When looking at the horsepower curve, it's clear what one may expect from this engine-bay-filling equipment. At a modest 2,500rpm the driver has 200 horsepower with which to play. At 5,500 rpm, the maximum 500 horsepower is reached, but the fun doesn't stop there, the engine maintains 500 horsepower up to 6,000rpm. The torque curve is even more impressive. At a mere 1,000rpm, just above idle, the V8 puts out 300 Newton metres of torque. Between 4,250rpm and 5,250, there's a constant 700 Newton metres of twist on tap. The engine characteristics, as evidenced by the above numbers, are those of a far larger than those of an equal-sized naturally-aspirated engine.

The B5's powerplant distinguishes itself by instantaneous reactions to throttle inputs, care-free revving up to maximum revs, and a nearly inexhaustible supply of acceleration across the rev range. At full song, the B5 needs but 4.7 seconds to reach 100km/h (Touring: 4.9 seconds), placing it in the fine company of the world's most renowned sports cars

The B5 possesses a ZF six-speed automatic transmission with torque converter, known for its especially smooth shifts and quick response The driver may operate the transmission in Drive mode, letting the automatic do the shifting, or may manually select the gear with two buttons on the back side of the steering wheel. ALPINA developed Switch-Tronic many years ago for just this purpose.