So you can understand my excitement when I learned that Vorsteiner is preparing an M-Tech kit for the F10 BMW 5 Series.

The kit will be presented at this year’s SEMA show in Las Vegas, and this is just another reason that you should be excited about the build. But when I saw what they plan, I couldn’t help but feel a bit let down. The M-Tech kit will feature carbon fiber parts, made using a pre-preg method.

These parts include a new front splitter, rear diffuser and a trunk lid spoiler. While not much, these do change the overall look of the F10 BMW 5 Series, and while I did expect more, I was ok with that. Unfortunately, i then learned they plan to charge $1095, $895 and $695 for each piece, respectively. Is that an ok price for such little improvement?

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Since the upgrade is basically just a power boost, the video also just deals with the simple numbers.

Normally, an F10 BMW 520d is good for around 184 Hp and 380 Nm of torque, which is not really that bad. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for improvement. And with the Hartge ECU kit, the 520d is taken up to 218 Hp and 450 Nm of torque. This is basically the kind of power developed by the BMW 525d version.

So why not just buy the 525d instead of fiddling with the lower model? The most compelling argument resides in the prices for the option. With the Hartge kit, you’d have to fork out €1.266, while the difference in price between the two models is closer to €4.200.

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After all, Alpina and the latest 5 Series seem to be the sort of match that’s made in tuning heaven. Now however, Alpina wants to take things one step further.

Maybe they were spurred along by the appearance of the F10 BMW M5, maybe by some tuning kits for it but one thing is clear.

Their tarted up BMW 550i didn’t feel like it could run with the top pack anymore. The simple reaction to this situation was that Alpina decided to give their B5 Bi-Turbo another round of tuning.

Even more power is added this time. The 4.4 liter twin-turbo V8 engine gets an additional 33 horsepower and 22 lb-ft of torque in order to make for a grand total of 540 and 538 lb-ft of torque.

Those figures take the Alpina B5 Bi-Turbo on a horsepower level that’s just short of what the M5 offers. That’s the downside, the plus side is that it has more torque available.

That extra boost sees the Alpina B5 Bi-turbo get from 0 to 62 in just 4.5 seconds and push all the way up to a top speed of 198 mph.

Insert traditional comment of how with a hint of a tailwind the sharpened up BMW 5 Series could hit 200 mph.

Since we’re dealing with a German tuner however, there’s no such mention in the press release, interviews or on their website. They did however mention the fuel economy levels.

Apparently, the Alpina B5 Bi-Turbo still manages to be respectable. An average of 22.4 mpg is to be expected.

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