BMW Alpina B4 vs Polestar 5
What's the difference?

BMW Alpina B4

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2018 price

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Polestar 5

$171,100 - $193,100

2026 price

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Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class

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Summary

2018 BMW Alpina B4

2026 Polestar 5

By Peter Anderson

By Jack Quick

Safety Rating

Engine Type

Turbo 6, 3.0L

Electric motor type

Permanent Magnet

Fuel Type

Premium Unleaded Petrol

Vehicle type

Battery Electric

Fuel Efficiency

7.6L/100km (combined)

Electric range

670 km

Energy consumption

17.6 kWh/100km

Battery capacity

112.00 kWh

Seating

Likes

Ride and handling
Brilliant engine
Distinctive

Breath-taking exterior design
Plenty of power
Beautifully balanced between sport and comfort

Dislikes

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

Screen-heavy minimalism isn’t practical while driving
Too much glossy piano black
Big turning circle

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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2026 Polestar 5 Summary

It’s finally here.

The Polestar 5 electric grand tourer (GT) has officially launched in Australia six years after the original Precept concept was revealed.

Thankfully many of the concept’s design cues have carried over to the production model and it continues Polestar’s history of offering GT cars - its first was the limited-production Polestar 1 which was only sold in left-hand-drive markets.

Like all current Polestars, the Polestar 5 is all-electric and competes against the likes of the Porsche Taycan and Audi e-tron GT.

We’ve already driven the Polestar 5 overseas, but this is the first time we’re experiencing it on local soil. Read on to see how it fares.

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Deep dive comparison

2018 BMW Alpina B4 2026 Polestar 5

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

The Polestar 5 is utterly gorgeous. It's essentially a concept car come to life.

It perfectly balances sportiness and comfort, like a GT should, though the screen-heavy minimalism might not be everyone’s cup of tea.

If you’re after something faster and with more physical switchgear, there’s the Porsche Taycan, but it’s considerably more expensive.

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer with travel, accommodation and meals provided.

BMW Alpina B4 vs Polestar 5 What's the difference?

Summary

Deep dive comparison

Verdict

Verdict

BMW Alpina B4 vs Polestar 5
What's the difference?