BMW Alpina B7 vs Mercedes-Benz E-Class

What's the difference?

The BMW Alpina B7 is a special car destined (like all Alpinas) to be a collector's item, due to its rarity and exclusivity. I asked Alpina just how many current model B7s there are in Australia and the answer was "less than five", which is just as mysterious as most people find the car in general.

The B7 is fast – too fast to enjoy legally on Australian roads – but it is also supremely comfortable and well appointed. For Alpina fans lucky enough to be driven in on,e this would make for a truly rare and niche way to be chauffeured.

The Mercedes-AMG E53 Hybrid 4Matic+ is a superb blend of high-tech hybrid muscle and cossetting top-end luxury. Value is competitive, it looks (and feels) the business, despite the conventional sedan configuration it’s surprisingly practical (except for the modest boot), fuel-efficiency is a key benefit and safety is stellar. The ownership proposition is okay for the category but that’s not top of mind when an enticing series of corners ranges into view. It’s an impressive package.

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

This is a good place to start because the B7 looks just like the 750Li it's based on, until you see the first tell-tale signs that it's not one.

There's the front wing with Alpina lettering and the boot-top spoiler, the graphics, which run the length of the car, and the 20-spoke wheels with Alpina badging.

This is late '70s, early '80s styling at its best (and possibly worst), but these special cars can pull off the irony-free look because this is how Alpina BMWs have rolled since 1975, when the E21 320-based Alpina A1/3 was launched.

BMW badges have been left on the bonnet and boot, but there's Alpina B7 BiTurbo lettering in place of the 7 Series identifier.

Most people walked by it in the street thinking it was just a big BMW, others scratched their heads wondering what I'd done to my big German limo and a handful almost dropped to their knees in praise and wonderment at spotting a rare beast like this in the wild.

These people all had their own Alpina stories – one was the third generation of an Alpina-owning family. You become a member a small and passionate club when you buy into this rarefied brand.

The standard B7's cabin is close to identical to the luxurious interior of the 750Li, save for Alpina-embossed stitching in the headrests of the soft, leather seats, the virtual instrument cluster and the Alpina plaque on the centre console denoting the build number.

The B7 is long, low and wide at just under 5.3m end to end, 1.5m tall and 1.9m across. A 3.2m wheelbase means cabin room is more than just spacious.

The B7 rolls off the Dingolfing production line in Germany and is then handed over to Alpina's facility in Buckle, where significant changes take place. Read on to find out how the B7 is different from a regular 750Li.

At first glance the E53 passes as a flash-looking Mercedes-Benz E-Class running 20-inch rims, especially in the launch car’s rich ‘Patagonia Red’ finish.

But then, there’s something about the AMG sedan’s stance that sets it apart. Which makes sense because the front fenders are wider by 11mm on both sides (compared to the E-Class) to make room for a wider front track (increased by just over 30mm over the previous-generation E53).

Wheelbase has also increased by just over 20mm to almost 3.0m and the car’s more aggressive nose treatment enhances the distinctive look.

There’s the AMG-specific radiator trim with ‘Panamericana’-style vertical slats, the sleek dual-section headlights and a large lower inlet that directs air to an additional front intercooler as well as an external opening for a wheel-arch cooler.

In profile there’s barely a hard edge to be seen, although character lines in the bonnet and along the car’s flanks contribute to a taut surface treatment.

At the rear, horizontally-connected LED tail-lights feature a stylised Mercedes three-pointed star signature, then a rear apron housing a diffuser and twin double tailpipe ‘trims’ and a bootlid spoiler on the left and right round off a beautifully proportioned design.

Climbing inside means a trip to screen city with an upright digital display in front of the driver flanked by a large central screen to the left and an additional panel for the front passenger beyond that. It’s a lot.

But once you’re on top of all the glass surfaces, details like open pore grey ashwood trim on the lower console come into focus, as do the brushed metal accents, beautifully sculpted ‘Performance’ front sports seats (optionally fitted to our launch drive example), racy stainless steel pedal covers and the five spoke AMG performance steering wheel with configurable rotary buttons.

It’s a supremely luxurious and comfortable interior. 

The B7 is a five-seater limousine although with the fold-down rear centre armrest which houses the media control panel the back is really set up to carry two.

That 3.2m wheelbase means cabin space is enormous. At 191cm tall I can sit behind my driving position with about 30cm between my knees and the seatback. Those rear doors open wide and the entrance is huge, making entry and exit almost as easy as just walking through a doorway. The air suspension also rises and lowers the B7's ride height for better access.

