BMW Explains Why It Finally Gave The M2 All-Wheel Drive
America usually drives BMW to build us cars, but this time one other country played a role.
THE BREAKDOWN
- BMW built the M2 xDrive because of American and Swiss demand.
- Customers wanted an AWD coupe they could run with all-season tires.
- The 2027 M2 gets other minor changes.
BMW has been selling all-wheel-drive versions of its M3 Sedan and M4 Coupe for a while now. Finally, the automaker extended its xDrive offering to the smaller M2 Coupe. And it did so for a good reason.
Speaking with Bimmer Today (and translated by BMW Blog), BMW M Boss Frank van Meel explained that customers living in the Northeast (New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania) and the Midwest (Illinois, Michigan, Ohio) tend to use all-season tires even in the spring and summer, so a rear-wheel-drive M2 is "simply not feasible," he says. Apparently there was "a lot of demand" from those customers.
2027 BMW M2 xDrive
All-Wheel Drive For All
This is not the first time the United States has driven BMW to offer a new car or feature specifically for our market. The company only offered a manual transmission in the E60 and F10 M5 models for the North American markets, and the new M3 CS Handschalter is also a North American exclusive.
BMW says while the US was a major contributor to pushing the M2 xDrive into production, there was also huge demand for it in Switzerland. Like the Northern US, Switzerland receives a lot of snow, so it makes sense for there to be requests there for an AWD sports car.
As with the M3 and M4, the M2 xDrive will be quicker than its RWD counterpart, hitting 60 mph in just 3.6 seconds (3.3 seconds with a one-foot rollout). For reference, the RWD M2 took 3.9 seconds when equipped with the eight-speed automatic. We imagine BMW's estimates are conservative, and the car may be closer to three seconds flat.
The M2 xDrive replaces the standard M2 with an automatic. If you want an M2 with RWD, BMW will still offer one with a manual transmission. Both cars continue to use a 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged S58 inline-six engine producing 473 horsepower and 443 lb-ft of torque.
BMW made some changes to the S58 for the 2027 model year, bringing it into compliance with the new Euro 7 emissions standards. These changes include M-Ignite pre-chamber ignition technology, but US-spec cars don’t require it. BMW says the exhaust note will be slightly improved and fuel economy may see a small bump.
Motor1's Take: For customers in the northeast and midwest, all-wheel drive is great to have—especially on a car like the BMW M2. It's great to see BMW listening to its customers.
More M2 News
Source: Bimmer Today via BMW Blog
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