BMW Alpina B5 vs Skoda Octavia

What's the difference?

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.

The Skoda Octavia has always been impressive in wagon guise and this mHEV variant is no different. While the mild-hybrid set-up adds little to the Octavia package there’s still plenty to like about this wagon. It’s smooth and refined to drive, packed with features and has ample appeal as a value-for-money buy.

It’s no surprise if this wagon is at or near the top of your vehicle shopping list.

Interesting is the right word for it, because while it might be questionable that Alpina's changes to the exterior are aesthetic pleasing, they are definitely intriguing to those who aren't familiar with the brand.

First, there are those 20-spoke wheels. Alpinas have worn this style of wheel forever and they've become the most famous outward sign that this is not just another BMW. So don't under any circumstances take them off and replace them with anything else. You'd be run out of town by the Alpina mafia.

Yes, they're more painful to clean than a cheese grater (trust me, I know. And if you look closely at these images you can see the dirty bits I've missed), but if you really don't like them then perhaps it's a sign this car isn't for you.

Then there's the boot-lid spoiler. It's square and 1980s'-looking, it also appears a bit like it's been bought online and installed by a teenager, but again, this is another Alpina tradition and it suits the car's character perfectly.

All right, those pinstripes; they're known as the Deco-Set and are a hat-tip to the Alpina racecars of the 1970s and '80s. Again, don't take these off, your Alpina will drop through the centre of the Earth in value. These are also part-and-parcel of owning one of these cars. I'm not a massive fan of them.

But I'm all about that front spoiler, with the floating Alpina lettering that you can option in silver, high-gloss black or gold.

Inside, there are fewer Alpina additions, but they're nonetheless unmissable. There's the Alpina-badged steering wheel, and a new virtual instrument cluster, embossed headrests and  illuminated door sills.

There's also the little numbered plaque on the centre console which proves its authenticity, ours was number 49. Out of how many? I don't know. But I do know Alpina produces only about 1700 cars globally a year. Rolls Royce does about 4000. So, you can rest assured your B5 is exclusive.

At almost 5m long, 1.9m wide and 1.5m tall, the B5 is a large saloon, but having recently reviewed the Alpina B7 it feels small in comparison. How does it drive? We're getting there.

A wagon, by its very nature, is a vehicle with a low and long body style. And the Skoda Octavia Select mHEV wagon adheres to that design expectation.

At 4698mm long, 1829mm wide and 1468mm high, it’s low and sleek, especially compared to the taller and bulkier SUVs and utes I usually test, and this wagon’s lower entry/exit height takes a bit of getting used to. It feels like I have to do a contorted yoga pose every time I get in and out of this wagon.

The interior has a premium feel about it, despite bearing fabric seats, expansive use of durable plastic and the like, and it does feel squeezier inside than expected.

In design terms, this Octavia holds its own against mid-sized wagon rivals and even mid-size SUV competitors.

Practicality is not really a BMW strong point no matter which model you pick. See, BMW mostly makes the car equivalent of uber-stylish and skin-tight active wear which looks good and performs brilliantly, but sometimes you just want pockets and a bit of room for your… um… bits and pieces.

So while there are two cup holders up front and two in the back, the bottle holders in the doors aren't huge, the centre console bin is on the small side, there's a hidy-hole in front of the shifter, the glove box is just a box for little more than gloves and there's no other great cabin storage options.

Legroom in the rear is good but not great, too - I'm 191cm tall and have about 30mm between my knees and the seat back in my driving position. Middle-seat passengers will also have to straddle the drive shaft hump in the floor. Headroom is restricted in the back, too (you could blame the sunroof) with my hair just skimming the headlining (I do have big hair).

Under that power tailgate, the B5's boot capacity is 530 litres which is 15L more than its big sister, the B7. There are two plastic storage areas either side of the luggage space for wet things. While there is one USB outlet in the front there aren't any in the rear.

This Octavia has a neat and functional interior with a low-key premium feel about it, even though it’s a lower-spec variant in the line-up.

The front seats are manually adjustable and offer a reasonable degree of comfort and support, and there are enough hard-wearing plastic surfaces and handy storage spaces throughout the cabin to please the fussiest of drivers and passengers.

There are two USB-C outlets and 45W charging upfront and in the rear seat.

Bonus: the multimedia system is easy to pair with your phone and to use in general driving.

Second-row passengers are well catered for with charge points, storage spots and even a small portable bin in the passenger door pocket. That, and the umbrella in the driver-side door, are among the many nice, welcome touches Skoda does so well.

