BMW Alpina B4 vs Cupra Terramar

What's the difference?

You could almost call the B4 S the anti-M4. It's still fast and practical but from a completely different perspective. It's much more a grand tourer than the M4 and even with the Akrapovic exhaust (usually a byword for joyous, anti-social racket), subtle.

For some, the price won't matter because the Alpina delivers what they want - M4-like straight line performance without the histrionics or the uncompromising chassis. And there's also a bit of that perverse exclusivity of the styling that you won't get anywhere else.

The Cupra Terramar VZe looks fantastic on the road and confidently handles most things you throw at it. The plug-in hybrid set-up offers a nice blend of performance and efficiency. But… when you start digging into the price and ownership promise and what you do (and don’t) get for your money, it doesn’t always feel like the most compelling package. Sexy and sporty? Definitely. Value-for-money? Mmm.

Alpina has always had a particular aesthetic that could uncharitably be termed as mid-'80s West German - all set square angles and body graphics. Think David Hasselhoff's Berlin Wall look. The company has never really deviated from adding squared-off body bits to the various BMWs it has rebadged under its long-running agreement.

For the B4S, Alpina adds the signature billion-spoke alloy wheels (only a slight exaggeration), a new front splitter complete with Alpina lettering, a weirdly proportioned boot lid lip spoiler and - not even joking - pinstripes. Like I said, mid-'80s West German. You can still recognise the sleek 4 Series Coupe but perhaps the worst of it is the super-sized, wonky-looking ALPINA B4S on the boot.

Inside is rather more restrained apart from the ill-fitting Alpina plaque under the climate control. Again, it's all 4 Series in here, with the lovely Merino leather liberally applied across the cabin. Less lovely is the wood on the door pulls and console but the door cards have an oddly appealing woven leather which looks and feels good.

Sadly the standard 4 Series steering wheel is along for the ride. There's nothing wrong with it - although the Alpina logo does look out of place - but if I were a product planner, I'd beg for the lovelier M wheel.

Design is one of the areas where the Terramar makes a strong first impression. It’s sharply styled, and very much aimed at buyers who aren’t quite ready to let go of their sportier tastes, even if their car choice suggests otherwise. The stance is wide, the proportions are tidy and those 20-inch copper alloy wheels do a lot of the heavy lifting visually.

Up front, the grille features a triangular LED lighting signature that, for anyone who grew up with it, looks a little like the Triforce (Zelda). Around the back, there’s a full-width light bar with a 3D illuminated logo which enhances the overall 'cool-edge' style the Terramar has.

Inside, that same theme carries through. The cabin is clean but still visually interesting, with plenty of soft-touch materials and leather throughout. Copper-coloured accents are used generously but not to the point where it feels overdone and give it a firm identity.

The optional panoramic roof lifts the space and the 12.9-inch central display sits front and centre, giving the cabin a properly high-end feel.

If you're in the front, you're in luck - it's a comfortable place to be, with plenty of leg and headroom. Down back isn't terrible despite the coupe roofline. The two seats are nicely shaped for maximum comfort and separated by an odd plastic tray. The fold-down armrest has two cupholders.

Front seat passengers score a pair of cupholders (bring the total to four for the car) and the long doors will hold a bottle each.

The boot swallows a reasonable 445 litres, which isn't at all bad.

In terms of practicality, the Terramar feels a little mixed depending on where you’re sitting.

Space and comfort first. The front row is where it feels most at ease. The sport seats are supportive, with enough adjustment to stay comfortable on a longer drive and the added heating and driver’s memory function round things out nicely. That said, elbow room can feel a little tight if you’re sitting alongside someone broad-shouldered.

The rear row is more of a compromise. Legroom behind my driving position is on the tighter side, and for context, I’m 168cm, though headroom holds up reasonably well, even with the panoramic roof. The shape of the seat base and storage cut-outs also make the bench feel narrower, so it’s better suited to two adults than three.

Storage is about what you’d expect, without really exceeding it. Up front, the glove box is the largest cubby, supported by a centre console, a phone cradle and a pair of cupholders, although they’re different sizes, so only one emotional support bottle will fit.

In the rear, it’s a similar story. You get a couple of bottle holders and cupholders, but you miss out on map pockets.

On the tech and amenities front, most functions are housed within the 12.9-inch media display. The graphics are clear and the touchscreen is responsive, though the touch-based climate controls underneath it can be fiddly at times. That said, the overall layout becomes fairly intuitive after a short adjustment period, even if physical buttons would still be welcome.

