We 'Fixed' The BMW Concept 4's Grille By Downsizing It Twice

We’ve had plenty of concept cars and even production vehicles to help us acclimatise to BMW’s new obsession with gargantuan kidney grilles. Regardless, the 4-series-previewing Concept 4 revealed at the Frankfurt Motor Show came as a shock.

Perhaps it’s down to the big grille thing being applied to a smaller car - thus far it’s only tended to be used on bigger vehicles like the X7 and 7-series. Or maybe it’s because BMW’s designers made the 4’s huge gnashers themselves extra spangly.

Although the Concept 4 is just a show car, its controversial looks matter. The car is described as 85 per cent production-ready, and BMW has said that it “Offers a look ahead to the expressive face of the 4 Series range”. Oh.

It’s all part of BMW’s efforts to give the new 4-series more distinction from the G30 3-series it’s derived from. Hopefully, though, BMW will give the production version an “expressive face” that’s a little more restrained. Because once that grille is shrunk down a little, as seen in our render above, it starts to make a little more sense.

The kidneys here are by no means small, though, so what happens if you downsize them again?

Here’s where the huge side intakes become a little problematic - they now dominate the front end, making a perfectly normal-sized pair of grilles seem weirdly small. But still, it’s surely an improvement on the Frankfurt car.

Which of the two renders gets your vote? Or do you prefer the original concept? Let us know in the comments - we won’t judge…