BMW puts a price on performance
The new BMW M2 xDrive will be $5000 more than its rear-drive sibling when it arrives in Australia.
BMW’s new all-wheel drive M2 xDrive is the first version of the compact performance car to not just send power to the rear wheels, and buyers won’t have to pay a huge premium for it.
Priced from $133,100 before on-road costs, the BMW M2 xDrive is $5000 dearer than the rear-wheel drive M2 in Australia, for which drivers get better all-weather grip and more rapid acceleration.
Due to arrive in Australian showrooms between October and December 2026, BMW’s M2 xDrive retains the eight-speed torque-converter automatic transmission available in the rear-drive version of the coupe, but gains a trick all-wheel drive system which can be customised on the fly.
This allows drivers to let the system do the work itself or choose their own torque bias, while it can also be put into rear-wheel drive, letting the M2 become a drift machine with its stability control system off.
While the M2 xDrive is 60kg heavier than the rear-drive model – tipping the scales at 1790kg – it completes the 0-100km/h sprint in just 3.7 seconds, shaving 0.3 seconds from the standard car’s time. It’s only one-tenth faster to 200km/h, reaching the speed in 12.8 seconds from a standstill.
BMW’s only cosmetic change to the M2 xDrive is the addition of Borusan Turkish Blue paint to its colour palette, though this will also be available to the wider range.
Aside from the new all-wheel drive system, the M2 xDrive also debuts the new BMW M Ignite system, claimed to significantly reduce fuel consumption under high loads while also helping the ‘S58’ straight-six to remain compliant with Euro 7 emissions standards.
The new system centres around the pre-chamber positioned within the cylinder head, which is connected with the cylinder’s main combustion chamber by overflow openings. This pre-chamber has its own spark plug and ignition coil, meaning the engine has two ignition systems.
According to BMW’s tech sheet, the twin-turbo 3.0-litre six-cylinder engine continues to produce 353kW and 600Nm, however peak torque now comes on earlier from 2200-5600rpm (instead of 2650-6130rpm), while the S58’s compression ratio has risen from 9.3:1 to 10.5:1.
It’s not yet known how the BMW M Ignite technology will impact fuel consumption, as the M2 xDrive - which is 60kg heavier and has more driveline resistance - quotes a lab test figure of 10.3-10.4L/100km, compared to the rear-drive M2’s 9.6-9.8L/100km claim.
