Imagine, if you will, that you have a crystal ball and within that ball, you can see BMW’s future. What do you see 5 years from now? 10 years from now? 20 years from now? Do you see crazy sports cars, an allotment of high-spend luxury cars, or a simple evolution of the cars the brand offers today? Well, if you look at the BMW Concept 4, the what you should be seeing is grille….lots and lots of big grilles. After all, that has been the most controversial thing about the new Concept 4, a model that’s said to represent, at least in some form, the next-gen 4 Series. That means other models, should this grille find its way to the next-gen 4 Series, could feature a similar look down the road as well. For now, though, let’s take a closer look at the Concept 4 and see what more there is to it outside of that massive grille.

BMW Concept 4 Exterior Design

There’s no denying that the Concept 4 is actually a rather sporty vehicle. The front end features a sleek pair of headlights that are stylish and attractive, and the hood is muscular to the point that it borders on the realm of what you would expect on a sports car. The front fascia has a lot of appeal to it as well – those corner vents have that aggressive feel that we’ve come to expect more from M cars than your standard entry-level 4 series but the problem, I fear, is that they are more aesthetic than purposeful, and that will certainly be the case if this design, even slightly toned down, is carried over to the next-gen 4 Series.

The elephant in the room here is that big ass grille from which there is no escape. It’s almost like that creepy old picture of your grandparents – you know, the one where their eyes follow you regardless of where you are in the room? That’s exactly what this grille does. Whether you’re looking at it straight on or from the side, it’s staring you right in the face. There’s even a myth that it’s so big you can see it from behind the car, but we haven’t seen that yet. In all seriousness, though, BMW seems to have an addiction with pushing the extremes when it comes to grille size. We thought the grille on the 8 Series was big, but the Concept 4’s grille simply dwarfs it – at least in height, anyway. The 8 Series grille, on the other hand, would look downright amazing with the rest of the front end’s design, so hopefully that’s the path BMW will take as this moves into production

The grille on the front end might be controversial, but the Concept 4’s side profile is downright stunning with the exception of the oddly shaped, somewhat triangular mirrors. The beltline has a nice little kink to it just beyond the door, and the shape of the greenhouse is sporty yet gives us the impression that rear headroom is actually quite plentiful. The way the trim around the side glass is thicker at the rearmost point helps to give the premium feel that otherwise wouldn’t exist here. The bodyline in the center that runs across the door is kind of like a stepping stone to the overly aggressive side skirts and concave section of the door that feeds into the fender vent that may or not allow for air to flow through from the front end. We’re guessing it doesn’t, but we’ve been wrong before. And, while BMW needs to do something about those side-view mirrors, those wheels are a must-have for the next-gen 4 Series.

Look at the Concept 4 straight on from the rear gives us mixed feelings to some extent. First off, those mirrors feel way to dominant from this angle. Maybe it’s the rectangular nature of the glass or the sharp point on the upper outside corner, but they are definitely an eyesore form this view, regardless of how modern they really are. The other downside to the rear design is the small rear windscreen. The way the rear decklid meets up with the rear quarters to create an overhang is a huge styling plus, though, and those taillights are something else you can expect to see move into production. We’re not sure what to think of the rear vents or the rear diffuser, but chances are none of what you see below the decklid will make it to production, at least not on models that fall outside of the M category. An M4 for example, might feature a similar fascia and diffuser but the entry-level 4? Not so much.

Overall, the design of the Concept 4 is pretty attractive, but BMW has gone a little too far with the grille and the mirrors. The fake vents and, probably, fake exhaust outlets are two things we’re definitely not fond up. If this really does hint at the next-gen 4 Series, there is a lot to be excited about, but BMW really needs to rethink the design of the nose and those mirrors if it’s going to be as big a hit as it could be appearance-wise.

