About to pull the trigger on a new Range Rover or Maybach GLS? Hold your horses because Alpina wants a word. No, not Alpine the stereo system. No, not Alpine the Formula 1 team. This is Alpina, an automotive manufacturer based out of Buchloe, Germany, that takes stock BMWs and modifies them with various hand-finished tweaks and upgrades. Think of it like what Brabus is to Mercedes, or RUF to Porsche, except these come with a full factory BMW warranty. And unlike BMW’s M models, Alpinas have a heavier emphasis on torque, automatic transmissions, and upscale interiors. Less of a track fiend and more of a gentleman’s express.

Alpina has been tinkering with BMWs since the early 1960s, starting with carburetors and crankshafts, hence the Alpina logo. Nowadays, Alpina has its hands in almost every model in the BMW range, but its offerings are more limited in Canada. On our side of the pond, we can only access their variants of the 7 Series (B7), 8 Series (B8), and X7 (XB7, as shown here).

The Alpina XB7 is a fine form of transportation, a first-class train for the family, designed with highway networks and cross-country pace in mind. It flies under the radar as easily as a Tesla in California, or a Volvo wagon in Sweden but there are some distinguishable features to spot an Alpina.

First, the wheels. Each of these Bavarian ships features two distinct wheel designs. Alpina Classic wheels are the more famous iteration, featuring a 20-spoke design wrapped under 23-inch rubber. Our test vehicle was instead adorned with Alpina Dynamic wheels, which measured 21 inches in diameter and featured a star-like shape. While an absolute menace to clean, they elevate the XB7’s curb appeal to the nth degree.

The Alpina body kit and front lip spoiler, featuring Alpina lettering, neatly highlight its visual energy. The front grill lights up for a unique signature in the dark and the stainless steel quad exhausts and Alpina Green and Alpina Blue paints are instant giveaways. One can also select from the BMW Individual Manufaktur colour palette but why would you? Alpina Green over Tartufo is a masterpiece. Daytona Violet over Ivory White is a close second. 

BMW is one of the only manufacturers that accurately matches your car’s paint colour to the live in-car displays. Our Alpina’s home menu featured a properly presented Alpina Green XB7 but with a blacked-out front grill and the summer 23-inch tires instead. What’s neat is that this 360-degree display allows you to rotate and even zoom into the vehicle, much like the online configurator. It is essentially the automotive equivalent of checking yourself out when walking past a storefront’s window. The live display will also mirror the car’s actions from ride height adjustment, signalling (a BMW rarity, let’s be honest), opened doors, or rolling and rotating wheels. Clever.

The details continue into the cabin. There are Alpina logos on the glass rotary dial and door sills, an Alpina production plaque on the cupholder cover, and Alpina-specific graphics on the instrument cluster with a purple background and green and blue accents. The steering wheel is an Alpina exclusive, wrapped in Lavalina leather which is softer and more buttery than BMW’s Merino leather but it’s slightly grainier to the touch like there’s a thin layer of peach fuzz covering the surface, but Lavalina offers more grip and feels more breathable as a result. Unfortunately, you can’t spec out the entire cabin in hand-stitched Lavalina like you can in European markets. 

Alpina also eliminates conventional paddle shifters and uses button selectors behind the wheel instead (we cheekily refer to these as the nipple shifters). We’re not the biggest fans, as they’re too small and can be difficult to locate on a whim. Be that as it may, Alpina has been using these Switch-Tronic buttons before paddle shifters even became mainstream, and the wheel’s contrast stitching is pleasing with blue on the top and green on the bottom.

