After years of telling us that rear-wheel drive is the purest way to enjoy a compact performance car, BMW M has fitted the M2 with four-wheel drive. Purists, put down your pitchforks for a moment.

The new BMW M2 with M xDrive takes the already excellent baby M car and adds the sort of traction usually reserved for cars that want to rearrange your internal organs every time you launch them from a set of traffic lights. Power still comes from a 3.0-litre straight-six turbocharged engine producing 480hp, but now all four tyres are invited to the party.

The result? A 0–62mph time of 3.7 seconds. That’s three-tenths quicker than the rear-drive version and fast enough to make passengers question their life choices. BMW says the system remains rear-biased and only calls upon the front wheels when the rear tyres begin writing cheques they can’t cash.

And before the internet comments section explodes, yes, there is still a proper rear-drive mode. Turn off the stability control, select 2WD, and the M2 will happily continue its long-standing tradition of converting expensive tyres into smoke.

There’s clever engineering beneath the skin too. The new engine introduces BMW M Ignite technology, a race-inspired pre-chamber combustion system designed to improve efficiency under heavy load.

In simple terms, it burns fuel more effectively, helping the car meet future emissions rules while allowing track-day heroes to spend more time lapping and less time searching for a petrol station.

The rest of the recipe remains reassuringly M. There are giant brakes, staggered 19-inch front and 20-inch rear wheels, adaptive drivetrain settings and enough chassis wizardry to make physics feel slightly negotiable.

Visually, not much changes. Which is probably wise. The current M2 already looks as though it could headbutt a mountain into submission. Buyers can choose from a wide range of colours, including BMW Individual Borusan Turkish Blue, appearing on an M2 for the first time.

The only potential sting comes from the price. In the UK, the M2 with M xDrive starts at £74,255. That’s serious money for what is, technically, BMW’s smallest M car. Then again, this is also a machine capable of embarrassing machinery with far more cylinders and significantly larger monthly payments.

So, is four-wheel drive sacrilege? Or is it simply the next logical step for a car that’s already one of the most entertaining performance coupes on sale?

We’ll reserve final judgement until we’ve driven it on a damp British B-road. Because if there’s one thing capable of exposing a fast car’s weaknesses, it’s a road surface that appears to have been designed by an angry badger.