It's sleek and sinuous, right up until you get to the front. This, BMW fans, is the face of the new 4 Series Coupe, albeit in conceptual form that's on display at the 2019 Frankfurt Motor Show ahead of an impending production model. "The kidney grille has always been a signature feature of BMW cars," Domagoj Dukec, head of BMW design, is quoted to have said in the car's accompanying press release. "The BMW Concept 4 presents a confident and classy take on this iconic feature. At the same time, the BMW Concept 4 offers a look ahead to the expressive face of the 4 Series range."
We're not sure that "confident" and "classy" are the first adjectives that come to mind, but we'll admit the grille is definitely distinctive. The automaker says the face references "legendary classics such as the BMW 328 or the BMW 3.0 CSi," which is fair, but it does so in such an exaggerated way that it takes away from the rest of an otherwise harmonious design. Its classic rear-drive coupe proportions are marred by a grille so comically large that the hood has to bulge outward just to flow into it.
Grille aside, the Concept 4 is an attractive preview of the next-gen 4 Series Coupe and therefore M4. Its lighting clusters front and rear are especially interesting. The headlights have no glass cover over their three-dimensional LED elements, and the taillights are similarly uncovered with a fiber-optic element that stretches horizontally under a sort of duckbill rear spoiler.
There's no word on what might power the Concept 4 or the 4 Series Coupe that it foreshadows. We'd wager a range of turbocharged inline-four- and six-cylinder engines will send power to the rear or optionally all four wheels through an eight-speed automatic transmission.
We're holding out hope that the actual production 4 Series Coupe will keep the overall artfully penned shape of the Concept 4, but with a significantly toned down version of that jarringly garish grille. See it in high-res glory in our image gallery up above.