{"id":711777,"date":"2026-06-03T04:00:20","date_gmt":"2026-06-03T04:00:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/711777\/"},"modified":"2026-06-03T04:00:20","modified_gmt":"2026-06-03T04:00:20","slug":"bmw-m2-goes-all-wheel-drive-to-fight-audi-rs3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/711777\/","title":{"rendered":"BMW M2 goes all-wheel drive to fight Audi RS3"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>BMW has finally brought the entry-level M2 in line with its bigger M3 and M4 siblings by fitting the coupe with an all-wheel drive system, revealing the M2 xDrive.<\/p>\n<p>Visually identical to the rear-drive M2, the M2 xDrive gains power to the front wheels via the carmaker\u2019s all-wheel drive system, which can distribute torque between the front and rear depending on where it needs it the most.<\/p>\n<p>Drivers can customise the xDrive system on the fly, either giving a more traditional all-wheel drive split, or even put it into two-wheel drive and turn off the stability control system, allowing it to act just like the base M2.<\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-698533\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/bmw-m2-xdrive-4.jpg\" alt=\"BMW M2 xDrive\" width=\"1980\" height=\"1320\"  \/>BMW M2 xDrive<\/p>\n<p>BMW quotes an increased kerb weight of 1790kg for the M2 xDrive, up 60kg on the rear-drive automatic model.<\/p>\n<p>However, with more grip off the line thanks to the front wheels taking up the slack, the M2 xDrive can complete the 0-100km\/h sprint in just 4.0 seconds, shaving 0.3 seconds from the standard car\u2019s time. It\u2019s only one-tenth faster to 200km\/h, reaching the speed in 12.8 seconds from a standstill.<\/p>\n<p>It is yet to detail whether the xDrive system results in reduced lap times, as the rear-drive M2 was about 5.6 seconds slower around the N\u00fcburgring Nordschleife than the Audi RS3.<\/p>\n<p>That was despite the Audi\u2019s five-cylinder engine making about 60kW and 100Nm less than the M2, though it\u2019s about 100kg lighter than the BMW.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-698532\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/bmw-m2-xdrive-3.jpg\" alt=\"BMW M2 xDrive\" width=\"1980\" height=\"1320\"  \/>BMW M2 xDrive<\/p>\n<p>While the only cosmetic change to the BMW M2 xDrive is the addition of Borusan Turkish Blue paint to its colour palette, there\u2019s another significant tweak under the skin which will come to more performance models soon.<\/p>\n<p>The BMW M2 xDrive will be the first model to feature the new BMW M Ignite system, claimed to significantly reduce fuel consumption under high loads while also helping the \u2018S58\u2019 straight-six to remain compliant with Euro 7 emissions standards.<\/p>\n<p>The new system centres around the pre-chamber positioned within the cylinder head, which is connected with the cylinder\u2019s main combustion chamber by overflow openings. This pre-chamber has its own spark plug and ignition coil, meaning the engine has two ignition systems.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-698531\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/bmw-m2-xdrive-2.jpg\" alt=\"BMW M2 xDrive\" width=\"1980\" height=\"1320\"  \/>BMW M2 xDrive<\/p>\n<p>According to BMW\u2019s 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\u2019s compression ratio has risen from 9.3:1 to 10.5:1.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s not yet known how the BMW M Ignite technology will impact fuel consumption, as the M2 xDrive \u2013 which is 60kg heavier and has more driveline resistance \u2013 quotes a lab test figure of 10.3-10.4L\/100km, compared to the rear-drive M2\u2019s 9.6-9.8L\/100km claim.<\/p>\n<p>Production of the BMW M2 xDrive is due to begin in August 2026. An Australian launch is yet to be confirmed, as BMW says the \u201cmost important sales markets for the BMW M2 with M xDrive are the USA, Germany and China\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"BMW has finally brought the entry-level M2 in line with its bigger M3 and M4 siblings by fitting&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":711778,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[64,63,105],"class_list":["post-711777","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-technology","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/711777","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=711777"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/711777\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/711778"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=711777"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=711777"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=711777"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}