BMW 4 Series Looks Almost Ready For Production In New Spy Photos

We are reportedly just a few weeks away from the official online debut of the new BMW 4 Series. The Bavarian company is putting the finishing touches on its new coupe and our photographers caught a test prototype lapping the Nurburgring at full speed.

This test car wears a thin layer of camouflage which is not able to hide the actual shape and design of the vehicle. Previous photos already confirmed the existence of a massive dual-kindey grille at the front, something BMW first hinted about with the Concept 4 study. We had our hopes the Bavarians could change the design for the production model but it's basically now confirmed that won't be the case. Interestingly, the grille appears to have a slightly different pattern on this prototype compared to previous trial cars.

The rest of the coupe looks like... well, a traditional two-door sports car, which is good news. The rear deck is short, and there are narrow, pointy taillights. These photos create the visual illusion that it'll be a large coupe but in fact, it'll be exactly the size of the outgoing 4 Series.

Based on the current 3 Series, the model will share its engine lineup with the sedan. If you want to upgrade to the mighty M4, BMW will reward you with the latest version of the S58 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-six engine likely making about 480 horsepower (358 kilowatts) in the standard guise or 510 hp (380 kW) for the Competition grade. The drivetrain choices will include rear-wheel drive with a manual gearbox or automatic transmission with all-wheel drive.

A recent rumor indicates the coupe could get a hybridized powertrain, using the company's 2.0-liter turbocharged four-pot with 181 hp (135 kW) and 258 lb-ft (350 Nm) supported by an electric motor for another 107 hp (80 kW) and 77 lb-ft (104 Nm). The combined output should be around 288 hp (215 kW) and 310 lb-ft (420 Nm), plus 40 hp (30 kW) for ten seconds with the boost mode activated.