The BMW M2 Is One of Our Favorite Sports Cars. Now You Can Get It With All-Wheel Drive

• What's new: The BMW M2 adds all-wheel drive for the first time, pairing it with a 473-horsepower turbocharged inline-six and an eight-speed automatic transmission.
• Why it matters: The extra traction makes the M2 quicker to 60 mph and easier to drive in rain, snow and cold weather, which should broaden its appeal beyond rear-wheel-drive purists.
• Edmunds says: The M2 was already one of BMW's most entertaining performance cars. Adding xDrive makes it more usable year-round, though buyers who want a manual transmission will still need the rear-wheel-drive model.

The M2 gets easier to use year-round

If you don't speak fluent BMW, xDrive is BMW's name for all-wheel drive. In this M2, the system is tuned to feel mostly like a rear-wheel-drive car during normal driving. Power goes to the rear wheels first, and the front wheels join in when the rear tires need help putting the engine's power to the road.

The M2 is already a very powerful small coupe. Our editors have found it to be one of BMW's best performance cars, noting that it feels energetic and gives the driver a strong sense of connection to the road. 

The all-wheel-drive version should make that performance easier to use more often. BMW says the M2 with M xDrive reaches 60 mph in 3.6 seconds. That's 0.3 second quicker than the rear-wheel-drive automatic version. Top speed is limited to 155 mph, or 177 mph with the optional M Driver's package.

Don't worry, you can still get a rear-drive M2

The new M2 with M xDrive is not the purist pick, though. It will come exclusively with the eight-speed automatic, while the rear-wheel-drive M2 remains the one you can still order with a six-speed manual. The manual gearbox is a big part of the M2's appeal, especially as traditional stick-shift sports cars keep disappearing — it's the one many of us would pick given the option. 

There is also more weight. BMW says the M2 with M xDrive weighs 3,988 pounds, making it heavier than the rear-wheel-drive M2, which weighs 3,867 pounds with the automatic transmission and 3,814 pounds with the six-speed manual. But the added grip should help drivers who live where winter tires, cold mornings, or wet pavement are part of normal life.

Prices start at $74,950 including destination, and deliveries will start later on this year. If you want an M2 but you live where it's rainy more often than not, this is probably the one for you.