Motoring: M3’s xDrive is one for all drivers and all weathers

Even rear-wheel drive purists will be impressed by the superb handling of BMW’s new offering

A high number of BMW M buyers live in countries that experience significant snowfall every year and so the company was convinced that the time was right to add the option of all-wheel drive

The BMW M3 nameplate has adorned driver-focused examples of the 3 Series ever since the legendary ‘E30’ M3 was unveiled in 1986. That car was intended to be built in small numbers to homologate the vehicle for motorsport, but there was such high demand for it as a daily driver that it soon became a mainstay of the range.

The current generation is the sixth and, though its 510hp, twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre engine outputs more than ...