The second-row seats – in a 60/40 split configuration – are comfortable with adequate room for everyone. The fold-down centre armrest has cupholders.

For child seats, it has two ISOFIX points on the outboard seats in the second row and three top-tether anchor points.

At the back, there is a 640-litre boot (when all seats are up and in use) and luggage capacity expands to 1700 litres when the second row is stowed away.

The rear cargo area has a luggage compartment cover, a 12V outlet, net pockets and four tie-down points.

This Skoda has a listed unladen mass of 1388kg and a gross vehicle mass of 1910kg, so payload is approximately 522kg, which is reasonable but not overly generous.

It’s rated to tow 700kg (unbraked) and 1500kg (braked).

As a practical vehicle, this Octavia holds its own against mid-sized wagon rivals and even some mid-size SUVs.

The Skoda Octavia Select mHEV in wagon form has a manufacturer suggested retail price of $43,490, excluding on-road costs. Our test vehicle has optional paint (Graphite Grey Metallic) so it has an RRP of $43,790.

Standard features onboard include a 13-inch multimedia touchscreen system, a 10-inch digital driver instrument cluster, heated front seats, hands-free electric tailgate, keyless entry and driver-assist tech includes adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist and front and rear cross-traffic alert. 

Exterior paint choices on this variant include Moon White (no extra cost), or choose from Black Magic, Race Blue, Smoky Silver or Graphite Grey Metallic (on our test vehicle), any of which will set you back $300.

Other optional extras include a Signature Pack (which costs approximately $6500) that adds a head-up display, leather interior trim, ventilated/massage front seats and matrix LED headlights to the package.

This wagon offers impressive value-for-money against its rivals, such as the Mazda 6 or Subaru Outback, or even against mid-size sedans like the Hyundai Sonata or Toyota Camry.

The Alpina B5 uses the same 4.4-litre V8 engine found in the BMW M5 (and also the B7). But, and it's a big but, the M5 makes 441kW and 750Nm, while the B5 outdoes it with 447kW and 800Nm. Admittedly, the B5's torque arrives at the 3000rpm mark, while the M5's is all there from 1800rpm.

How does the B5 beat it? Alpina installed its specially developed twin turbochargers and intercoolers, a high-performance cooling system, a reconfigured air intake set up and a different exhaust system.

The B5, though, is a tenth of a second slower to 100km/h compared to the M5 with a time of 3.5 seconds, but it will blast on to a top speed of 330km/h while the M5 is limited to 250km/h in regular form and 305km/h with the optional M Driver's package.

Both uses the same ZF eight-speed automatic transmission with identical gear ratios, and both are all-wheel drive.

The Skoda Octavia Select mHEV has a 1.5-litre, four-cylinder, turbo-petrol mild-hybrid set-up, with the engine producing 110kW at 5000-6000rpm and 250Nm at 1500-3500rpm. It’s paired to a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.

This combo generally offers smooth acceleration once you’re underway, but the Octavia wagon takes some urging from initial foot down to fuller vehicular movement and the dual-clutch should cop most of the blame for that.

This wagon’s mild-hybrid set-up includes a 48-volt electric motor and a lithium-ion battery, and this system is designed to assist the engine during acceleration, but this vehicle can’t drive on electric power alone.

It has regenerative braking and allows engine-off coasting, which aims to reduce fuel usage.

While the mild-hybrid set-up adds little to the Octavia package, this powertrain delivers enough in terms of drivability to keep it on level terms with its rivals.

The Alpina B5 needs petrol. By that, I mean it needs quite a lot of it if you want to enjoy it properly. What type of mileage does it get? Officially, it should use 11.1L/100km after a combination of urban and open roads, where as the M5 is set to 10.5L/100km.

That makes sense, the B5 produces more power and torque, and it's 85kg heavier than the M5 at 2015kg.

Our test car's trip computer was reporting 13.2L/100km after flying low over country roads and slow city piloting. The more time spent in the urban warfare that is the daily peak hour commute, the more that figure crept and hovered around the 15L/100km mark.

Official fuel consumption figure on the combined (urban/extra-urban) cycle as 5.2L/100km and on this test I recorded 6.5L/100km.

This Skoda has a 45-litre fuel tank so you could reasonably expect a driving range of about 690km from a full tank.

Worth noting it takes premium unleaded petrol (95 RON minimum).

Ok, stay with me here. For this next bit you'll need a fresh egg, a lounge chair, and it might be a good idea to have some plastic bags and carpet cleaner on hand.

