BMW recently unveiled the all-new 4 Series Coupe, and well, let’s just say a lot of people were not happy. The new 4 Series Coupe breaks out of the BMW design shell and goes for a bolder, aesthetic approach.

The most prominent thing you might notice about the second-generation 4 Series Coupe is the large, vertical kidney grilles that stare right back at you. The new design language, didn’t go as well as BMW expected it to. People were upset about this decision and some even suggested that the car needs to get a “kidney transplant.” But this shouldn’t come as a surprise, since BMW had preview the vertical kidney grilles back in 2019 during the Frankfurt Motor Show. Apart from that, the grille has appeared on BMW’s prewar cars, from which the 2021 vertical grilles were inspired from and pay ode to. But if you’re worried about BMW adopting this design for their upcoming cars, rest easy. For now, the 4 Series Coupe is the only car in the BMW roster to sport the vertical grilles.

But you can’t win over everyone with the aspect of design since it’s highly subjecive. While the new 4 Series Coupe has its haters, we’re definitely not one of them. We respect BMW’s bold choice, because experimentation should be at the core of the auto industry. If a carmaker didn’t bother to move beyond their design philosophy, we’ll just be left with cars that all look the same and zero variation in design.

While the exteriors are the major talking point, we can’t forget that this is a car, and a pretty good one. The 4 Series will internationally be offered in one diesel and three petrol engines. Two 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrols offer 181bhp (420i) and 254bhp (430i). A 48V mild-hybrid 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo diesel delivers 187bhp (420d). The most expensive and powerful offering will be the range-topping M440i xDrive, which churns out 369 horses from a 48V mild-hybrid 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo petrol engine.