Adapted and tested in co-operation with ZF, the advanced SWITCH-TRONIC 8-speed Sport Automatic Transmission sets a new benchmark. With ALPINA's philosophy the guiding credo, our engineers have spent thousands of development and test hours ensuring that no other performance automatic transmission comes close to providing this level of both comfort and performance.
The blend of eight speeds and plenty of torque makes for unparalleled comfortable gear changes with no noticeable interruption to the delivery of power - only the accompanying acoustics and the dynamic rev counter provide feedback as to the workings of the transmission. 700Nm of torque means the ALPINA B5 Bi-Turbo excels at cruising along at speed in a high gear at minimum rpm, benefiting both consumption and comfort.
Using the Sport (S) Shift Mode a completely different character emerges: the transmission is crisp and unmistakably immediate. The innovative single-cylinder fade-out (known as 'Einzelzylinderausblendung' in German), initially engineered for application in the ALPINA B6 GT3 race car, enables super quick up-shifts which take just milliseconds. Depending on the load on the transmission, the injection of fuel into a given cylinder is interrupted for a fraction of a second, creating the required reduction in torque that the automatic transmission needs for the up-shift. The advantages versus the typical method of timing retardation are noticeably quicker shifts, improved thermo-dynamic efficiency due to reduced exhaust temperatures and lower fuel consumption. Each up-shift is accompanied by a deep back-pressure burble.
The SWITCH-TRONIC buttons, for use in the Manual (M) Shift Mode, are ergonomically and unobstrusively positioned on the back of the steering wheel, and allow the driver to take complete control of the transmission. The system allows for multi-simultaneous down-shifts in milliseconds, hereby the transmission will skip several gears depending on engine loads and rpm. In this manner the 8-speed Sport Automatic Transmission with ALPINA SWITCH-TRONIC reveals itself as extremely multi-faceted, providing the right shift characteristic for any and all situations.
The Automatic Up-Shift function means that the transmission will up-shift into a higher gear once a certain rpm threshold has been passed in the current gear. In certain driving situations this may not be desired, for example during especially sporty driving or for example when encountering multiple tight hair-pin corners. The simultaneous selection of either Sport, Sport+ or DSC OFF Mode using the Drive Dynamic Control button and the selection of the M Shift Mode (transmission) will deactivate the automatic up-shift funtion. The transmission will hold the selected gear up to maximum rpm's (electronically limited) and will not automatically up-shift into a higher gear.
The intelligent coupling of state-of-the-art engine and transmission technologies give the ALPINA B5 Bi-Turbo stunning performance figures: just 4.7 (Touring: 4.8) seconds from 0-100km/h / 0-62mph are needed, on the way up to a top speed of 307km/h / 191mph (Touring: 303km/h / 188mph). Massive braking capability in the form of ventilated high-performance brakes (front: 374mm/14.7in, rear 345mm/14.6in) ensures braking on par with pure-bred sports cars.
