BMW M4 leaked photo shows off its big ol' grille

If you haven't seen the (literally) big news, the 2021 BMW 4 Series made its debut this week with its mighty controversial grille treatment. The big kidneys extend downward, marking a major departure from other BMW models.

While the grille treatment won't extend across BMW's portfolio -- are those cheers I hear? -- the hottest of all 4 Series models will definitely wear the new look. That'd be the next BMW M4. How do we know? The internet, being the leaky faucet it is, got its hands on a leaked image of the new M4.

A Bimmerpost Forum user published the photo on Thursday and it shows the sports coupe's front clip in all its glory. Compared to the regular 4 Series, the fascia looks more chiseled with various lines likely creased in a way to divert air to different parts of the car, or away from it. But man, the grille. It's certainly something on the M4.

It looks like the fixture will be gloss black, based on the sole photo we have here. It also appears to house horizontal slates within. That's probably for the best, even though the current M4 goes with vertical slats. Long vertical slats on the grille likely won't do the car's looks any favors.

We don't have any solid information on what will be under the hood, but it's safe to say another twin-turbo inline-six engine will serve the car. Right now, the M4 makes 425 horsepower, but that figure will creep upward since the 2021 M440i will muscle 374 hp, thanks to a mild-hybrid system. In fact, BMW already said to expect over 500 hp from the next M4.

With both the latest 3 Series and now 4 Series out for everyone to see, we'll likely learn more about the next M3 and M4 in the months to come. If you wanted a little more differentiation between the M3 and M4, you definitely got your wish.

First published June 5.