Bmw added an all-wheel-drive xDrive version to the venerable M2 coupe lineup earlier this year, no doubt much to the delight of those of us who love driving our performance cars all-year round even when the snow starts to fly. As it turns out, Bmw's M boss said the decision to do so was made specifically because of just those sorts of American customers.
M CEO Frank van Meel told Bimmer Today at the 2026 Goodwood Festival of Speed that customers from the Snowbelt states (New York, Pennsylvania, Michigan, etc.) had begged for an all-weather version of the sports coupe. The head of performance engineering at Bmw also said that most customers in the Northeast and Midwest use all-season tires year-round, rendering the rear-wheel-drive M2 "simply not feasible there." It seems a bit silly to add an entirely new drivetrain because customers aren't swapping tires like they should, but van Meel said the level of demand warranted it.
View Price on AmazonIt wasn't just North American consumers that pushed Bmw to update the M2, however. Swiss customers were also behind the change, van Meel said. As one of the snowiest countries in western Europe, it seems Swiss customers were seeking an AWD version to make it down the mountain for après-ski. (Unlike many nations in Europe, Switzerland doesn't require drivers to use winter tires in colder months or chilly conditions.)
Just because the Bmw M2 offers an automatic transmission and an AWD variant doesn't mean it has lost its claim to driving purity. The xDrive M2 variant is 0.3 seconds quicker from 0-60 miles per hour than their RWD siblings; plus, as in many M cars, Bmw allows the AWD system to be turned off entirely, opening the door to a swinging rear end. The only real performance downside is a 121-pound curb weight increase compared to a standard RWD M2. And of course, Bmw will also continue to sell a dedicated rear-wheel-drive three-pedal version of the sports coupe, at least for now.
The 2027 Bmw M2 also received significant updates to its twin-turbo 3.0-liter inline-six across the pond, most of which focused on compliance with the new Euro 7 emissions standards. Bmw added a new pre-chamber ignition technology to the S58 engine in Europe, though North American-spec M2 units don't use this updated emissions technology just yet.
Source: roadandtrack.com