Storage is excellent, with two cupholders and door pockets for rear passengers, along with the area inside the centre armrest.

Up front, the driver and co-pilot have a deep centre console storage bin with split-opening lid, two cupholders and door pockets.

Luggage space is good, with a 515-litre boot.

At over 4.9m long, close to 2.1m wide and a little under 1.5m tall, with a 2961mm wheelbase, the new E53 is a substantial car and feels it on the inside.

Plenty of breathing space for the driver and front passenger thanks in part to the away slope of the screen-dominated dash.

Generous storage, too, with large door bins including enough space for big bottles, a deep lidded box between the seats (which doubles as a centre armrest), a generous glove box and two cupholders under a sliding top at the front of the centre console. 

Hit the second row, and sitting behind the driver’s seat, set for my 183cm position, I have plenty of head and legroom, with enough shoulder space for three adults on short journeys. A trio of up to mid-teenage kids will be fine for a road trip.

Storage is pretty handy as well with hefty door bins and two pop-out cupholders in the fold-down centre armrest. No map pockets on the back of the (optional) Performance front seats, though.

Four-zone climate control means there’s individual temperature control for each side of the back seat, with adjustable vents at the back of the front centre console and trailing edge of the B-pillars. Very civilised.

Power and connectivity runs to three USB-C outlets and a wireless device charging pad in the front.

Thanks to the traction battery under its floor, boot volume is restricted to 370 litres (compared to 540L in the conventional E-Class sedan), although there are bag hooks, tie-down anchors and the 60/40 split-folding rear seat is able to liberate more space.

No spare tyre of any description, just a repair/inflator kit, which might make sense for automotive designers and engineers trying to maximise space and reduce weight, but doesn’t make sense for an owner stranded on the side of the road with an unrepairable puncture.

Priced at $199,900, before on-road costs, the Mercedes-AMG E53 Hybrid 4Matic+ lines up against an interesting mix of internal combustion, hybrid and pure-EV contenders, the most closely aligned on spec and price being the BMW M4 M Competition xDrive ($201,300), Lexus LS500h F Sport ($199,250) and Porsche Taycan 4 Cross Turismo ($197,400).

And as you’d expect for a performance sedan on the cusp of $200K the standard equipment list is long. Aside from the performance and safety tech we’ll get to shortly, the E53 features four-zone automatic climate control, 17-speaker Burmester surround sound audio (including digital radio), Nappa leather trim (including the steering wheel) and the ‘MBUX Superscreen’ display consisting of three screens - 14.4-inch central media, 12.3-inch instrument/info for the driver and 12.3-inch for the front passenger.

You can also tick off the box on Android Auto, Apple CarPlay and Bluetooth connectivity, plus the power front seats (with memory) are heated.

There’s also a head-up display, panoramic sliding sunroof, ambient lighting, keyless entry and start, built-in nav, a 360-degree virtual top-down camera view, LED exterior lighting and 20-inch alloy rims. 

There’s more, but you get the idea. This car is loaded with included features that help it match or better its diverse competitive set.

There are four optional AMG packages available - The ‘Night Package’ ($3000) which includes aero-influenced body elements, special rims and more. The ‘Carbon Fibre Package’ ($6000), featuring a range of carbon bits including the exterior mirror caps, bootlid spoiler and interior pieces like the centre console and steering wheel. A ‘Performance Seat Package’ ($5000), which unsurprisingly focuses on racier front seats with integrated headrests. And the ‘Energizing Package Plus’ ($5300) adds ‘multicontour’ front seats that are heated (as are the centre console lid and door armrests) and individual fragrance for the interior, as well as ionisation of the cabin air.

Alpina takes the 4.4-litre twin turbo V8 from the BMW 750Li and rebuilds the engine by hand. Alpina fits its own turbochargers, air-intake set -up, high-capacity cooling system and Akrapovic quad exhaust. Output is 447kW and 800Nm – an increase of a whopping 117kW and 150Nm over the 750Li's grunt.

It's interesting to note that the V12-powered 760Li has a smidge more power, at 448kW, and the same torque output as the B7.

How fast is the B7? Supercar fast – the B7 has a top speed of 330km/h, which will see it outrun a McLaren 570 and almost keep up with a Ferrari F12. That's quite incredible for a 2.3-tonne limousine with three TVs on board. A 0-100km/h time of 4.2 seconds is also hugely impressive.

