2021 BMW M4 Coupe makes its spy photo debut, hiding the grille beneath

The next-gen BMW M4 has already ruffled the feathers of so many before being seen. Most of the criticism has to do with the gargantuan grille it’s expected to have — we’ve even seen a photo of what’s claimed to be a new M3 that it’ll ultimately share a grille with. BMW previewed the bucktooth look with the Concept 4 Series Coupe, and it has no interest in backing down from the design.

These spy photos are the first look at the new M4 Coupe, but we’ll note that photos of the M4 Convertible have surfaced previously. Just like those shots, BMW has the car (and the grille) well covered up. Our only hint at the grille’s size and shape comes from what appears to be the lower part of the front passenger side nostril showing through. We can’t tell for certain that what we’re looking at is part of the grille, but everything up to this point indicates exactly that. Only one side of the black mesh covering extends down to the bottom, too. Perhaps it’s meant to throw us off the trail, but the more likely scenario is that the engine doesn’t truly need that much of an opening to receive proper cooling.

The side profile reveals a few differences between the old and new generation M4. Shorter windows bring the roofline further down, giving this car a more streamlined appearance. The camouflage does a great job of disguising the body crease around door handle height — the old car had a muscular line going most of the way down the side of the body there. This car’s lines are more obvious when viewed from a rear three-quarter angle, as the camouflage blends everything together. Similarly aggressive side sills bring the whole car closer to the ground, and the side mirrors appear to be Competition-spec mirrors with the winglets extending from the top.

This particular M4 has gold calipers, indicating that the carbon ceramic brakes are equipped. Production headlights and taillights are visible through the swirly camouflage, with both of their designs following in the footsteps of other new BMWs. Like we’ve spied on the new M3s, this M4 Coupe has a quad-tipped exhaust and a large muffler hanging down below.

The new M4 is expected to use the new 3.0-liter twin-turbo inline-six that we first sampled in the X3 M and X4 M. A manual transmission option was promised by BMW, and both rear-wheel and all-wheel drive are expected to be offered. The most recent news on timing has the M3 and M4 launch delayed until 2020, with the first deliveries occurring in 2021. Time to play the waiting game.