√2023 BMW 4 Series: Could the ‘coffin’ grille be dead and buried?

BMW fans are calling for the BMW 4 Series’ over-sized upright grille – said to resemble a pair of coffins – to be re-nosed when the facelift arrives next year. Now someone has shown us what it could look like.

The 2023 BMW 4 Series is expected to receive a facelift next year, and one prominent online artist has proposed a return to a smaller and more traditional ‘kidney’ grille.

BMW made headlines for its oversized upright ‘coffin grille’ when the second-generation 4 Series went on sale in June 2020.

Some BMW fans loved it, others likened the appearance to a pair of coffins – or gopher’s teeth.

At the time, Drive’s reveal story received close to 100 comments from readers. The majority of respondents were critical of the new look, the balance praised the bold design.

“We deal with [social media criticism] in the same way we do with customer clinics,” BMW’s vice-president of group design, Adrian van Hooydonk, told Autocar in February 2021.

“I never go to those clinics, because the individual comments can be quite brutal. It’s not always enjoyable.”

Now there are unsubstantiated reports out of Japan which claim the large grille could be dropped when the facelifted BMW 4 Series arrives next year.

In an image first published by Japanese publication Spyder7, renowned Photoshop car artist X-Tomi Design has morphed the front end of the recently-facelifted 3 Series onto today’s 4 Series, previewing a more conventional style that’s reminiscent of BMW coupes from previous years.

It is unclear at this stage whether BMW will react to the feedback from some fans and shift to a more conventional grille for the BMW 4 Series facelift – or stick with its original design.

Perhaps BMW could split the difference and go back to a more conventional appearance on the regular versions of the BMW 4 Series – but retain the coffin grilles on the M3 and M4 high-performance models, where extra engine cooling is necessary and daring design is often appreciated.

Either way, we continue to be impressed by X-Tomi’s computer skills, imagination, and keen eye for detail.

What do you think of X-Tomi’s redesigned BMW 4 Series? Let us know in the comments section below.

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