In comparison, a 750Li has a 0-100km/h time of a not-too-shabby 4.7 seconds, but the car is electronically limited to 250km/h.

An eight-speed automatic transmission shifts gears smoothly, although a little slowly in Normal mode, while Sport and Sport+ add urgency and harder shifts.

Finally, the B7 is all-wheel drive, and those rear wheels are designed to steer slightly for better cornering performance.

The E53 is powered by a 3.0-litre, turbo-petrol, in-line six-cylinder engine working in concert with an electric motor housed within the car’s nine-speed (torque-converter) automatic transmission. 

Drive goes to all four wheels via an electro-mechanically controlled clutch distributing power between the front and rear axles.

Engine performance is up by around 10kW compared to the previous E53 thanks to software upgrades, a new twin-scroll turbo with higher boost pressure (1.5 bar vs 1.1 bar) as well as additional front and wheel-arch intercoolers. 

The engine alone produces 330kW/560Nm while the permanently excited synchronous motor chips in with a solid 120kW/480Nm for overall outputs of 450kW/750Nm.

The B7 is probably not the car to own if you're concerned about either fuel prices or emissions, but then the twin-turbo V8 may not be as thirsty as you'd think, with Alpina stating that, after a combination of urban and open-road driving, you should only use 9.6L/100km.

My time in the B7 saw me double that usage but this could have had something to do with me turning off the stop-start system and driving in Sport mode constantly.

The E53’s official combined cycle (urban/extra-urban) fuel figure is 1.7L/100km, a spectacularly frugal number for such a high-performance machine. But it’s worth noting it’s predicated on the drive battery being constantly and completely recharged.

Speaking of which, the 28.6kWh, 400-volt traction battery is housed at the rear of the car under the boot floor. It delivers a claimed EV-only range of up to 100km, although that will diminish dramatically if you decide to push up towards the car’s pure-electric top speed of 140km/h.

Important to note the battery’s 21kWh ‘day-to-day’ capacity, designed to keep charge in reserve for any required ‘high-performance boosts’.

An 11kW AC charger is onboard with regenerative braking also harvesting energy, the car automatically selecting the level of recuperation power in line with traffic conditions.

In pure EV mode you can also manually adjust regen through four levels via the steering wheel-mounted transmission shift paddles. 

Auto stop/start for the engine is standard and 98 RON premium unleaded is recommended, although 95 RON is okay at a pinch.

The E53’s official fuel consumption figure and 50-litre tank capacity translate to a range approaching 3000km! But to bring that down to earth somewhat, on the launch drive program, covering urban and mostly highway running, we saw a (dash indicated) average of 6.4L/100km, which equates to a more realistic, but still lengthy, 780km between fills.

Who on Earth thinks a BMW 750Li isn't fast enough or comfortable enough, even with all its horsepower, luxurious cabin and technology? Alpina, that's who.

Redevelopment of the 4.4-litre V8 with new turbochargers, a high-capacity cooling system, different air suspension set-up and an exhaust system made by Akrapovic have made this already exceptional car better. Better to drive and better to be driven in.

The ride, even on those 21-inch wheels and low-profile Michelin Pilot Super Sport tyres (255/35 ZR21 on the front and 295/30 ZR 21 on the rear) is incredibly comfortable. I drove it and also had a chance to recline in the back and be chauffeured (by our photographer) and the ride was so composed and refined it was hard to believe I was travelling along some truly awful urban roads with their cracked and pot-holed surfaces.

And it's quiet, too. Which will suit those in the back being transported swiftly from the airport to their next meeting, but if you're after a loud and angry exhaust note then you won't find it in the B7. Sure, from the outside at full throttle the B7 has a menacing growl, but this isn't a BMW M car that will bark and snarl. 
See, while BMW's M division makes brutal, loud, high-performance versions of their regular cars, Alpina makes comfortable, stealthy, high-performance ones.

All-wheel drive provides fantastic traction and ensures that grunt doesn't just tear the tyres off those rims when you sneeze on the throttle.

And while the air-suspension is soft and comfortable, adaptive dampers adjust for when the road goes twisty, providing impressive handling for a heavy and long car.

Really, though, the B7 is built for long, endless stretches of roads, and the acceleration beyond 100km/h is almost as startling as that from 0-100km/h, as it wants to push straight past 200km/h towards that 330km/h top speed.

