Like life itself, BMWs seemed less complicated last century. You didn’t need a crib sheet to understand the badge, and body styles were mostly just sedans, with a smattering of station wagons, two-door coupes, and convertibles. That was before it helped kickstart the SUV craze; now instead of 3, 5, 7, the series run 2–8 and X1 through X7. And don’t get me started on individual model names. Like the 2025 430i xDrive Gran Coupe.
At first glance, if you’re middle-aged like the average Ars reader, your brain probably says “this is a 3 Series sedan.” After all, it has a pair of doors on either side. But there is no requirement for a coupe to only have two doors: the name is derived from the French “couper,” meaning cut. And indeed, the roofline is cut down more than 2 inches lower than the actual 3 Series.
There’s also a hatch at the rear, rather than a trunk lid. So, technically it’s a fastback body style, which BMW has decided to call Gran Coupe the way it calls station wagons Tourings. Pedantic pigeonholing of body style will probably take a back seat to discussion of the front grille, though.
The nose isn’t actually that bad from most angles. Jonathan Gitlin
More than once I’ve been asked if the size of the 430i’s grille is something you get used to. Back in BMW’s simpler days, it was more conservative in its styling, mostly. There were unconventional experiments like the M1 and Z1, and a regular stream of sometimes provocative concept cars, but the 3s, 5s, and 7s mostly looked alike, particularly when it came to the brand’s famous kidney grille.
But that was 30 years ago, and in the decades since, designers have stretched and warped the visual signature across the fronts of dozens and dozens of different BMW models, few alike.
Recently, like everything else, the grilles have gotten more complicated. Now, shutters blank off openings unless necessary, improving airflow and efficiency. Some grilles conceal forward-looking sensors that contribute to the car’s suite of advanced driver assistance systems. And modern lighting technology means there’s no hiding once the sun goes down—depending on the model, the surround might illuminate after dark.