Two Teutonic hot-hatch rivals go head-to-head against the clock
The BMW 128ti was created as a direct rival to the iconic Golf GTI. Picture: DENIS DROPPA
Then there’s the new BMW 128ti, the latest interloper in the GTI’s hallowed turf. It’s a 1-Series hatch with M Sport suspension, a shot of styling swagger, and a badge resurrected from the Bavarian carmaker’s sporting past. Though not as readily recognisable as the GTI moniker, “Turismo Internazionale” has heritage, as it was used on sporting Beemers since the 1960s including the well-known 2002 TI, and most recently on the BMW 325ti Compact of the late 1990s.
Inside is where things get complicated. Existing VW owners will find nothing familiar in the interior interfaces of the new Golf GTI, which fully embraces the digital era with a cabin almost entirely bereft of buttons. Infotainment functions are accessed on an impressive-looking touchscreen and both it and the digital instrument panel have personalisable, colour-changing displays.
Also, the trusted audio volume knob is consigned to history in the Golf; in its place are digital sliders which take some getting used to. The BMW also has a little more rear legroom on its longer wheelbase , although both cars comfortably accommodate four adults. There’s little to differentiate the two rivals when lifting their bonnets: both have four-cylinder, 2.0petrol turbo engines pushing out an identical 180kW of power. The BMW has 10Nm more torque but largely negates the advantage by weighing 57kg more.
The BMW is edgier, and more likely to get the tail dancing in a mid-corner throttle lift. It also has slightly more torque steer and squeals its front tyres more, although the latter fortunately doesn’t cause any fun-sapping early understeer. Like the Golf, the BMW has a limited-slip differential that keeps the nose hugging the apexes and allows the throttle to be thrust early out of corners.
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