New BMW 4-Series Spy Shots Confirm Our Fears Over Its Huge Grille

Spy shots have emerged of the next BMW 4-series in cold weather testing, and there’s quite an obvious attempt to cover up what’s going to be a gaping grille
New BMW 4-Series Spy Shots Confirm Our Fears Over Its Huge Grille

You may remember the BMW Concept 4 from a few months ago. More likely your nightmares are still haunted by its needlessly immense and one-volume kidney grille, which we ‘fixed’ in a couple of renders you guys liked.

Since then, when BMW described that gargantu-o-grille as indicating the styling direction earmarked for the next 4er, there has been a general air of nervousness about whether they would follow through on it. The Concept 4 won huge media coverage, but the grille was pretty much blasted out of a cannon everywhere other than China, so surely BMW would reconsider?

New BMW 4-Series Spy Shots Confirm Our Fears Over Its Huge Grille

Alas, the first impressions from these spy shots do little to calm our fears. The top of the grille can be seen, just as broad and just as one-volume as in the concept. The line down the middle? Pure camouflage.

The lower bumper section isn’t the finished deal, either. It’s simply a makeshift housing for all the electronics during testing. However, the position of the most obvious piece of electronics on the test mule would suggest a mounting point behind the bottom of a truly behemoth snout, potentially identical to the concept’s.

New BMW 4-Series Spy Shots Confirm Our Fears Over Its Huge Grille

We won’t know for sure until the final reveal at or just before the Geneva Motor Show in March. We’re still crossing our fingers that BMW has seen those renders and changed their minds…

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Comments

Anonymous

BMW, all you had to do was listen to the people and change the grille. Just one job.

But guess what…

12/20/2019 - 11:16 |
38 | 0
Anonymous

Evolution of BMW kidney grilles…

12/20/2019 - 12:07 |
78 | 2
Dante Verna

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

Still relevant

12/20/2019 - 12:16 |
10 | 0
Evan Smith 1

Unpopular Opinion: I don’t mind the giant grille trend.

12/20/2019 - 13:51 |
20 | 6

It’s starting to get way too ridiculous. Especially BMW, in my opinion

12/20/2019 - 14:19 |
8 | 4
5:19.55

The m3 had much more clear spy shot

12/20/2019 - 16:25 |
2 | 2

How will they used those in dtm?

12/20/2019 - 16:37 |
2 | 2
Hugo Hurley Wellington

Having spoken to someone inside BMW There is now going to be clear distinctions between models indicated by their grills, that is why the X6 is different from the X5 and so on with the X7.

Essentially they want you to know exactly which BMW you are looking at with out glancing at the badge. I have seen the production design and it genuinely is breathtaking, takes some time to get used to it but they have done a great job with it.

12/21/2019 - 09:39 |
12 | 4

Actually not a bad idea, I’ve had trouble telling the CLA and CLS apart, which makes this all the more brilliant.

12/21/2019 - 18:10 |
6 | 0
Anonymous

Its literally not even big wtf??

12/25/2019 - 14:23 |
0 | 0
Anonymous

In all honesty, I don’t know how I feel about this 4 series. From what I can gather, the body doesn’t have those sleek curves and has a rather large rear-end. I’m interested to see what it looks like without the spy wrap.

Just my two cents.

01/07/2020 - 23:22 |
0 | 0
Ben Anderson 1

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

The rear looks like a bit like a 6th Gen Camaro.

02/21/2020 - 13:50 |
0 | 0