BMW 128ti Review - Has BMW's new front-wheel-drive Hot-Hatch recipe worked?

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BMW's 1 Series hatchback has been a success for the brand; a volume-seller filling the void left by what has become a much larger, more expensive 3 Series, and representing many motorists entry point into the brand.

But enthusiasts also loved the rear-wheel-drive drivetrain, coupled with, in some models, a 6-cylinder motor. It was a unique recipe in the world of hot hatches - there was nothing else on the market like it.

However, neither of those features are now available on a 1 Series. There are no 6-cylinder powerplants available, and the power is now sent to the front wheels, or all four.

This meant that the BMW was now going to have to properly square off against some stiff competition, most notably with the ever-popular Volkswagen Golf GTI.

And so, Bavaria has come up with this, the BMW 128ti. With a 2.0-litre, 4-cylinder turbocharged petrol motor up front, sending power exclusively to the front wheels, the two cars couldn't be more closely matched. Power and torque figures are also almost identical.

In this review, our video guy Ciro De Siena tries to answer the question, has this new hot-hatch recipe from BMW resulted in a delicious and satisfying eggs benedict that you would happily share on instagram, or is it a sloppy mess that you might write about on tripadvisor?

Only one way to find out.

BMW 128ti price in South Africa:
R707,918

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Bookmarks:
0:00 Intro
1:19 Front Wheel drive
2:37 Turbocharge
3:31 How does it drive?
5:01 BMW 128ti vs Golf 8 GTI
6:16 Interior
7:02 Outro

[ayandangcebetsha]

You're right, more than 80% of buyers didn't know and didn't care that their 1 series was rwd, petrol heads make up a small minority of buyers, especially for new cars.

[XITSONGABombaMugaza]

BMW has underwent the greatest change in these previous 3 years, it just doesn't seem to impress me. The more I look at how big their grills are, the more it reminds me of how beautiful the past generation's were. But hey! Bmw is still bmw, premium 💁🏽‍♂️

[livingcolours]

The previous straight 6 will always be the number one one series. Full stop.

[johnfranklin]

You pointed out that the tires were very worn on the 128ti in your head-to-head video. I think you need to test the 128ti on a decent set of fresh tires, such as the Michelin PS4. Other reviews I have seen suggest the 128ti more than holds its own against the mk8 Golf GTI when on a decent fresh set of tires.

Also, odd that the SA car does not have red stitching on the steering wheel. My UK car has red stitching and looks all the better for it. Plus we get more power and torque in the UK car (195kw and 400nm).

[LightHouse]

I just love the BMW 128ti's interior. I feel its worth it. As compared to the GTi, it just feels like it has all the interior qualities its known for gutted out and all you have left is material made from an ice cream container. Its sad. I get that it was all about cost cutting to try and make profits that were lost from the scandal but this is just too much. I'd still pick the GTi.

[funananinetshiozwi]

Point remains even if they did not know if it was front or rear, the driving experience of front and rear do differ and that will be felt indeed, if you want a front wheel drive why not go for the group that has done it the longest 🤷🏽‍♂️

[sibusisonhlapo]

I just came here to monitor the beard and hair cut

I'm extremely happy abou the look

I've got my eyes on your car reviews enthusiasm🤞

[carlosnunezfernandez]

First test I see they talk better about the GTI than the 128ti, but as I said in the other video before, what can we expect from people that they are making times with a car with wear tires...

[prk]

I've driven that car and the front end is amazing. On the previous test the tires was old and shitty tires. Put better tires on. And give it a fair chance.

[kidmabe]

Damn 80% didn't know that its RWD or FWD 😂😂 ... I don't blame them for switching it up... I do feel they should have offered the M135i with an option of RWD

[jasonquarsingh]

Bmw should offer alternative color accents to the red, like blue or violet even black

[vertcx]

Good honest review. I do think they have lost the plot here. Shout out to the production and audio visual team, you guys rock. Such high quality content and delivered tastefully too. You guys are up there with the best of the best car YouTube channels. 👏🏻👌🏻

[swoopSAUCE]

Its by far the best looking hot-hatch out at the moment.

[__starchild]

Please review the 1999 - 2003 BMW 320i E46, thats one of my favorite BMWs in the oldies

[jayjayjya]

They say they saving costs, but the price is still crazy high

[avuazahc]

The car is great in many ways maybe except track days but still is capable if you put Michelin PS4 not average Turanza. As for me i wouldn't trade this over GTI

[martinu.]

Well, if someone is looking for a track tool, an M2 or an even better Porsche Cayman are the better cars to go with.
A hatchback, if it's hot or not, is always a compromise between usability and - in this case - sportiness.
From these points of view, the 128ti is probably the best offering in this class, in my opinion.
Interior quality and handling are clearly better than in the Golf 8.
Perhaps a little slower on the track, but perfectly adequate for everyday use.
More than the front-wheel drive and the lack of a six-cylinder engine, I am saddened by the lack of a manual gearbox.

[kwezibooi]

I felt that moment of silence🤣🤣truly a loss for the motoring industry

[MrSWW]

South African version of carwow with Matt Watson

[johnmajor]

I once heated that BMW isn’t suitable for SA heat especially in contrast to Merc etc. Any opinions about that?