Connectivity is well covered, with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, the former holding a steady connection during my time with it, along with built-in navigation. Charging options are solid, too, with four USB-C ports across the cabin, a 12-volt outlet and a wireless charging pad.

The rear gets its own climate control, though without fan speed control, and again, at this price point, it feels like there’s room for a little more in the way of convenience features - particularly things like heated outboard seats.

At the back, boot space comes in at 400L, which is the smallest in the Terramar range due to the battery placement. It’s broadly in line with key alternatives like the BYD Sealion 6 Premium, which offers slightly more capacity, but the difference isn’t dramatic in day-to-day use.

In practice, it’s been enough for a week of errands with a small family, and the flat loading floor and powered tailgate make it easy to live with. There’s no spare tyre, though, just a puncture repair kit, which won't suit everyone.

The new Cupra Terramar is available in four grades, and we’re in the flagship VZe, the only one to feature a plug-in hybrid powertrain, priced from $77,990, before on-road costs.

Given where it sits, there’s still not a lot that lines up neatly against it. The closest is probably the Volkswagen Tiguan eHybrid R-Line, expected to land at around $74,550, before on-roads, along with the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV EV GSR from $73,990 MSRP.

Beyond that, you start to drift into more value-focused territory with options like the BYD Sealion 6 Premium ($52,990, MSRP), Chery Tiggo 7 Super Hybrid Ultimate ($43,990, drive-away), and GWM Haval H6 GT Ultra ($50,990, drive-away). So, significantly cheaper, while still offering a fairly generous level of equipment.

As for the Terramar VZe, it doesn’t arrive empty-handed. You get leather upholstery, electric front seats with heating, a heated steering wheel, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, 20-inch alloy wheels, a full LED light suite, a 12.9-inch media display, 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster and a 12-speaker Sennheiser sound system. There’s also built-in navigation, four USB-C ports, a 12-volt socket and a wireless charging pad.

It’s a solid list but at this price point a couple of omissions stand out. Front seat ventilation isn’t offered, there’s no heating for the rear outboard seats and the panoramic sunroof, which feels like it would round things out nicely, is still a $2000 option.

None of those are deal-breakers on their own, but in this part of the market, they’re the kind of details that you'll notice.

A lot of your extra money turns up under the bonnet. These days the 440i packs BMW's slick B58 turbo straight six and the B4S does likewise. The boys from Buchloe in Bavaria (there are certain to be women there, too, I just liked the alliteration) added a pair of Alpina-spec turbos to generate a whopping 324kW and, more importantly, 660Nm. Alpina says 600Nm (the max torque figure of the brilliant M4 CS) is available from 2000-5000rpm, while the full 660Nm is available from 3000 to 4500rpm.

The M4 Pure has 317kW and 550Nm from the S55 straight-six. Just so you know.

Like the 440i but unlike the M4, the B4S employs the dependably brilliant eight-speed ZF automatic found throughout the BMW range.

Under the bonnet, the Terramar VZe pairs a 1.5-litre, four-cylinder, turbo-petrol engine with a single electric motor, for a combined output of 200kW and 400Nm.

On paper, those figures sit a little behind some of the more value-focused plug-in hybrid options, like the BYD Sealion 6 Premium and GWM Haval H6 GT, and it’s also front-wheel drive, where some rivals offer all-wheel drive.

In practice, though, it doesn’t feel underdone. The six-speed automatic shifts cleanly and the transition between electric and petrol power is smooth. As a whole, the set-up feels well calibrated.

Alpina quotes 7.9L/100km on the combined cycle and we went through the premium unleaded at the rate of 11.7L/100km. I enjoyed myself, so that's not a terrible result.

The VZe uses a 20kWh lithium-ion battery, which is on the smaller side compared to some alternatives but it still delivers a useful amount of electric driving range at 109km (WLTP).

With its Type 2 CCS charging port, you can access DC fast charging at up to 50kW, with a claimed 0-80 per cent top-up taking around 26 minutes. On AC, it’s more of an overnight affair, so it suits a home charging routine.

Officially, energy use is rated at 1.8L/100km on the combined (urban/extra-urban) cycle, and after a mix of highway and urban driving, I saw a trip computer figure of 1.5L/100km.

That’s an impressive result but it comes with a bit of context. I'm charging it daily to make the most of the claimed electric-only range, and that has a big influence on the numbers you’ll see in the real world.

