The VW Golf GTI has been the king of hot hatches for a very long time. Now though, BMW is ready to go to war, with their upcoming 128ti model. This is properly aimed at the GTI and BMW feel they are up for the fight, let’s see what this BMW 128ti has got.
Firstly, since BMW has now made the 1 series a front-wheel-drive this makes it a great rival for the GTI and they are keeping this setup for the 128ti. The difference though is the engine output, it is a 2.0-liter turbocharged engine that produces 195kW and 400N.m, which on paper puts it ahead of the latest Golf GTI and It can get to 100kph in 6.1 seconds.
With all this power going to the front wheels, BMW has put as standard an 8-speed Steptronic sport transmission with Torsen limited-slip differential, providing for better traction on the front axle. It has a specifically tuned M sport suspension including lowering by 10mm as well as something BMW call, BMW Performance Control which helps for increased agility. The 128ti is 80 kilos lighter than the M135 xDrive so it sound like a great recipe that we are looking forward to.
Images: BMW
