BMW Shows What's Hiding Behind Its Mighty New Grille

By now you’ve likely made up your mind about the front grille on the new BMW M3 and M4. However, all of the components behind the new nose have taken a back seat, until now. Thankfully the German automaker fills in the blanks on the new design and how everything is set up.

Right away it’s clear to see that the majority of the space behind the grille is taken up by radiators for cooling important components – yes, not that surprising. Along with keeping the vitals at optimum temperature, a lot of time was spent protecting delicate items for outings at the race track; there is a bash bar of sorts to ensure that stones don’t dent the radiators and slight modifications to the brake ducts.

One interesting feature of the cavity behind the kidneys is that BMW engineers added a number of control surfaces under the bodywork to improve cooling performance. As the oil cooler is the lowest radiator in the front fascia, there’s a flap in the bottom to promote an area of negative air pressure just under it.

Before we start a massive war in the comment section, we’d be remiss not to mention that this video finally shows us why the grille is the way it is. Contrary to popular belief, engineers and designers must work in harmony to build a car that not only looks good but runs well.

Regardless of your feelings on the aesthetic, it’s refreshing to see that the German automaker is still committed to building the ultimate driving machine. Feel free to leave your thoughts on the new kidneys in the comments below. Did this video change your perspective at all?