BMW unleashes 128ti as direct rival to Golf GTI

MUNICH – The Volkswagen Golf GTI is the quintessential performance hatch and while it is no longer the most powerful of its kind, after the hatch’s arrival it is often still considered the benchmark.

It’s in this mid-power front-wheel drive space that BMW is launching the new 128ti, and it might well turn out to be the Series 1 group’s choice. Nestled below the all-wheel drive M135i xDrive, the front-wheel drive 128ti is powered by a 195 kW, 400 Nm version of BMW’s 2-liter turbo petrol engine, combined with the well-known eight-speed automatic gearbox. For the record, the eighth-generation Golf GTI coming to South Africa soon is good at 180 kW and 400 Nm.

Although the 128i loses 30 kW to its bigger brother, the newcomer is 80 kg lighter than the flagship hatch, allowing a respectable 0-100 km / h time of 6.1 seconds.

But any hatch worth its salt also requires some chassis tricks and to that end, BMW has included a specially tuned M Sport suspension that lowers the car by 10mm, as well as a Torsen limited-slip differential and specific steering adjustment. of the model. The 128ti also shares its firmer sway bars and sway bar mounts with the M135i, as well as its M Sport brake system with red painted calipers.

The 128ti rides on model-specific 18-inch Y-spoke alloy wheels, and buyers can order it with Michelin Pilot Sport 4 tires at no additional cost. Also distinguishing it from regular Series 1 models is an extended Shadowline package that includes a high-gloss black color for the grille and mirror caps, and the M Sport model also receives a red treatment for the front air curtains. and rear and side skirts, which is Replaced with black trim if you order the car in Melbourne Red or Misano Blue.