I’m going to go out on the limb here and say I don’t really hate the new grille design of the latest M3 and M4 as much as the rest of the internet. Sure it is not the prettiest thing out there, but in my book, it is also not that bad. It has a bit of a classic vibe and I like that.
However, the overwhelming consensus in the car world is that it is one of the worst design solutions ever since the first Fiat Multipla landed on this planet from a galaxy far away – come on, that one has to be alien, right?
While I am ready to accept that most people don’t not-hate the new BMW grille as much as I do, BMW apparently isn’t. They are sticking with it, to the dismay of many potential customers who are in love with the performance perks of the beloved BMW duo, but cannot look past the front design.
So we have to turn to the aftermarket section of the market.
Prior Design, a revered aftermarket parts manufacturer, used their YouTube channel to present a design study with a number of solutions that are aimed at replacing the current design of the BMW M3 and M4 grille.
While this is just a design study at this point, we have no doubt at least some of the following solutions will hit production very soon. Simply put, there are too many people who don’t like the current grille design and the M3 and M4 are generally very popular and beloved, so there is a lot of business potential here.
Add to this that Prior Design is specialized in aftermarket body parts and kits, wheels and exhaust systems and that they have more than enough expertise and production capabilities to fill this market, and we have no doubt we’ll see at least one of these solutions on BMW models soon.
They presented a few different solutions, but based around two main ideas.
The first idea is to keep the concept of a split grille without the surround and make it small enough to fit the space where the kidney grille is usually found. You know, the top of the front section.
This solution resulted in a much smaller but pretty neat grille design accompanied by a new set of intakes, front bumper and a nice lip spoiler.
Source image: Prior Design, www.prior-design.de
This solution also has a few alternatives in terms of the lower section. They include different bumper designs, different intakes and inserts. One of them is also even more aggressive and also aimed to be the basis for a wide body kit that Prior Design is known for.
Here are some of the solutions Prior Design presented.
Source image: Prior Design, www.prior-design.de
The second solution is based on a design of the very successful BMW M8 Competition. Its kidneys are closer together with a lower section that complements the shape perfectly, giving the M3 and M4 a recognizable and a beloved look of their more expensive sibling.
Source image: Prior Design, www.prior-design.de
Having in mind the disdain that the stock solution has resulted in and the fact that Prior Design is a revered aftermarket manufacturer, we have no doubt at least some of these solutions will hit production soon. Also, having in mind that Prior practically has no competitor in this respect at the moment, if you want one of these, we suggest you order yours in as soon as it is available.
