First Look

The Ultimate Driving Machine now has the biggest set of nostrils on the block! Who approved this new overdone 2021 BMW M3/M4 grill and exterior, and why didn’t they consult with the interior design team? The new interior is spot on and the superb evolution of what we’ve come to expect from the M division. Thankfully the fabulous interior saves the day and is so good it will likely carry the exterior’s shortcomings to new sales records.

They had to mess with nearly every panel of the car and leave us with a NEW design full of so many fugly angles from the rear and rear quarters that look like a Camry, Accord, or a 10-year-old Infiniti. The New M3 isn’t that bad, but the back half of the M4 in particular is really embarrassing.

What does look amazing on the outside? The hood! It is magnificent! It’s muscular and a new exterior design stand out. The twin hood tunnels flow beautifully into the top of the kidney grill and could have been a perfect match to a still bold but less dramatic grill. The size of that schnoz is too much.

While I felt the outgoing M4 was better looking than the M3, I have to say the 2021 M3 is the more attractive sibling of the new generation. The lines flow better, and the four-door model carries forward more of the BMW M DNA. A different grill design might have been all that was needed to make the new BMW M3 really shine and win over the BMW fans currently questioning their loyalty. It may grow on me, but it’s a little too STI and not enough evolution of the BMW we already love.

So, for now, cover your eyes and don’t peek until you’re sitting inside a new 2021 BMW M3 or M4. When you take the wheel, you’ll be surrounded by a gorgeous new interior, looking out over a muscular double tunnel hood with even more horsepower lurking beneath. This is after all a driver’s car, so who cares what it looks like if it drives as good as we know it should have looked. It’s from the driver’s seat that we’ll will judge if the new M’s delivers what we really crave from BMW.