Alpina’s largest chariot is a regal experience, featuring heated armrests, selectable fragrances piped through the air vents, an Alcantara headliner, and a large panoramic roof divided into three sections for each row of seats. But we noticed some missed opportunities to take the individuality even further. The key fob is the same as the regular X7, and it would have been nice if they added some Alpina badges or colours to the item. We know how much BMW owners enjoy seeing blue roundel badges plastered all over their vehicle but in this Alpina, we don’t think there are enough of them, especially on the seats and headrests (though it’s a different story in European markets). There are no Alpina stripes and decals available to be optioned for the Canadian market either and it’s a shame there are still X7 badges on the trunk cargo cover and the second-row floor-mounted cupholders, mildly chipping away at that visual sense of Alpina exclusivity, and also reminding you of its BMW foundations.

The Alpina powertrain is significant. With the help of an Alpina-specific engine tune and an updated cooling system, the 4.4-litre twin-turbocharged S68 V8 engine now develops 631 horsepower and 590 lb-ft of torque, which is 19 hp more than the 2023 model. Mated to a retuned 8-speed ZF automatic gearbox with a 48-volt starter-generator, this mild hybrid system located within the transmission ensures smoother starts, torque fill, and an overall polish and efficiency that’s now expected from this upper echelon of sport SUVs. And with maximum torque available from as low as 1,800 rpm, the XB7 is rapid off the line and exhibits virtually no turbo lag. Should the need for speed arise, it will sprint from 0-100 km/h in 4.2 seconds, quick enough to keep up with a BMW M2.

But it’s not an urgent or nervous takeoff like with BMW M engines, rather it uses its swell of torque for a progressive and calm wave that you ride gently. It’s a torque-forward engine, focused on drivability, which is what truly sets these Alpina engines apart. Even though there’s similar plumbing at work, the XB7 emits a more mature and sophisticated exhaust note than the X7 M60i, one that’s richer and with more depth to its baritone roar.

Alpina has also tinkered with the damper and two-axle air suspension setup, as well as a ride height that can change by up to 40.6mm, depending on the driving situation. There is also an Alpina-specific driving mode called Comfort Plus, which is where you always want to be. Vertical motions are barely noticeable and only the bumpiest roads will make it quiver. The XB7 wafts and glides about unfazed by what its 21-inch shoes are bulldozing over, it wastes no time settling into a flow with the road, and there’s a level of chassis fluency here that you won’t find in the X7 M60i. And it’s not as if the engine is idle in this mode either. Floor the throttle and the Alpina will instantly wake up, kick down a few gears, and thrust you into another time zone. Other cars feel lazier in their most comfortable modes but the XB7 always keeps reserves on tap and we can’t recommend this SUV enough if you want the speed and comfort of a Shinkansen in your family carriage.

Whereas Alpina would traditionally take a BMW vehicle straight off the factory floor and ship it to Buchloe for tuning, the XB7 will instead be built alongside the X7 in the Spartanburg factory in South Carolina. All the Alpina-specific parts and hardware are still manufactured in Buchloe but are sent to Spartanburg for final assembly and the finishing touches by Alpina-trained engineers. The expected quality shows.

If you know, you know. That’s the gist of the BMW Alpina XB7. It takes the bones of an X7 and creates an entirely new persona that’s remarkably exclusive and expectedly expensive, costing $50,000 more than the X7 M60i. There’s a subtle imperiousness to it, one that can’t be compared to a Range Rover or Maybach, and a rarer one at that. Alpina only makes a few thousand cars per year and while Canadians aren’t privy to arguably their more successful and attainable models like the B3 and B5, the XB7 shows the world that there is a market for such a svelte and classy SUV and that this world needs more blue and green.

Specifications:

Model: 2025 BMW Alpina XB7
Paint Type: Alpina Green Metallic II
Base Price: $175,000
Price as Tested: $195,500
Powertrain: 4.4-litre twin-turbocharged V8, 48V mild hybrid system
Horsepower: 631 hp @ 5,600 – 6,500 rpm
Torque: 590 lb-ft @ 1,800 – 5,600 rpm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Engine & Drive Configuration: Front engine, AWD
Observed Fuel Economy (L/100km): 15.4
Tires: 285/45R21; Pirelli Scorpion Winter