[Tr4ckD4ys]

Originally Posted by BMW5and7

A good example of people that are “emotionally-attached” to their car that they start to personalize the issue, disrespect others, and make poor word choices. I won’t get down to this low levels of debate when such words are involved and respond to these words. By the way, no, you are wrong : ) The M8 had unique seating options and color that’s not available for the Alpina : ) Whether u like it or not, facts are facts.

For the record, my M8 had higher MSRP than the highest possible MSRP of any B8 existed at the time, the choice was too easy for me at that time. Also I recently cross-shopped the B7 vs the M760 V12 too, this was a hard one I admit it, but I happily settled on the M760 replacing my S-class despite the M760 still not being a true M, but most people recommended the M760 being superior in some ways. So it’s not that I have dreams of getting an Alpina. And, am currently considering the XB7 since the X7 doesn’t offer any better options for the X7 as in the case of other cars, and I liked the two X7s we owned this far but am looking for more comfort for road trips combined with better performance for our next SUV. I simply go with facts and have no interest to convince myself about the Alpina being better or lesser. I don’t care. In many cases, it is lesser, and for some other cars it’s the better option available. By no means it’s designed to be superior all the time as in the case of Maybach for Mbenz. It’s simply not; probably closer to AMG vehicles for Mbenz. Knowing BMW very well and I won’t elaborate further how I know, M vehicles is at the top of pyramids for BMW business wise.

I knew you were biased and/or M8 owner the moment I read your first post and I unfortunately have to correct you again: You are wrong about the M8. Yes - you do have a choice of sport bucket seats (which in the ALPINA geared toward luxury don’t make sense but in the M geared towards athleticism do). But you do not have a choice of “special materials and exclusivity”. All you are getting is different color choices of full merino. By the way, the B8 has color choices that are full merino which you can’t chose for the M8. Does that make the B8 more special now? No it doesn’t. Neither does it make the M8 more special.

You do not seem to understand though that the ALPINA’s have literally exclusive-ALPINA-only color & material choices (ie the M8 color choices available are the same on the X5M, X6M et cetera; the ALPINA color choices however are only available on the Alpinas). Try to buy Lavalina leather (an upgrade over Merino as per BMW) for the M cars. You can’t. Try to get the ALPINA Blue or Green painting on an M car, no you can’t. All the colors for your M8 are also available to other non-M vehicles, so no, not special. Then add to it that there is trim materials available that are ALPINA exclusive (Myrtle and walnut) but your precious M8 has the same trims available you can get in non-M 8 series, again not special.

And yes. I do get a bit emotional when I see lies being spread as fact just because you want it to be because you spent your money on an M8 instead of B8. Of course you can option the M8 higher priced once you add Ceramic breaks and bucket seats, which are exclusive to M-vehicles. The base price for the B8 is higher though. You sound like you optioned and chose your vehicle based on how expensive you can make it, otherwise why is the $10k MSRP difference of such importance to you that you come here and mislead future buyers and interested folks into believing there is any kind of difference between the vehicles other than a marketing one, which I elaborated on above. And yes, it’s obvious BMW business is getting more out of M-vehicles than ALPINA’s. Their margins and production volume are completely different, as is their target group. Again, that in no way makes the M vehicles more special.

And spare me with your “i know bmw better than you because I have friends of friends”. Any person out there can go to the bmw page and read up those differences. No friends of friends needed. In fact, they might get the info quicker and more accurately than you, given they don’t just rely on hearsay.

[BMW5and7]

TLDR, pass doesn't worth the attention.

Again, am looking forward to hear from those who tried both cars (M50/M60 vs XB7) and aren't biased or emotionally attached to either. Comfort is priority for me over sportiness. I tried to test-drive the new XB7, but there isn’t a single one in inventory within a 5 hours radius from me. My concern is that when I was shopping for a 7-series, the M760 ride was much smoother and comfortable compared to the B7 which seemed more stiff. That the same reason I bought the Mbenz S560 instead of S63 also at some point. Comfort for me is priority but I like to combine it with sportiness when possible. Am hopping that this is different from the M60 vs XB7. I might take the risk and go with the XB7 but when buying new I’d rather have 100% confidence about what am getting myself into.

[Tr4ckD4ys]

Originally Posted by BMW5and7

TLDR, pass doesn't worth the attention.

Again, am looking forward to hear from those who tried both cars (M50/M60 vs XB7) and aren't biased or emotionally attached to either. Comfort is priority for me over sportiness. I tried to test-drive the new XB7, but there isn’t a single one in inventory within a 5 hours radius from me. My concern is that when I was shopping for a 7-series, the M760 ride was much smoother and comfortable compared to the B7 which seemed more stiff. That the same reason I bought the Mbenz S560 instead of S63 also at some point. Comfort for me is priority but I like to combine it with sportiness when possible. Am hopping that this is different from the M60 vs XB7. I might take the risk and go with the XB7 but when buying new I’d rather have 100% confidence about what am getting myself into.

