, buts a 3 series when it comes down to it. Yes they are nice cars to drive, but for me its the 3 series stigma - ie rep mobile and no imagination / no interest in cars but I've a few quid so I will buy a 3 series.
Now if I could have that engine in the 1 series hatch back and have a haldex style 4 wheel drive coupled to it that to me would be much more interesting

Richard
 
Id have an Alfa Brera, with Audi cabin quality, 135i engine & haldex. Oh, and in missano red paint :)
 
rsarjantson said:
Its a very good engine - no doubting that, buts a 3 series when it comes down to it. Yes they are nice cars to drive, but for me its the 3 series stigma - ie rep mobile and no imagination / no interest in cars but I've a few quid so I will buy a 3 series.
Now if I could have that engine in the 1 series hatch back and have a haldex style 4 wheel drive coupled to it that to me would be much more interesting

Richard
Click to expand...

So you wont have the 3 series because it implies you lack imagination but you'll have the 1 series that implies you've just bought the cheapest BM to get the badge... :)

Out of interest in your opinion what image does the A4 rep mobile give?

J.
 
L60N said:
Yeah, i dont find a 0-60 dash of 7 seconds "insane"
Click to expand...

It is a for a 2.0 lite diesel saloon, but when compared to an S3 thats been mapped, it isnt.

However 'sort of' agreeing with Bowfer, on the road it will be harder to shake, not impossible though, as the diesel's torque comes in so much lower in the rev range - I used to love playing with sports cars in my 335D.

But for me at the moment there is no substitue for petrol:)
 
i can see the appeal however the car to me just screams "Bradford". Also if petrol/running costs are an option then just go for something plain not something plain trying to be sporty but doesnt really do so.0-60 in 7 seconds isnt good at all imo.
 
L60N said:
Depends what you class as a race.
Dead straight road, no argument the S3 would win.
Real life isn't like that though, there are corners involved.
You won't tell me an S3 is an inherently better handling car than a D3.
I've had tussles with much more powerful cars, including a 2-door Subaru P1 thing (ugly fecker of a thing)
He wasn't able to lose me, even if I did have to drive like a busturd to keep up.
Again, I had to giggle at the fact he was probably getting 9mpg in the process.
Click to expand...
 
Sohrob said:
In isolation, maybe not.
As I said though, the 'rolling' performance would surprise you.
I'm not interested in Santa pod pish.
It's a type of motorsport that bores the hell out of me.
"I was fastest in a straight line"
"Er.....well done...."
Click to expand...
 
bowfer said:
Depends what you class as a race.
Dead straight road, no argument the S3 would win.
Real life isn't like that though, there are corners involved.
You won't tell me an S3 is an inherently better handling car than a D3.
I've had tussles with much more powerful cars, including a 2-door Subaru P1 thing (ugly fecker of a thing)
He wasn't able to lose me, even if I did have to drive like a busturd to keep up.
Again, I had to giggle at the fact he was probably getting 9mpg in the process.
Click to expand...

I will tell you my car handles better than a D3 saloon. oodles better. Have you taken an S3 round a corner?

Trust me, if i took you round a corner in mine you'd fill yer pants :)
 
bowfer said:
Depends what you class as a race.
Dead straight road, no argument the S3 would win.
Real life isn't like that though, there are corners involved.
You won't tell me an S3 is an inherently better handling car than a D3.
I've had tussles with much more powerful cars, including a 2-door Subaru P1 thing (ugly fecker of a thing)
He wasn't able to lose me, even if I did have to drive like a busturd to keep up.
Again, I had to giggle at the fact he was probably getting 9mpg in the process.
Click to expand...

After driving my mums 325i compact i would imagine the bmw is the better handling car,i dont rate the s3 for handling.
 
L60N said:
I will tell you my car handles better than a D3 saloon. oodles better. Have you taken an S3 round a corner?

Trust me, if i took you round a corner in mine you'd fill yer pants :)
Click to expand...

