2022 BMW M2: How much power will Australia's newest Audi RS3 and Mercedes-AMG CLA 45 S rival pack into its rear-drive package?

BMW’s all-new M2 won’t need a ‘drift mode’ because it will be rear-wheel drive.

While its direct rivals, the new Audi RS3 sedan and Mercedes-AMG CLA 45S, use all-wheel drive to help tame ever-increasing levels of power, BMW will stick with sending all of its grunt through the rear-end alone.

According to reports from Europe, BMW is utilising a modified version of its rear-wheel-drive platform that already sits underneath the Z4 (and Toyota Supra) to ensure it retains the layout the Bavarian brand is famous for.

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This is a significant move for BMW, as it had begun to introduce front- and all-wheel drive platforms for its smaller 1 Series and 2 Series models, which had initially led to speculation the next-generation M2 would join the all-wheel-drive crowd.

All-wheel drive has become commonplace due to the ramp up in power, and in particular torque, from modern turbocharged engines. Audi completely redesigned its all-wheel-drive set-up, ditching its long-serving Haldex system in favour of a new torque splitter that allows for tail-sliding action.

However, the modular nature of its rear-wheel-drive platform will allow the brand to maintain rear-drive handling characteristics for one its most popular M cars. It also allows the brand to create a point of difference between its Audi and Mercedes rivals in what is becoming an increasingly competitive compact performance car market for the European car makers.

2022 BMW 2 Series

A rear-wheel-drive chassis isn’t the only thing that the M2 will borrow from its bigger siblings, with the new model tipped to be powered by a version of the 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbocharged engine found in the latest M3/M4. Like those two, and despite the marketing benefits, BMW will forgo any hybridisation for the M2, leaving it as a pure performance model.

The twin-turbo petrol six will reportedly elevate the new M2 above its competition, with the new engine tipped to make 313kW/550Nm. By comparison the new RS3’s 2.5-litre five-cylinder turbo makes 298kW/500Nm and the AMG’s 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo is good for 310kW/500Nm.

A recent post on Bimmerpost reports that the 2022 BMW M2 could even be tuned to 335kW – easily blowing away the competition – though nothing has been confirmed.

In a sign of how far these compact European performance cars have come, the incoming M240i coupe makes 285kW/500Nm, which is more than the M2 originally made.

BMW is expected to pair the six-cylinder with the same choice of transmissions as the M3/M4 – a six-speed manual and eight-speed automatic.

Despite missing all-wheel drive, the more powerful engine is expected to ensure the M2 is more-than-capable of keeping up with its German rivals in a drag race, with a low four-second 0-100km/h time anticipated. The trademark acceleration run has become a bragging rights contest amongst the big three German brands, with Audi proudly declaring the RS3 runs 0-100km/h in a claimed 3.8 seconds, beating the 3.9-second claim from AMG for the A45S.

One element the M2 won’t inherit from the M3/M4 is styling – or at least the controversial grille design. The new M2 is expected to have a more traditional ‘kidney grille’ but with the elements of the same styling we’ve seen on the new 2-Series. It’s also expected to share design elements with the Z4 and even the largest M car, the M8 Coupe.

Timing for the new M2 is yet to be detailed by BMW, but it’s understood to be breaking cover early in 2022 before reaching Australian dealerships before the end of the year.