*Grammar matters: ”TLDR - pass. It *isn’t* worth the attention.”

For you certainly not as your attention appears to be highly selective to whatever makes your M8 feel more special to you.

To answer your question, since I’m falling into the camp you are referring to here:
1. The ALPINA comfort plus and suspension is “more” comfortable than X7 M50/M60 for two reasons: Suspension parts are different and supposedly set up more refined. Comfort Plus in the ALPINA is not just a torque and transmission tune. It actually changes the suspension behavior.
2. Comfort Plus mode coded into the X7’s per I.e. bimmercode or even codemybimmer.ca is not able to code the suspension adjustments, it only codes the transmission and pedal behavior. So while coding it on your X7 enables you to select Comfort Plus mode, the implementation of it is still different from the ALPINA (or BMW 7 series that also comes out of the box with comfort plus).

Also to be 100% confident why don’t you rent both vehicles for a month or so and drive them. I’m guessing MSRP and hearsay is more important but your BMW friends of friends might be able to tell you otherwise if you’re willing to listen to them. Or reach out to Mr. Bovensiepen directly, maybe he’ll talk to someone “dont ask how I know but I’ve got an in on BMW” like you.

[Mani59]

Hi all,

Whatever your views, may I remind you of the forum rules and in particular, points 1 and 3.

1) Respect. By far the most important rule here. Through the generations of BMW, enthusiasts have come together for the love of the car and the community. So the basic rules of real life apply here, show each other respect and you will get respect as well. Don't bash someone else here because you feel like it. Derogatory or insulting remarks will not be tolerated. This applies to all corners of the site - including posts, profile visitor messages, and thread tags.

3) Disagree, don't attack. Disagree on topics, but try to leave it at that. Just because you don't like someones opinion on the car's engine, doesn't mean you should call him and his mother all sorts of names Disagreements are awesome, and you should call someone on something you don't agree with, but don't go out of your way to insult and flame someone. Please consider if you would say to someone's face the same thing you are posting.

https://www.m3post.com/forums/announcement.php?f=72&a=2

Thanks, Mani

[khai37]

Tbh, on the comfort plus setting it’s good for roads without a lot of turns. It does soak up the potholes pretty well but it is kinda boaty when you try to take a quick huggable turn. Just my experience.

[XM Label]

Originally Posted by khai37

Tbh, on the comfort plus setting it’s good for roads without a lot of turns. It does soak up the potholes pretty well but it is kinda boaty when you try to take a quick huggable turn. Just my experience.

I have never used comfort plus except for highways but I can see how if going fast on a road with lots of twisties it might feel a little loose. Can’t completely defy physics of a tall heavy SUV! I basically drive in two modes. Sport plus for local and twisties and comfort plus for highways and don’t use anything in between.

[MystroX5]

I test drove a XB7 for a bit and currently own a fully loaded X7M50. I have options still currently not available in any new XB7 so the “wow” factor wasn’t there for me as the XB7 felt more like a trim styling level than ultimate opulence. That is another thread and issue in how BMW presents the XB7 in the lineup and how they implement it since purchasing the ALPINA name.

On topic: The XB7 with 23” wheels is a touch softer in ride when compared to the X7M50i with the 22” wheels. Where it gets fuzzy is when the X7M50i is on 21” wheels and they become so close in ride comfort but the X7M50i with 21” wheels rides quieter than the XB7 on 23”. That was very noticeable with my wife and myself as soon as we did some 75mph highway runs in the XB7.

[BMW5and7]

Originally Posted by khai37

Tbh, on the comfort plus setting it’s good for roads without a lot of turns. It does soak up the potholes pretty well but it is kinda boaty when you try to take a quick huggable turn. Just my experience.

That’s my experience too when I compared the B7 vs the M760.. and the M8 vs the B7. The M760 felt much more comfortable and balanced on turns. All Alpina trims were comfortable when driven straight. Oh man, dare I share my own concerns about Alpina, some people have adopted the Alpina as a child and we’re not allowed to say anything but great stuff about it.

Originally Posted by MystroX5

I test drove a XB7 for a bit and currently own a fully loaded X7M50. I have options still currently not available in any new XB7 so the “wow” factor wasn’t there for me as the XB7 felt more like a trim styling level than ultimate opulence. That is another thread and issue in how BMW presents the XB7 in the lineup and how they implement it since purchasing the ALPINA name.

