BMW Alpina B4 vs Lexus RC
What's the difference?

BMW Alpina B4

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2018 price

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Lexus RC

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2020 price

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Aston Martin Vanquish

Lamborghini Aventador

Mercedes-Benz C-Class

Mercedes-Benz C43

Mercedes-Benz C63

Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class

Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class

Mercedes-Benz E-Class

Mercedes-Benz S-Class

Mercedes-Benz S450

Mercedes-Benz SL-Class

Summary

2018 BMW Alpina B4

2020 Lexus RC

By Peter Anderson

By Justin Hilliard

Safety Rating

Engine Type

Turbo 6, 3.0L

V6, 3.5L

Fuel Type

Premium Unleaded Petrol

Fuel Efficiency

7.6L/100km (combined)

9.4L/100km (combined)

Seating

Likes

Ride and handling
Brilliant engine
Distinctive

Striking exterior design
Feels rather luxurious
Unrivalled value for money

Dislikes

The price
No Apple CarPlay/Android Auto
Some dodgy styling features

Infuriating multimedia system
Token second row of seats
Not very fuel efficient

2018 BMW Alpina B4 Summary

If you're looking for a sleek, two-door coupe with a sparkling chassis, rear-wheel drive and a charismatic turbo straight-six, BMW has you covered with about eight choices. That should be that, then. But wait. There's more.

Since 1965, Alpina - the name of a resurrected a typewriter company - has collaborated closely with BMW to produce distinct, high performance Alpina-badged cars. It actually started with a Weber dual-carburettor unofficial conversion for the BMW 1500 in 1962 and over the years built into a racing operation winning championships and races like the Spa 24 Hours.

Alpina returned to Australian shores in 2017 after a long hiatus with a new range including the BMW 4 Series based B4. Not long after, BMW updated the 4 in what it calls LCI (Lifecycle Impulse), so Alpina followed suit with a price drop, new gear and called it the B4 S.

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2020 Lexus RC Summary

If it wasn’t for this review appearing on your screen right now, would you have even remembered the Lexus RC was a thing?

At the time of writing, the RC is actually the fifth most popular model in its sports car segment. Yep, only the two-door versions of the Mercedes-Benz C-Class and E-Class, and BMW 4 Series and Z4 sell better.

So, why is the RC seemingly invisible? But more importantly, does it deserve to be? Let’s test the RC 350 F Sport to find out.

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Deep dive comparison

2018 BMW Alpina B4 2020 Lexus RC

Verdict

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.

Verdict

If you’re a buyer that thinks with their head, the RC 350 F Sport is the obvious choice when compared to its direct rivals.

After all, it looks great (at least to these eyes), feels luxurious in more ways than one, and is unrivalled when considering value-for-money.

But, if you think with your heart instead, it’s clear it is isn’t on the same level dynamically and therefore doesn’t feel as sporty to drive as its name suggests.

So, don’t let its sports car classification fool you, the RC 350 F Sport is more of a grand tourer, or a comfortable cruiser, to be precise, and an underrated one at that.

BMW Alpina B4 vs Lexus RC What's the difference?

Summary

Deep dive comparison

Verdict

Verdict

BMW Alpina B4 vs Lexus RC
What's the difference?