Which, unless you know a good lawyer or happen to be one, will send you straight to jail. Yes, the B7 is probably too much car for Australian roads. Only on a German autobahn would a B7 be fully at home.

I felt like I was given a Melbourne Cup-winning racehorse for a week but could only ride it in my suburban backyard.

If you’re lining up for a Mercedes-AMG you want an optimal blend of luxury and performance and the E53 Hybrid 4Matic+ nails that delicate balance.

With 450kW (that’s 612hp!) and 750Nm under your right foot, engaging ‘Race Start’, pushing the accelerator to the floor and letting the car do its thing will result in 0-100km/h acceleration in 3.8 seconds. The fat band of mid-range torque is so satisfying to lean into.

Induction, engine and exhaust sounds combine to produce a suitably gruff soundtrack with the hybrid powertrain operating seamlessly. Hit your preferred track day or tempt legal fate and you can explore the car’s claimed (governed) maximum velocity of 280km/h. 

The nine-speed auto is slick and manual changes using the wheel mounted paddles are rapid.  In normal conditions the AWD system is biased to the rear and an electric rear locking diff helps keep things under control if you decide to get the bit between your teeth on a twisting drive.

A chunky brace links the front suspension strut mounts and the car feels predictable and stable in enthusiastic cornering. Rubber is Michelin Pilot Sport 4S (245/35 fr / 275/30 rr) which grips with satisfying determination but does make its rumbling presence felt on anything approaching a coarse chip surface (despite the car’s standard acoustic glass).

Speed-sensitive power-steering delivers accuracy and good road feel without any jitters, the standard active rear-axle steering playing its part. The ‘turning point’ is 100km/h with the rear wheels subtly turning in the opposite direction to the fronts up to that speed and in the same direction beyond it.

‘AMG Ride Control’ combines steel spring suspension (strut front, multi-link rear) with adaptive adjustable damping for the choice of ‘Comfort’, ‘Sport’ and ‘Sport+’ settings. Comfort is the pick for B-road running on typically uneven surfaces. The optional ‘Performance’ sports front seats are comfortable and grippy in equal measure. 

Braking is by ventilated composite rotors all around, with beefy four-piston fixed calipers up front. An electro-mechanical brake booster is designed to combine electrical recuperation with the hydraulic brake for more frequent and efficient energy harvesting over a longer period of time. The pedal feels firm and progressive with smooth initial bite. 

All around vision is good for a conventional sedan with a quality reversing camera, 360-degree overhead view and front and rear parking sensors helping massively with parking duties. That said, a 12.5m turning circle isn’t tiny.

The Mercedes-AMG E53 Hybrid 4Matic+ hasn’t been assessed by ANCAP or Euro NCAP, but that doesn’t mean it comes up short in terms of crash-avoidance and passive safety tech.

It features a comprehensive suite of ‘Advanced Driver Assistance Systems’ (ADAS) features including ‘Active Brake Assist’ (Merc-speak for AEB), adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring, lane-change and lane-keeping assist, front and rear cross-traffic alert, traffic sign recognition, driver attention monitoring, adaptive high-beam, ‘Park Assist’ (including front and rear parking sensors) and tyre pressure monitoring.

And if an impact is unavoidable the airbag count runs to 11 - dual front, front and rear side, full-length side curtains, driver and front passenger knee and a front centre bag.

As the name implies, ‘Auto Emergency Call’ will contact emergency services after a collision and there’s even the obligatory Mercedes first aid kit and high-vis vests. 

There are three top tethers for child seats or baby capsules across the rear seat with ISOFIX anchors on the two outer rear positions.

The B7 is covered by BMW's three-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty. Servicing is recommended every 12 months or 15,000km. The B7 is covered by BMW special vehicles servicing plan, which means services are cost-free for the first three years of the car's life.

The Mercedes-AMG E53 Hybrid 4Matic+ is covered by a five-year/unlimited km warranty with the high-voltage battery covered for eight years/160,000km. Those terms match the key players in the premium and luxury parts of the market.

Mercedes-Benz ‘Road Care’ assistance is included for the duration of the main vehicle warranty. 

Maintenance is recommended every 12 months/25,000km, with service plans offered across three- ($4110), four- ($5410) and five-year ($7570) periods. That’s an average of around $1350 for the first two and $1500 for the last one. That added powertrain complexity obviously has an impact in the workshop.