On topic: The XB7 with 23” wheels is a touch softer in ride when compared to the X7M50i with the 22” wheels. Where it gets fuzzy is when the X7M50i is on 21” wheels and they become so close in ride comfort but the X7M50i with 21” wheels rides quieter than the XB7 on 23”. That was very noticeable with my wife and myself as soon as we did some 75mph highway runs in the XB7.

Same concern which is why I am tempted and feel like I really need to test drive one. My experience with other Alpina trims wasn’t that impressive. The drive was great but I always felt that reviews I read online are exaggerated, either by owners who are emotionally-attached to their choices, or YouTubers simply building content. My concern is that both X7 vehicles I had or have, came with the smaller 21” wheels, so my baseline is already more on the extreme comfort side. If the X7-M60 with 21” rides quiter than the XB7 with larger wheels, I might cancel the plan for the XB7. Knowing you very well, I trust your feedback here on these topics more than anyone else. I’ll try to test-drive one as soon as I find one within a reasonable driving distance with me that the dealer would allow me to take for a drive or keep for a couple of hours. My local dealer would keep it with me for a day, but he doesn’t have any.

[khai37]

Originally Posted by XM Label

I have never used comfort plus except for highways but I can see how if going fast on a road with lots of twisties it might feel a little loose. Can’t completely defy physics of a tall heavy SUV! I basically drive in two modes. Sport plus for local and twisties and comfort plus for highways and don’t use anything in between.

Yea same here, back roads always on sport’s individual and long road trips will be comfort plus with a lot of highway. You can def feel it shift its weight on the back roads. Still love the beast tho.

[BMW5and7]

Originally Posted by khai37

..//.. You can def feel it shift its weight on the back roads. Still love the beast tho.

Interesting; As I indicated before, that the same discomfort I felt when I compared the B8 to M8, and even more for B7 vs M760. The M760 was heavier but still handled itself better to distribute its weight. It seems like the Alpina suspension tuning makes improvements in some area but leads to some issues in some driving conditions.

[huskerdoc2020]

Originally Posted by MystroX5

I test drove a XB7 for a bit and currently own a fully loaded X7M50. I have options still currently not available in any new XB7 so the “wow” factor wasn’t there for me as the XB7 felt more like a trim styling level than ultimate opulence. That is another thread and issue in how BMW presents the XB7 in the lineup and how they implement it since purchasing the ALPINA name.

On topic: The XB7 with 23” wheels is a touch softer in ride when compared to the X7M50i with the 22” wheels. Where it gets fuzzy is when the X7M50i is on 21” wheels and they become so close in ride comfort but the X7M50i with 21” wheels rides quieter than the XB7 on 23”. That was very noticeable with my wife and myself as soon as we did some 75mph highway runs in the XB7.

I know right?!? To us the XB7 is a total downgrade. We bought at the right time.

[machareus]

I have a 2021 XB7. I can't compare ride comfort against an M60i, but I did drive a 2019 xDrive50i for about a week and it was noticeably less comfortable than the XB7. Not really spot-on feedback for you, but something.

Some other observations:

The ride in Comfort+ on 23" rims is extremely good. It can feel floaty on tight fast turns, but that's the tradeoff. The benefit is that the road feels like carpet even over smaller bumps, shallow potholes, and other road imperfections. I wouldn't say you feel nothing at all, but you don't get jarred.

A few months back swapped out the 23" rims for the Alpina 21" rims with winter tires. I was really surprised that there wasn't a dramatic increase in comfort between the two rim sizes. I was really expecting it with the bigger sidewall. But in both my and my wife's estimation, comfort level is the same, which is really a testament to what this car can do on 23" rims.

Compared to my 2015 M6 GC, the Alpina is a dream. Especially on poorly maintained local roads. There are lanes that I will not drive in my M6 because the same shallow potholes every 200 feet on the edge of the rightmost lane would be uncomfortable for sure and potentially suspension damaging (even after upsizing my tire sidewall ratio by 5%).

Some others have said they switch to Comfort+ on the highways. I actually use Comfort+ in town and switch to Sport+ on the highway. Smooth sailing where the roads are the worst, and increased performance where the engine can actually be opened up.

Also check out this video comparing the suspension on an XB7 against a GLS:
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/bb0N3zMw9W0

[JJacksonIII]

I don't understand some of these discussion points, or why it's even being discussed. I've never driven an XB7 but come on, common sense has to prevail here. We're comparing an XB7 to an X7 M60. There is no X7M. It's going to be faster, first off, and as others have stated over and over it has a smoother ride. Sounds to me like you can drive it in comfort mode and get a better overall experience than the X7 M60 in comfort mode. Faster, quieter and smoother. And you have the added benefit of switching it to Comfort +, which is something you can't do in an M60. And we all know that they upgrade the hell out of the suspension. Sorry, but this seems like a pointless thread.

