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By Jason Woosey 
6h ago
MUNICH – BMW already has a performance hatch in the form of the M135i xDrive, but the German automaker is now also working on a more affordable front-wheel drive alternative that will likely go toe-to-toe with Volkswagen’s Golf GTI.
Interestingly, the BMW 128ti brings back the ti badge that was most recently used on the E36 and E46 generation 3-series compact models, but also dates back to the legendary 2002 of the 1960s.
The new 128ti will be powered by a 2-liter turbo petrol engine tuned to produce 195kW and paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission. According to factory claims, the new high-performance hatch will be able to accelerate from 0 to 100 km / h in 6.1 seconds.
It certainly helps that the 128i is about 80kg lighter than the all-wheel drive M135i xDrive.
However, BMW insists that this is much more than just a new variant of the 1 Series.
In addition to many unique exterior and interior features, the suspension and steering systems have been reworked by the M division to give the car a sportier feel. It’s also 10mm lower off the ground than regular Series 1 hatchbacks.
The new BMW 128ti is currently in final testing at the Nurburgring and surrounding country roads before hitting international markets from November 2020.
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