One of the key differences between the B4 and M4 is the ride. While the M4 can crash over bumps and generally be a little hard to live with, the crew in Buchloe have gone after a much more plush ride. And in that they have succeeded because the B4 S is a mighty fine cruiser. Bumps are dismissed with a haughty disdain, even Sport + silliness doesn't completely write-off ride quality.

Very impressive too, is the steering. While still not at Lotus Elise levels of feel (few cars are), the Alpina tweaks connect the your palms to the road with more clarity than what you'll find in the 440i or M4. Where the M4 particularly adds too much weight, the 440i is a bit more circumspect in that regard.

And then we come to the engine. The B58 six is a belter, better even than the N55 that preceded it. It's still a 3.0-litre straight six but is part of BMW's modular engine family that starts with a 1.5-litre triple in the Mini and 1 Series. The Alpina-spec turbos are noisier, the Akrapovic exhaust lighter and also noisier. It doesn't have the all-out crackle and pop of an Audi or Merc (perish the thought), but when you're on it, the B4 means business. The 660Nm of torque, available over a wide rev range, delivers a steel fist wrapped in a velvet glove and bubble wrap - the speed builds rapidly but smoothly. 

The approach to the chassis tune seems to be based on the driving talents of mere mortals on normal roads, which is kind of like the 440i. It's terrific fun to drive hard but it's very forgiving and patient. The great thing about it is that you wouldn't think twice about jumping in it for the long haul, so comfortable and quiet is the cabin. The M4 will leave it for dead on a winding road, but that's perfectly fine.

One irritant is the replacement of the admittedly cheap BMW gearshift paddles with weirdly non-tactile buttons. They're not particularly easy to use and, probably worse for a sporty car, unsatisfying. It's an odd detail with which to go off the reservation. Cheeringly, the eight-speed ZF is its usual perfect self, so you don't have to worry too much about manual mode or go old school and use the shifter.

On the road, the Terramar VZe makes an immediate impression. Power delivery is prompt, and even with the battery depleted, it feels responsive off the mark. There’s enough in reserve that you don’t feel like you’re chasing performance, even when you lean on it.

The handling follows a sporty brief. Suspension tuning does a good job of smoothing out the bigger bumps, but it still lets a fair amount of road feedback in, particularly when you’re pushing through a corner. The steering is on the firmer side and the brakes are quite sensitive, which takes a moment to adjust to, but together they give the car a more engaged feel. That said, it won’t be to everyone’s taste.

Visibility is one area that takes a bit more effort. The lower window line and thicker pillars give it a more enclosed feel than a typical mid-size SUV, so you find yourself being a bit more deliberate with blind spot checks, particularly around the A-pillar.

Ride comfort holds up despite the firmer set-up, and the sports seats do a good job of keeping you settled. Around town and under electric power, the cabin is impressively quiet, though you notice more road and engine noise creeping in at highway speeds or under heavier acceleration.

Around tighter spaces, it feels smaller than it is. The 11.5-metre turning circle and quick steering make it easy enough to manoeuvre, and the 360-degree camera is a useful addition, although the image quality doesn’t quite match the expectations set by the price point.

On the safety front, the Terramar holds a maximum five-star ANCAP rating from 2025 testing and comes equipped with seven airbags.

The standard active safety suite is comprehensive, covering the essentials like lane keeping aid, lane departure warning, lane centring, forward collision warning, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, driver attention monitoring and a side-exit warning system.

In use, the adaptive cruise control is well calibrated, though the steering assist is a little overzealous. It requires quite a firm hold on the steering wheel to override warnings or prevent emergency intervention... like braking, as it did me going 80km/h in a tunnel.

It’s also worth noting a couple of omissions. There’s no emergency call functionality, and hill descent control (HDC) isn’t included.

The autonomous emergency braking has junction, car, cyclist, motorcyclist and pedestrian detection and is operational form 5.0-85km/h (up to 250km/h for car detection).

Alpina offers a two-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty which is a bit behind the times and not in keeping with the price point. Servicing is another matter altogether and you're subject to your dealer's standard charges for servicing.

In terms of ownership, the Terramar is covered by Cupra’s five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty. That’s fairly standard for the segment, though it sits behind some rivals now offering longer seven-year plus programs. Inclusion of five years' roadside assistance is a welcome addition.

Servicing can be pre-purchased with either a three- or five-year plan, with the latter priced at $2590, which is in line with what you’d expect for this class. Intervals are set at every 12 months or 15,000 kilometres.

One thing to keep in mind is the size of the Cupra service network. It’s still relatively limited, with around 14 centres nationwide, so depending on where you’re based, that may take a bit more planning.