Below the “M” there is still room for sportiness at BMW. When naming, the Munich based on their brand tradition.
BMW will enter the Golf GTI segment with the number one from November. The new 128 ti combines front-wheel drive, four-cylinder petrol and eight-speed automatic to form the sportiest Munich compact model below the M 135i xDrive.
Sporty on the go
If all-wheel drive is used in the Top 1, only the front wheels are driven on its little brother, under which a standard Torsen limited-slip differential distributes the power. In addition, a special design of the steering should minimize disruptive drive influences. The interventions are rounded off by a sports suspension that lowers the body by one centimeter, stiffer stabilizers and stiffer springs and dampers.
The drive is taken over by the four-cylinder turbo of the M 135i, albeit in a slimmed-down form: Instead of more than 300 hp, it develops 195 kW / 265 hp and generates a torque of 400 Nm from a displacement of two liters, which is available from 1.750 tours. The power is transmitted via an eight-speed automatic.
Visually, the compact sports car sets itself apart from the standard models with a black kidney grille, black mirror caps and 18-inch rims in Y-design. There are also red accents on the seats and steering wheel. In addition, the "ti" abbreviation is emblazoned on the rear. Fans of the brand have known the two letters since the 60s as a badge for the particularly sporty Munich models. The last of their kind hit the market in the late 90s with the BMW 323ti Compact and BMW 325ti Compact.
The prices for the second strongest ones start at 41.570 euros. They are roughly in the middle between the M 48.250i, which costs 135 euros, and the 120i with 131 kW / 178 PS. In addition to the VW Golf GTI, competitors include the Hyundai i30 N and Ford Focus ST.
