BMW Alpina B5 vs Genesis G70
What's the difference?

BMW Alpina B5

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2020 price

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Genesis G70

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2024 price

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Maserati Quattroporte

Mazda 6

Mercedes-AMG E63

Mercedes-Benz A-Class

Mercedes-Benz A35

Mercedes-Benz AMG GT

Mercedes-Benz C-Class

Mercedes-Benz C43

Mercedes-Benz C63

Mercedes-Benz CLA

Mercedes-Benz CLA-Class

Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class

Mercedes-Benz E-Class

Mercedes-Benz E53

Mercedes-Benz EQS

Mercedes-Benz S-Class

Summary

2020 BMW Alpina B5

2024 Genesis G70

By Laura Berry

By Emily Agar

Safety Rating

Engine Type

Twin Turbo V8, 4.4L

Twin Turbo V6, 3.3L

Fuel Type

Premium Unleaded Petrol

Fuel Efficiency

10.9L/100km (combined)

10.4L/100km (combined)

Seating

Likes

Fast
Comfortable
Luxurious

Gorgeous looks
After-purchase program
One highly-specified variant

Dislikes

Cleaning the wheels
Room and storage space could be better
Not the most engaging car to drive

Relatively small cabin space
Not heaps of individual storage
Road and wind noise creeps in

2020 BMW Alpina B5 Summary

The BMW Alpina B5 Bi-Turbo is not actually a BMW. Not according to the German Federal Motor Transport Authority, at least.

Nope, the modifications applied by tuning house Alpina to the 5 Series are deemed so significant that if you open the bonnet and look inside the engine bay, you'll see that the BMW VIN has been struck through twice and an Alpina vehicle number stamped underneath it.

The B5 is not the first model to be recognised in this way, either; the German government has recognised Alpina as a seperate car manufacturer since 1983.

The B5 has other ‘B' siblings, too. There's the B3 S Bi-Turbo, which is based on the BMW 3 Series, the B4 S Bi-Turbo (the BMW 4 Series) and the B7 Bi-Turbo (I don't need to tell you what this is based on, right?) which I've reviewed, too.

So just what has Alpina done to this unsuspecting BMW 5 Series? Is it really worth the extra money? How does the B5 compare to an M5? Could it actually be superior? And did they really take the speed limiter off to let it warp-speed to beyond 300km/h?

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2024 Genesis G70 Summary

I’m family testing the updated Genesis G70 this week, which has seen some tweaks to its technology and safety systems.

The G70’s release also sees the line-up trimmed to one highly-specified Sport Luxury grade, available as a four-cylinder Shooting Brake wagon or the V6 sedan on test here.

It competes with other mid-size sedans like the Audi A4, BMW 3 Series and Mercedes-Benz C-Class. So, how does the G70 handle life with a small family of three? Keep reading to find out!

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Deep dive comparison

2020 BMW Alpina B5 2024 Genesis G70

Verdict

The Alpina B5 is a special car – more special than most people will ever give you credit for if you own one. Those that do know what an Alpina is will let you know; people will cross dangerously busy streets to talk to you about your car. Insanely fast, almost incomprehensibly comfortable and effortlessly powerful to drive.

Verdict

The updated Genesis G70 3.3T Sport Luxury is beautiful to look at and drive. It features premium features, trims and great power but the cabin is tight on space. Which makes it a little awkward to use, so this will suit a small family best or families where this may not be the primary mover. That said, I love the after-care program and it suited my small family of three, so it gets an 8.0/10 from us.

BMW Alpina B5 vs Genesis G70 What's the difference?

Summary

Deep dive comparison

Verdict

Verdict

BMW Alpina B5 vs Genesis G70
What's the difference?