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By Jason Woosey 
8h ago
MUNICH – On Wednesday, BMW unveiled a new performance hatch called the 128ti, which was designed to take on the Volkswagen Golf GTI, but now it looks like the version coming to South Africa will be out of tune.
The present day Car advice reported that the Australian version of the 128ti would go out of tune from 195kW to 180kW, and after contacting BMW South Africa we now have confirmation that the same will apply to local models.
The spokesperson also confirmed that the detuning is due to South Africa being classified as a hot climate country, and that the same applies to Australia.
On the bright side, 180 kW is still enough to match the eighth-generation Golf GTI, which will hit the streets early next year.
It is interesting to note that Volkswagen originally detuned the 7th-generation Golf R from 228kW to 213kW, while its cousin Audi S3 also suffered a power outage, as VWSA classified South Africa as a ‘hot weather’ market, and this was also applied to Australia. . But then for some reason the company reclassified both countries as moderate-weather markets and then released the ‘full’ Golf R and S3.
So much for the warming planet …
Coming back to BMW, at this stage the M135i xDrive, which uses an upgraded version of BMW’s 2-liter turbo petrol, doesn’t seem to be affected by the country’s climate classification, but we’ll let you know if anything changes.
What else can customers expect from the BMW 128ti?
The new front-wheel drive performance hatch is 80kg lighter than its AWD M135i xDrive sibling, and it also comes with some sporting accessories, including a Torsen limited-slip differential, model-specific steering setup, and a lowering sport suspension system. the 128ti by 10mm compared to the regular Series 1 hatches.
As previously reported, it is also distinguished by an extended Shadowline package that includes high-gloss black for the grille and mirror caps, and the M Sport model also receives a red treatment for the front and rear air curtains and the side skirts, which are replaced with black moldings if you order the car in Melbourne Red or Misano Blue.
Standard sports seats with red accents enliven the cabin, along with contrasting red stitching for the steering wheel, door trims and instrument panel.
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