The BMW M2 & M2 Competition Thread

You can now spec the outrageously drifty BMW M2 with four-wheel drive

Meet the BMW M2 with M xDrive: all the traction, all the Ms

The BMW M2 is famously a small (ish) rear-wheel-drive performance coupe fond of turning its back two tyres into plumes of delicious rubbery smoke. BMW has now introduced a new version that wants to trade some of that sideways lunacy for buttoned-down traction.

Well, sorta. This is the BMW M2 with M xDrive, a clunky name for a car with the option of a (we presume) non-clunky four-wheel-drive system. It’s the first time BMW has ever offered such a thing on the M2, and while not a direct rival, does M have one eye on the unflappable RS3?

We shall never know. What we do know is the xDrive setup gets an electronically controlled multi-plate clutch in the transfer case to direct some of the M2’s 476 horsies to the front depending on when it needs to keep pointing the way you want.

So when you’re just pootling around, it’s fully rear-drive. When it’s more ‘crap everything’s on fire’ and the rears start to scream, the front steps in to help. It’s aided by an active M differential with traction control and stability control. Plus, it can figure out and compensate for different wheel speeds without waking up the DSC (Dynamic Stability Control).

 
2027 BMW M2 xDrive Revealed!

The 2027 BMW M2 xDrive has debuted and is locked in for a South African market introduction in 2026. Here’s all you need to know.

The BMW M2 range will expand with the addition of an all-wheel-drive derivative tagged as the BMW M2 xDrive. It’s understood that the rear-wheel-drive model will be carried over for that purist driving experience.

The benefits of going the xDrive route are numerous. Firstly, the M2 is now quicker to 100 kph than ever before, with BMW M claiming a 0-100 kph time of 3.7 seconds which is three-tenths quicker than the rear-wheel drive model.

Interestingly, BMW M says if you use the one-foot rollout test, 3.4 seconds is possible. Zero to 200 kph is dispatched in 12.8 seconds and it’ll run to a top speed of 250 kph, which can be increased to 280 kph by ticking the optional M Driver’s Package.

The next xDrive benefit is the grip and stability, something which the BMW M2 isn’t known for when pressing on. In rear-wheel application, the M2 has the ability to get very sideways and requires all the focus to stay on the tarmac!

The M xDrive system features an Active M differential and the car is able to split the power between the front and rear axles, as well as distribute power between the rear wheels, with the goal of maximum traction. If you’re feeling adventurous, the vehicle allows for 2WD driving with the stability control off, which BMW calls ‘a driving experience of remarkable purity.’

 
Beautiful colour. But I'd buy an early RWD one in black with a normal instrument binacle and source the new silver wheels for it.
 
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