Don't be so ridiculous.
Why do you think you'd be able to corner so much better that I'd "fill my pants" ?
What possible reason could you give for such a statement?
You seen the width of the tyres on a D3, backed up by Alpina tuned suspension?
Believe me, the cornering grip is amazing.
Or is this another baseless "quattro=better handling" argument....:whistle2:

I guarantee you you would not be able to out-corner me.
You might, in extremely slippy conditions, have a traction advantage out of the corner.
But into and through the corner, no advantage whatsoever.
 
marriedblonde said:
So you wont have the 3 series because it implies you lack imagination but you'll have the 1 series that implies you've just bought the cheapest BM to get the badge... :)

Out of interest in your opinion what image does the A4 rep mobile give?

J.
Click to expand...

NO I would not have the 3 series at all and I really dont give a stuff if the I series projects the image of buying the cheapest BMW.

I've not looked at the actual price of the 2 but I'm sure there is quite a cross over on price ie top end 1 series (either petrol or diesel) costing same / more than mid range 3 series) and I would not be one of the saddo's that buys say a 318 and goes for the debadge option !

A4 rep mobile - well it used to seen as a different choice than a 3 series, not sure now as most of the reps that call to see me now moan that their fleet managers have given them vauxhalls or Pugs etc as they are seen as cheaper to lease.

Richard
 
I don't differentiate between A4 and 3-series in terms of image.
When I see either of them, I automatically think "company car".
Doesn't bother me at all.
My car may just be a 3-series to some, but even my wife remarked at how many people were looking at it when we were driving around England last week.
It's evidently different enough from a normal 3-series to warrant the attention.
If all I could have was a base 3-series, I wouldn't have one.
I wouldn't have a base model of any car (short of a DB9)

One funny thing happened on the M25.
Me and another (grey) D3 owner ended up one behind the other in a jam, and for miles after.
There are only 357 of them in the country, and here's two of them in the same place, at the same time.
 
I'm no Jason Plato but I am pretty experienced (8 track days a year maybe for the last 4 years) on track and in my S3 I couldn't lose a 200bhp BMW in the corners for love nor money.

Any BMW has a better chassis and cornering capability than my S3 - that is just a fact. On the straights its a different story but in the corners a BMW with better weight distribution and RWD will be better.
 
bowfer said:
Don't be so ridiculous.
Why do you think you'd be able to corner so much better that I'd "fill my pants" ?
What possible reason could you give for such a statement?
You seen the width of the tyres on a D3, backed up by Alpina tuned suspension?
Believe me, the cornering grip is amazing.
Or is this another baseless "quattro=better handling" argument....:whistle2:

I guarantee you you would not be able to out-corner me.
You might, in extremely slippy conditions, have a traction advantage out of the corner.
But into and through the corner, no advantage whatsoever.
Click to expand...


LoL, i was trying to be humerous... :sorry:

Bang bang, you shot me down :weight_lift2: bang bang, i hit the ground :faint:
 
rsarjantson said:
I would not be one of the saddo's that buys say a 318 and goes for the debadge option !
Click to expand...

I was at the traffic lights last night next to some idiot in an Alpine White de-badged 3 series coupe. The single oval pipe gave the game away. Base model! Hands free earpiece, spiky hair, bad pink shirt/tie combo, windows down, cheap dance music blasting out..... Christ almighty how i chuckled. Just goes to show not ALL of the ***** have crossed over to Audi! ;)
 
I don't think any make is exclusively '****'.

Oh no, hang on.................Subaru.....:gun2:
 
Have to agree - there are ***** in all makes of car
Lol I will tell my parents they are ***** for driving an old and battered Subaru Legacy !!

Richard
 
I'll tell the disabled guy over the road he's a **** when i see him disemarking out of his Subaru next :idea:
 
another BMW v Audi thread :(

The D3 coupe should be applauded for what it achieves, it's not aimed at the S3 so unsure why the comparison is being made, if anything it should be compared to the TT 2.0TDI or the A5 with a comparable engine - in this scenario perhaps the biast opinions would be different ?!?
 
I doubt you the Subaru P1 could not loose you....

We are talking of a 280hp proper 4WD with around 350nM of torque and a light weight of 1295Kg!! 0-60 in 4.6 sec......

But maybe your D3 is superb and you drive better than the "****" in the Scooby..

