Since the BMW G87 M2 was released in 2023, the internet has been awash with speculation surrounding the potential release of an M2 xDrive variant. People on forums are jumping on the latest leak, claiming they’ve cracked the code. Will they? Won’t they?
With a recent BMW insider hinting that an xDrive is on the horizon - possibly in late 2026 - it’s got a lot of people wondering what a BMW G87 M2 with all four wheels driven will actually be like. What happens when you give BMW’s smallest modern M car the xDrive treatment? Well, fortunately for you we’ve driven one.
“How?” I hear you ask.
Over the last few months, R44 Performance worked in collaboration with Tom Wrigley Performance to build the world’s first BMW G87 M2 xDrive.
I understand your scepticism, so I want to assure you that this is a complete OEM xDrive swap using brand-new genuine BMW components and a G80 M3 xDrive setup. Like a G80, you can toggle between rear-wheel drive and xDrive through the car’s menu. Our M2 was running standard power, although it’s possible BMW would increase this for the 2026 model.
We expect the perspectives on this to be split. On one hand, we believe the ethos of the M2 should remain a small, lightweight, rear wheel drive package with driver engagement as the primary focus. On the other hand, how cool would it be to have an M2 that could put its power down all year round? Especially in cold and wet climates like the UK, an xDrive M2 is the perfect recipe.
On our journey up to Tom Wrigley Performance, R44 founder and owner of the M2, Rhys, told us that he “did not want to like it. I honestly love rear-wheel drive cars.”
“I always believe it’s what a BMW is and what a BMW driver wants to drive”.
How did the BMW G87 M2 xDrive perform?
We put British GT4 driver Tom Wrigley behind the wheel for some timed laps and to get his thoughts on the new xDrive setup. Tom tunes these cars on a daily basis, giving him plenty of seat time in the standard rear-wheel drive model.
0-60 mph
Using the Dragy app, the xDrive G87 M2 consistently completed the 0-60 sprint in 3.2 seconds - a whole second faster than we achieved with the 2WD setup.
What did the guys think of the launch?
Well, Rhys tells us “Honestly, the way it picks up and moves was sensational. It just felt faster and more predictable than the normal two-wheel drive.
Tom, who has the job of launching his rear-wheel drive G82 M4 GT4 car, is very aware of the challenges faced by the 2WD setup. “Having driven the rear-wheel drive M2, we know it doesn’t launch that well - especially on the road… and now to have xDrive, it felt absolutely awesome and completely transformed the whole car for me”.
How has it affected the handling?
After taking the car for a hot lap around the circuit, Tom reported the handling “isn’t really affected at all” - something we were a bit surprised to hear.
He notes “In years gone by, older four-wheel drive cars have always had a bad reputation for creating understeer but BMW has got this so right.”
We believe this is thanks to the xDrive setup not adding too much weight and the fact the M2 is biased to the rear.
“It still has a rear-wheel drive feel to it but just a bit of extra grip from the front”.
Should I wait for a potential G87 M2 xDrive or buy the standard rear wheel drive model today?
The first point to consider is that a G87 M2 xDrive will likely ditch the 6-speed manual gearbox option which is a make or break for many customers with around 50% of USA G87s being specified with this transmission option. It’s also rumoured that BMW may ditch the rear wheel drive option altogether which would be a massive shame for a lot of people.
If you want to stay manual and rear-wheel drive as long as possible, then don’t wait around or you could be limited to buying only used examples. If you’re a G42 M240i xDrive owner, the xDrive M2 could be the next logical step up. Or, if you live in a cold and wet climate, the xDrive model would generally be the one to go for.
Rhys opted for the xDrive setup because the car is now being transformed into a 1500 bhp+ drag monster designed to compete amongst the fastest BMWs in the world.
We asked both Tom & Rhys if they were customers buying a brand new G87 M2 as their personal cars, which drivetrain would they opt for?
Tom’s decision is clear: “It would be xDrive for me all day. I like to use my cars on the road and a tuned G87 M2 xDrive is the perfect car that you’d be hard-pushed to beat”.
Rhys tells us “I would personally choose to go with rear-wheel drive, just because of the fun aspect that makes the M2 so special. However, I already have an xDrive G80 for the speed - if the M2 was your only car, I could understand why you would go xDrive”.
If you’d like to follow this build (and we highly recommend you do), subscribe to the R44 Performance YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@r44performance to see what’s next for the car.
