News: 2021 BMW 4-Series is Actually Not That Bad Looking

We’ve been given glimpses of the 2021 BMW 4-series for a few months now in the form of spy shots. All of them pointed to a drastic change to the front end; in particular the iconic kidney grilles. Most people – myself included – thought that they were waaaayyyy too big. But today, BMW revealed the all-new 2nd generation 4-series and that front end is not quite as bad as everyone expected.

Starting with the bold new look of the 2021 BMW 4-series, the kidney grille extends from the hood to the bottom of the bumper and BMW says that it accommodates for greater cooling requirements. Standard LED headlights flank the grille with two u-shaped fiber optic daytime running lights. The overall shape of the new 4-series remains similar to the outgoing model but compared to the old model, this new 4-series is 132mm longer, 25mm wider, and 10mm taller. The rear incorporates BMW’s new L-shaped LED tail lights that are found on other BMW models such as the 2020 M340i or new 2021 5-series.

The interior also incorporates BMW’s latest designs with a dashboard that is identical to that of other current BMW models. A 5.1-inch driver display is standard with a 12.3-inch Live Cockpit Professional as an option. The standard 8.8-inch touchscreen now offers standard wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. A 10.25-inch touchscreen is optional with the Live Cockpit Pro upgrade. Other updates include a new cloud based BMW Maps system that allows for faster route calculations and dynamic recalculation based on real-time traffic data.

Powering the 2021 BMW 4-series are two engines … for now. An ///M variant of the 4-series will undoubtedly be announced towards the end of the year or early next year. The base engine for the 4-series is a twin-scroll turbocharged 2.0L 4-cylinder producing 255 hp and 294 lb-ft of torque. In the 430i with xDrive, the engine can propel the car to 100 km/h in 5.6 seconds and on to a limited top speed of 240 km/h. In the BMW M440i xDrive, a 3.0L twin-scroll turbocharged 6-cylinder engine does the job of moving the car with 382 hp and 369 lb-ft of torque. In that car, the acceleration from a stop is 4.5 seconds to 100 km/h and a limited top speed of 240 km/h as well. The 3.0L inline-6 engine though does benefit from a new 48-volt mild hybrid starter/generator system that can provide a smoother auto start/stop function, provide momentary boost in power while accelerating, and improve overall fuel efficiency. Both engines will be mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission.

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The new 2021 BMW 4-series will be packed with advanced safety features. Standard features include lane departure warning with steering correction, forward automatic emergency braking, pedestrian detection, blind spot detection, rear cross traffic alert, and automatic high beam. Optional features include active cruise control with stop & go feature, a level 2 semi-autonomous assist which can allow for extended hands free periods of driving, front cross traffic alert, and lane keeping assistant with side collision avoidance.

Pricing has not been announced for the Canadian market but for the US market it will start at $45,600 USD for the 430i and $58,500 USD for the M440i xDrive.