Calling the front end design language of both the BMW M3 and M4 controversial would be a grave understatement. You can’t read a single review, article, or Instagram post of either car without someone mentioning how much they hate the grille (I’m guilty of this, too). It’s just such an aggressively bold design that doesn’t seem to work with the rest of the car. And as we’ve said since it debuted, the issue with the M3/M4 grille isn’t its size, it’s the actual design itself. Proving that we aren’t crazy is the new aftermarket aero company ADRO, who just released its comprehensive bumper and grille kit for the G80 BMW M3 and M4, which looks far, far better than the stock car.
ADRO recently teased the new kit for the G80/G82 generation, showing hints of the design. Even from those teaser images, we knew it was going to be an improvement. Seeing the finished product, however, proves it’s a massive upgrade over the standard cars and it’s what the standard cars should have looked like from the beginning.
The ADRO kit is a comprehensive aero kit that replaces almost the entire front fascia, with a new bumper, new air intakes, and a entirely new grille. Essentially, everything but the headlights is replaced. It also gets new side skirts, a cool rear diffuser, and a nice rear wing. However, all eyes are on that front end.
Don’t get it wrong, the ADRO grille is still big but it’s far more cohesively designed into the front end, the shape of the grille is better, and it visually lowers the front end of the car, making it feel less upright. So while it’s less in-your-face than the stock grille, it actually makes the car look sportier and more athletic. Interestingly, it actually looks a bit similar to the grille on the upcoming BMW 3.0 CSL.
It’s more than just the grille, though. ADRO refocused all the air intakes and every line in the front bumper to fit the shape and curves of the grille. So it all looks like one cohesive, flowing package. The G80 BMW M3 is a brilliant car to drive but it’s let down by its front end design. ADRO is aware of that. And the brand’s chief designer, who previously worked on the Mercedes-Maybach 6 and Hyundai Ioniq 5, is also aware of the brand’s history of making subtle, smart, handsome designs and wanted to bring that back.
“We had a specific goal and that was to fix all the wrong fundamentals of this front fascia and design a front the M4 deserves,” said ADRO chief designer Davis Lee. “The M3 and M4 are considered the king of high-performance sedans, and BMW has never missed the mark with their design throughout the history of M3/M4. From a designer’s perspective, they’ve created a fundamentally wrong front with the latest generation of the M3/M4, and we decided it was our opportunity to fix this.”
If you’re an M3 or M4 owner and want this ADRO kit, it will cost a pretty penny. The front bumper kit alone is $3,500 and the carbon front lip is an additional $800. The rest of the parts, including the rear wing, are sold individually. All of the parts will be shown at SEMA in November, which is also when they go on sale. And while the kit is expensive, it’s a small price to pay for fixing the design of the M3 and M4. Both are such good cars, they’re deserving of a better looking front end.
