This sure looks like the 2021 BMW M4
We’re really doing this, aren’t we? Earlier today, the Instagram page “contentment_cars” posted a photo of what appears to be the upcoming 2021 BMW M4.
Yep, there’s that grille.
This past Monday, BMW pulled the silk off the next-generation 2021 4 Series, gaping grille and all. Munich’s reserving the reveal of the top-shelf M4 for a later date, but we’re expecting official tidbits about the spicier M4 to follow soon. Until more concrete details emerge, we can still glean a few details from the leaked photo above.
First, that massive grille, which was initially teased in the Concept 4 at last year’s Frankfurt Motor Show. It’s a squirrel-swallowing, black-straked void here, flanked by correspondingly blacked-out side skirts and wheels. From what we can see, it looks like the M4 will share headlights with its big brother the M8. The aggressive front bumper is certainly structured to breathe deeply, likely to huff as much air as possible for twin turbo chargers. (Why two? We expect BMW to continue the current M4’s twin-snail setup.) Towards the outside edges of the front clip, vertical channels are ready to funnel air towards massive brakes, which will likely come with carbon-ceramic rotors as optional, if not standard.
No word yet on the particulars of what powertrain we may see under the hottest 4-Series’ hood. In the past, the two-door M4 boasts the same mill as the four-door M3; currently, that’s a 3.0-liter, twin-turbo straight-six good for 425 hp and 406 lb-ft of torque. There’s a strong chance the new M4 will use the same six-pot that’s in the current X3 M and X4 M crossovers, meaning there’s potential for 473 hp and 442 lb-ft of torque—at the least, since that same powerplant clears the 500-horse mark in the X3 M Competition. If the rumors about the forthcoming M5 are true, could we see electrification come into play with the M4? That remains merely a question at this point, until BMW hands out official details.
Regardless, it looks like the buck-tooth grille is what we’ll see going forward. If you’re like me, it’s all you see; but beauty is in the eye of the beholder (hello, 2017-and-later Civic Type R owners). What do you think about the new M4? Let us know in the Hagerty Community below.
