[Shovelman]

So it's a thing in the industry. Maybe it'll grow on me but not quickly. Went past a display of new Audis today and only got a fleeting glimpse. Looked like they got a good price on chrome plated chain link fence.

[Sportstick]

Originally Posted by Shovelman

So it's a thing in the industry. Maybe it'll grow on me but not quickly. Went past a display of new Audis today and only got a fleeting glimpse. Looked like they got a good price on chrome plated chain link fence.

I'm reading the term "beaver teeth" alot in reference to the 4 Series!

[Lucky13]

Originally Posted by Sportstick

I'm reading the term "beaver teeth" alot in reference to the 4 Series!

They should have done a “beaver” with fur instead of teeth, at least the guys would like it.

[230iZTR]

Its ugly, I wouldn't buy one, and I think enough people agree with that sentiment that BMW's sales will very likely suffer for it until they fix it with the LCI. But I've read speculation that the big grill does really well with focus groups in China and they're hedging that the boost in Chinese sales will offset the losses in the rest of the world.

[dradernh]

Originally Posted by 230iZTR

But I've read speculation that the big grill does really well with focus groups in China and they're hedging that the boost in Chinese sales will offset the losses in the rest of the world.

That's my understanding. These 2019 data give some perspective regarding where China fits in sales-wise: https://www.statista.com/statistics/...-of-bmw-group/.

Through Q3 2020, BMW Group's China sales had risen 6.4% while sales fell 25% in the States and 20% in Europe: https://www.wsj.com/articles/bmw-sal...ry-11604480573.

BMW knows what it's doing when it comes to shifting its goods into the hands of consumers worldwide. It's a very successful marketing organization that continues to see the manufacture and sale of cars as its path to success. Chinese buyers will have quite a bit to do with BMW design trends.

[harma24]

Originally Posted by Shovelman

So it's a thing in the industry. Maybe it'll grow on me but not quickly. Went past a display of new Audis today and only got a fleeting glimpse. Looked like they got a good price on chrome plated chain link fence.

Yep, with the way Lexus first, then Audi, now BMW are going, I'm waiting for everything forward of the A-pillar (front bumper, quarter panels, hood and all) to be grille. Can't be too far off the way things are going. I'm just hoping the first to do it turns off everyone enough so the industry returns to more sensible grilles.

[morphomeman]

Lexus is by far the worst in this trend. I saw one the other day with a grill that looked like a cow-catcher on an old steam locomotive. What does it cost to repair after you tap it on the bumper of the car in front while parking?
For my money, they are all plug-ugly. Is there any practical value to these giant mouths?

[WolfGTI]

All the complaining about grills.. I get some do not like them, I don't really care as long as the driving experience delivers. But remember BMW has had tall grills before - go look at the early BMW's - I look at it as merely revisiting their past.

[harma24]

Originally Posted by WolfGTI

But remember BMW has had tall grills before - go look at the early BMW's - I look at it as merely revisiting their past.

That is true, but the grille today is about 20 times the size of the grilles of the past:

[dradernh]

Originally Posted by morphomeman

Lexus is by far the worst in this trend.

That's certainly been my impression, too. I find that most cars today are reasonably attractive, but the gaping maw of a contemporary Lexus is truly something to behold.

Originally Posted by WolfGTI

All the complaining about grills.. I get some do not like them, I don't really care as long as the driving experience delivers.

Yes, that's my principal consideration as well.

If a Lexus with one of their current grilles had checked all of my boxes (and no BMW had checked them all), I would have accepted the fact that I didn't care for the front end and bought it anyway. It would have helped that I can easily ensure that I see the front of my car only occasionally.

Originally Posted by harma24

That is true, but the grille today is about 20 times the size of the grilles of the past

I think the biggest practical reason for some of today's cars with large openings is the amount of heat being generated by high-HP, turbocharged cars. This may seem quaint (probably is given that my first three cars were '59s), but I consider anything over 300 RWHP to be "high-HP".

[Brobeav]

Not trying to be funny nor melodramatic here; I’m honestly having a hard time distinguishing between real photos of these new models and all of the memes going around mocking grill inflation.

[WolfGTI]

I meant early BMW's - E30 isn't early. 1930's, 1940's were large grills..

Originally Posted by harma24

That is true, but the grille today is about 20 times the size of the grilles of the past:
Attachment 2532835
Attachment 2532837

[cristo]

Yeah, but somehow they pull it off
whereas the new 4 series grills
really don’t.

[harma24]

Originally Posted by cristo

Yeah, but somehow they pull it off
whereas the new 4 series grills
really don’t.

Agreed. The engine compartments on those cars were tall and thin; a tall thin grille works. Imagine todays wide, short grilles on those old cars? It would look out of place. Similarly, the front end of the 4 series is wide and low; the tall (although not-so-)thin grille looks just as out of place.


I always liked this article, which re-imagined cars with huge grilles with only the useful portion of the grille remaining. The Lexus ES 300 and the A4 could have actually looked half decent!
https://jalopnik.com/cars-without-fa...les-1818518076

[rexed]

While I agree that the 4 series grill is hideous in all of the photos, when you see one in real life with a license plate plastered across the middle of it, the revulsion goes to a whole new level!

[60_Driver]

Not a fan. But to be fair that’s now I feel about most new designs of vehicles I liked until they grow on me a bit over time. This ones not great, though.

[Hank Scorpio]

Wasn't fan when they did the reveal, def not one now.

[f22b58]

I have seen it in person in San Remo Green and Arctic Race Blue. It is not bad but it is not good either. It is just big to big, seems unnecessary. There is a vertical bar across the middle of it that is the continuation of the bumper. So, it could have been split in half. Lower section separate from the upper kidneys. I am having more of an issue with the hood line being back and combined with the grills it makes the nose look snouty. The hood line is inconsistent with this current model range.

[morphomeman]

All hoods must now meet more stringent safety standards (mostly for the EU). That is a factor in the design, though some brands manage to look better than others.

[stein_325i]

Its ugly online and in person, whether it is a 4-series or M3 in my opinion. Seeing it in person made no difference to me.

[BimmerBlake]

They are hideous 😱

[msej449]

The thing I don't understand is that in most European countries, by law, you have to slap an oblong license plate bang in the middle of the grille - which for me ruins the whole aesthetics of the new grille. If you have to have a plate there, then the design logic is that you keep the grille as a flattened lozenge above it.