[XB7]

Originally Posted by MystroX5

I test drove a XB7 for a bit and currently own a fully loaded X7M50. I have options still currently not available in any new XB7 .

Curious what options do you have that are on the current X7 and not the current XB7?

[JJacksonIII]

Originally Posted by XB7

Curious what options do you have that are on the current X7 and not the current XB7?

There's a lot of posts on this. Air freshner/ionizer, rear seat entertainment, rear door comfort access, night vision, ASS on/off, etc...

But you get an updated/refreshed vehicle with a better (IMO) interface in the 24. And some other things, like longer recorded parking paths, summoning the vehicle, assisted driving upgrades, etc...

[XB7]

Originally Posted by JJacksonIII

There's a lot of posts on this. Air freshner/ionizer, rear seat entertainment, rear door comfort access, night vision, ASS on/off, etc...

But you get an updated/refreshed vehicle with a better (IMO) interface in the 24. And some other things, like longer recorded parking paths, summoning the vehicle, assisted driving upgrades, etc...

These aren't available on the 24 X7 so this really isn't a fair comparison

[JJacksonIII]

Originally Posted by XB7

These aren't available on the 24 X7 so this really isn't a fair comparison

Sorry, misread your question... I doubt there are options available on the X7 that aren't available on the XB7.

[FlyEagle1]

Proletariat uprising! Get behind me serf and eat my dust - we are your overlords and travel in superior style, comfort and speed in the majestic XB7!!


These are actually pretty good links to look over suspension and technical variations on the XB7, hope these help friends. The You Tube videos are pre lci but they do a good job on discussing suspension and engine modifications.

https://www.alpina-automobiles.com/e...b7/highlights/

[jofbay]

Originally Posted by XM Label

There is an extra comfort plus setting on XB7 that is unavailable to M60/M50 and is way more comfortable. Alpina dialed the suspension in so well it absorbs all the bumps with minimal fuss. Also feel sport plus setting in XB7 does a better job at minimizing road imperfections but maintaining sporty ride compared to non XB7 counterpart.

Isn't it basically the same car, same parts, just a few Alpina badges and some software tweaks?

[JJacksonIII]

Originally Posted by jofbay

Isn't it basically the same car, same parts, just a few Alpina badges and some software tweaks?

Just click play on the post above yours...

[XM Label]

Originally Posted by jofbay

Isn't it basically the same car, same parts, just a few Alpina badges and some software tweaks?

From suspension alone, the XB7 has different dampers, stiffer bushings, reinforced torsion struts, different bulkhead struts, anti roll bar changes, and extra negative camber all of which cannot be changed with coding…the XB7 can be characterized by sporty yet comfy…. There are also many changes to the engine/tuning.

[BMW5and7]

Originally Posted by MystroX5

I test drove a XB7 for a bit and currently own a fully loaded X7M50. I have options still currently not available in any new XB7 so the “wow” factor wasn’t there for me as the XB7 felt more like a trim styling level than ultimate opulence. That is another thread and issue in how BMW presents the XB7 in the lineup and how they implement it since purchasing the ALPINA name.

On topic: The XB7 with 23” wheels is a touch softer in ride when compared to the X7M50i with the 22” wheels. Where it gets fuzzy is when the X7M50i is on 21” wheels and they become so close in ride comfort but the X7M50i with 21” wheels rides quieter than the XB7 on 23”. That was very noticeable with my wife and myself as soon as we did some 75mph highway runs in the XB7.

Had the chance to finally test an XB7 this weekend, just this morning.

I’d say, I liked it. Is it somewhat better than M50 and M60 but only in certain aspects (and I had two X7s so far) … I don’t think the price difference was worth it. All my X7s had the smaller wheels as am not looking for more HP or cosmetics, but want a more comfortable and quite ride, I didn’t feel the XB7 has excelled as much as I thought it would in these areas.

Felt to me like just a better dressed X7 for what I need. MystroX5 WAS EXACTLY ON SPOT WITH EVERYTHING HE SAID ABOVE now that I tested it myself. In my view, what I would have really appreciated is a true M car like the X5M (wish we have X7M). We test drove the X5M when we bought my wife’s X5, and that was an awesome ride (though I know u can’t expect that if X7M would have existed it would be as good)… but at least for now, I was not impressed by XB7 nor that I feel it’s worth it for my personal use and priorities. I’d rather go for X5M next, but still, X7 M50 and M60 with the smaller wheel is the ultimate BMW SUV for what I need. I have time to think; I don’t really need to make a switch right now.