Generations of advertisements have called each BMW car “the ultimate driving machine.” But we’d posit the actual BMW ultimate driving machine is the M2.
The M2, for the uninitiated, is a version of the subcompact 2 Series Coupe (not the 4-door 2 Series Gran Coupe) tuned by the automaker’s famed M division to near-race-car levels of performance. Its small wheelbase, snarly high-powered engine, and grippy wide tires make it a pound-for-pound delight.
For model year 2026, it comes only in rear-wheel drive (RWD). For 2027, that will change.
BMW today announced that, for model year 2027, buyers will have the option of an all-wheel-drive (AWD) version. The 2027 BMW M2 with M xDrive will start at $74,950, including a mandatory $1,350 destination fee.
BMW says the AWD M2 will “get underway in late summer 2026.”
It will use the same 473-horsepower 6-cylinder engine as RWD models, and be offered only with an 8-speed automatic transmission. There’s no word yet on whether RWD buyers will still have access to the 6-speed manual offered on 2026 models.
The xDrive AWD system sends all power to the rear wheels unless it detects slipping, BMW says. “Only when they cannot feed any more power to the road does the all-wheel-drive system bring the front wheels into play.”
An active rear differential “distributes drive fully variably between the rear wheels as required, maximizing traction and delivering the driving dynamics normally associated with a rear-wheel drive model,” BMW explains.
The only other announced change for the 2027 M2 is a new color option – Borusan Turkish Blue – borrowed from the brand’s BMW Individual customization line.
For model year 2026, BMW offered a limited run of more powerful, lighter-weight M2 CS cars with 523 hp. There’s also no word on whether 2027 buyers will have the same option.