BMW Concept 4 Interior Design

The image you see above isn’t from the Concept 4 – It’s of the BMW 8 Series’ interior. In fact, we’re not even sure if the Concept 4 even has an interior at this point. BMW has all of the windows, including the windshield and rear windscreen, completely blacked out and, as you guessed, we found the car locked up like Fort Knox on stage too. Even asking nicely to see the inside was met with an abrupt and firm “no.” So, what could be hiding behind the glass? Probably next to nothing. Or, it could be a basic 4 Series interior since BMW has, probably, used that as a starting canvas to build this concept.

With the next-gen 4 Series expected to debut in the next year or two in production form – the current model has been on the market since 2013, so the sooner the better – there’s a good chance that the interior of the model based on this concept will closely resemble that of the 8 Series interior that you see displayed above. Of course, BMW will save the best materials and tech for the range-topping M4, but even the entry-level model should represent a huge departure from the soon-to-be 7-year-old 4 Series on the market today.

BMW Concept 4 Drivetrain and Performance

As was the case with the interior, BMW saw no benefit to enlightening us about what was going on under the Concept 4’s hood. This concept is coined as the “new face of the 4 Series range,” so even if BMW had divulged some kind of detail, there wouldn’t be anything all that new. Considering this concept is loosely based on the current 4 Series, and does represent the next-gen 4 Series, there’s either a 2.0-liter four-cylinder or a 3.0-liter inline-six. In the current model, the four-banger is good for 248 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque while the inline-six mill generates 320 horsepower and 330 pound-feet of torque.

So, if we were to look into that crystal ball I mentioned a way’s back and saw what BMW crammed under the hood of the next-gen 4 Series, we would probably see the same engine arrangement with new technology for better efficiency and just a little bit of extra power – remember, BMW can’t go bonkers here as it can’t overextend one model into the category of the next. With that in mind, the entry-level 4 Series with a toned-down design of what you see here will probably rock the same 2.0-liter but tuned to deliver closer to 255 horsepower and a similar amount of torque. The same story will hold true for the 3.0-liter in the 440i, which should see a bump up to – at most – 330 horsepower and 335 pound-feet of torque. Don’t expect the next-gen M4 to go above 430 horsepower.

Performance of the next-gen 4 Series (or this Concept 4, if you will) will actually be improved because BMW has a system in place to keep everyone happy. See, power increases will be mostly negligible – a few extra ponies here and there don’t mean a lot – but the Concept 4 also represents a decrease in weight. It won’t be much, but BMW has a trend of using lighter materials through each generation and the Concept 4, in production guise, will be no different. I’d expect curb weight to probably drop by a couple hundred pounds. Models equipped with the seven-speed DCT will probably see slightly quicker and smoother shifts depending on the driving mode selected too. As such, the Concept 4, and the next-gen 4 Series it represents, should offer sprint times that are at least one-tenth of a second better than the current generation.

Final Thoughts

Considering the language used by BMW when the Concept 4 was released, what we’ve seen here is, without a doubt, a preview of what the next-gen 4 Series will look like. BMW seems pretty confident that the massive grille will be a big hit, but if you’ve even set eye on social media or google “Concept 4” you’ll see that the design is, for better or worse, unanimously disliked among journalists and fanboys alike. Sure, there are a few out there that are into it, but don’t expect this grille to grow in popularity like the grille on the 8 Series did. If anything changes from this concept to the next-gen 4 Series, you can expect the front end to be toned down at the very least. We’ll see about the grille, but the 430 and 440i models will never bee as aggressive as the Concept 4. The M4 will have to be the most aggressive of the pack, and that’s just the way it is.

Overall, I like the Concept 4, I really do, but I think we need to have an intervention for BMW and it’s love for big grilles. Otherwise, I’m all for BMW carrying over most of this design. Will BMW hear the cries for a smaller 8-Series-like grille or will the company be forced to do a fast facelift a year or two after its debut kind of like Chevy had to do with the Camaro not that long ago?

Further reading

The BMW Concept 4 Makes It Clear That BMW Has a Grille Problem

Read our full speculative review on the 2020 BMW 4 Series Convertible.

Read our full review on the 2018 BMW M4.

Read our full review on the 2018 BMW 4 Series Coupe.

Read our full review on the 2018 BMW 4 Series Convertible.