First, in front of the lounge chair flatten out the plastic bag and place the egg on it. Next, sit down on the chair and very carefully rest the ball of your foot on the egg with as little pressure as humanly possible.

This is exactly how little force you need to apply to the go-pedal of the B5 to accelerate from a standstill to 60km/h in about five seconds.

If anything sums up the driving experience of the B5, it's that sense of effortlessness.

Stomp on that accelerator, and you'll be shot to 100km/h in 3.5 seconds, without a hint of broken traction thanks to the all-wheel-drive system.

The ride should have been terrible on 20-inch wheels shod in low-profile rubber (Pirelli P Zero 255/35 front, and 295/30 rear), but the Alpina-tuned air suspension is close to miraculous in the way it cushioned and censored the potholes out of Sydney's worst roads. Yes, it can be a touch floaty, particularly in the Comfort Plus setting, but this is benchmark-setting stuff for a comfortable ride.

Don't expect this beast to roar. Unlike the M5, the B5 gets its work done without deafening everybody around it. Sure, the B5's V8 sounds amazing when you push it, but it's not brash, not loud and not lairy. Buy an M5 or Mercedes-AMG E63s if you want to be heard half a block before you get home, but you won't get that with the B5 and its exhaust system.

The B5 also handles well, but I have to say the engagement factor is low. I piloted it effortlessly through the twists and turns of my country test circuit and roads which normally have me grinning like a maniac behind the wheel had me feeling a bit disconnected in the B5. That air suspension, the numb steering and pedal actions make it difficult to ‘feel' the road.

It's highways where the B5 is a king, but even at 110km/h there's the sense that this car is still fast asleep and won't get out of bed for anything less than 150km/h - making it perfect for Germany's autobahns, but maybe not for here in Australia.

At 4698mm long, with wheel tracks of 1543mm front and 1535mm rear and 142mm ground clearance, this wagon has a low, squat stance at rest and yields controlled ride and handling on the move.

The driver’s seat is manually adjustable, so you can approximate your preferred position, but because this is a long and low wagon, visibility for the driver is a bit pinched along the sides and at the rear, compared to the view you're typically afforded in a slab-sided SUV.

The Euro-oriented steering wheel controls (indicator stalk on left, windscreen wipers on right) take some getting used to if you’re not already familiar with that arrangement and the cruise control stalk is in an awkward position at the bottom left of the steering wheel column. Annoying.

Otherwise, the Octavia offers a pleasant overall driving experience – smooth, comfortable and refined – except for that aforementioned initial lag from a standing start.

The four-cylinder turbo-petrol engine and mild-hybrid set-up yields enough all-round pep without being too lively and there’s no drastic change in performance when the 48V motor cuts out after assisting acceleration.

Steering is well-weighted and precise at all speeds and with a 10.4m turning circle this Skoda feels highly manoeuvrable around the suburbs and in the city.

The suspension (MacPherson strut with lower triangular links and torsion stabiliser at the front and semi-independent compound link crank-axle at the rear) is firm.

The Skoda’s Laufenn S Fit 2 (205/55x17) all-season tyres are reasonable for urban roads and rough back-country roads. This wagon has a space-saver spare, not ideal but not unusual, either.

The Octavia mHEV is a smooth cruiser and more than holds its own against its rivals.

The Skoda Octavia Select mHEV wagon has the maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating from testing in March 2026.

Standard safety features include eight airbags, Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB), adaptive cruise control, front cross-traffic assist, front and rear parking sensors, lane keep assist, traffic sign recognition and rear cross-traffic alert.

It has two ISOFIX points on the outboard seats in the second row and three top-tether anchor points.

The level of safety gear onboard here keeps the Octavia easily competitive against its rivals.

The Alpina B5 is covered by BMW's three-year/unlimited kilometre warranty. Servicing is recommended every 12 months or 15,000km.

Skoda’s seven-year/unlimited kilometre warranty applies to this wagon and it’s pretty impressive.

Roadside assistance is offered and extended for up to 12 months following each completed scheduled service at an authorised dealer.

Servicing is scheduled for every 12 months or 15,000km whichever occurs soonest and the cost per service was, at time of writing, $413 (12 months/15,000km), $707 (24 months/30,000km), $396 (36 months/45,000km), $1090 (48 months/60,000km), $396 (60 months/75,000km), $801 (72 months/90,000km), and $396 (84 months/105,000km).

Service packs (which include the roadside assistance provision) are available and cost $2590 (five years) or $3490 (seven years).

There are 39 Skoda sales and serviced dealers across the country with eight service-only sites in key rural and regional areas.