Pedro
 
I really like everything about it, quick, economical, looks good! But then I see the price :(
 
One of our clients at work has the D3 saloon as his run about and runs various exotica at weekends so cant be that bad a car!
 
So the A3 is a what...?!? Driven by estate agents mainly!

Don't know many reps that charge about in a 3 (1.8 or not).

Have to say, I'm looking forward to getting my "rep mobile" in September. :)
 
Real world there isn't much that will keep up with an economical TDi engine on a really long trip, the simple reason being that the time taken to keep filling the tank up in anything else makes up for any speed difference.

My bike (with me on) can do 2.8 - 60 now its one hell of a rush but if I keep the throttle pinned I may be quicker than most on four wheels but there is always something faster than you. The thing is throttle pinned all the time its probably only donna be 90 miles till I need to fill up, and there is only so fast you can go unless your on a pure speed run with nobody about.

Now in the audi if I keep a nice solid rate but not too fast not too slow I'll get 600+ miles out of the tank, so to do the same on the bike I'd have to fill up 7 times! Ok I'll have got further inbetween the time but have you seen how long some people take paying for fuel, fecking chip and pin whiy cant people remember a code aaaaarrrrgggggghhhhhh!

Anyway my theory has changed on cars, if you like what you have then its all good if you don't work harder and get a nicer car. Who cares how quick you can go in *nippy* cars you'd still be blasted by a GT3 everything is relative. For £10k you could have a turbo busa like my mate who has a special wheelie button which can still be activated at 160mph and pull up the front wheel! (Yes he is Insane!)

Lets all just love quality cars (ok and bikes if ur like me)! (This does not involve anything french hahahaha!) Oh and yeah beemer get good results with their biturbo's, I love progression we all benefit in the end cos if its good others will follow if its not could buy a fiat and stay in the 70's haha!
 
who said 0-60 in 7 secs isn't good? I think thats damn good for a diesel - just shows how far the technology has come - few years back they were just super slow and be lucky if you got to 60 in 20 secs.

For me, i have test drove an S3 and although i did give it a bit of a screw, it didn't light my fire, and didn't feel 'shockingly' faster than my 170TDI s-tronic (torque has a lot to answer for and is at the end of the day the ONLY force an engine creates)

Think id rather have 200bhp at 45mpg than 265bhp at 25mpg - its an all-round no brainer to me
 
L60N said:
Yep, if you care about mpg... which i dont :moa:
Click to expand...

fair enough - but depends on your circumstances, if you get that paid for by company or dont do many miles or whatever
 
PNH80 said:
I was at the traffic lights last night next to some idiot in an Alpine White de-badged 3 series coupe. The single oval pipe gave the game away. Base model! Hands free earpiece, spiky hair, bad pink shirt/tie combo, windows down, cheap dance music blasting out..... Christ almighty how i chuckled. Just goes to show not ALL of the ***** have crossed over to Audi! ;)
Click to expand...


Oh how your opinions change now you;ve ordered your Audi ;)

There's someone in Newbury burning around in a new Coupe, base model, with an M3 badge on it... Why, oh why, oh why!
 
PNH80 said:
I was at the traffic lights last night next to some idiot in an Alpine White de-badged 3 series coupe. The single oval pipe gave the game away. Base model! Hands free earpiece, spiky hair, bad pink shirt/tie combo, windows down, cheap dance music blasting out..... Christ almighty how i chuckled. Just goes to show not ALL of the ***** have crossed over to Audi! ;)
Click to expand...

Even the base model starts at over £26K; £29 if it's an M sport. And that's without any toys. Still, saved 500 quid on metallic paint!
 
marriedblonde said:
Oh how your opinions change now you;ve ordered your Audi ;)

There's someone in Newbury burning around in a new Coupe, base model, with an M3 badge on it... Why, oh why, oh why!
Click to expand...

Lol, no i'd still have a 335i coupe in a heartbeat. Just not economically viable unfortunately.
What made the guy a **** is revving next to me at the lights, jerking back and forth on the clutch only to be left for dead when the lights changed.
Surely just leave the 320 badge on the back and accept it's not a fast car? Felt a bit sorry for him really...
 
So who was the ****, racing at the traffic lights.........:moa:
 
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