BMW 128ti overview
BMW has given us hot versions of the 1 Series before, in the shape of the original M135i and 1 Series M Coupe, and the more recent M140i. This, though, is a little different. The 128ti eschews the M brand to delve further back into BMW's history for a resurrection of the ti badge, to create a more affordable and more accessible rapid 1 Series. It's front-wheel drive, which makes it lighter and simpler than the current M135i, and it's definitely cheaper to buy and run. However, its price and power points put it head-on against such experienced hot-hatch rivals as the Ford Focus ST, Mercedes-AMG A-Class, Audi S3 and, especially, the mighty Volkswagen Golf GTI. Can the 128ti take on, and beat, competition such as that?
The BMW 1 Series model range
Discounting the MINI family (which is really, technically, a separate brand), the 1 Series is the entry-point to the BMW range. Having been created in 2004, using a chopped-down rear-wheel-drive 3 Series chassis (and replacing the somewhat unloved BMW 3 Series Compact), the 1 Series has evolved into a front-wheel-drive model that competes with the likes of the Mercedes-Benz A-Class, Audi A3 and the higher-spec versions of the VW Golf.
The range kicks off with a price tag of €35,655, which will get you a 118i in SE form. That uses the same 1.5-litre three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine as you'll find in the MINI Cooper and, with 136hp and a 0-100km/h time of 8.9 seconds, it's easy to assume that it's the lesser 1 Series. In fact, it's actually rather more enjoyable to drive, especially with the standard six-speed manual gearbox, than many more expensive 1 Series options.
Standard SE equipment includes 16-inch alloy wheels, automatic air conditioning, sports leather steering wheel, automatic wipers and headlights, cruise control, selectable driving modes, front and rear parking sensors, LED headlights, twin 10.25-inch digital displays (one for instruments, one for infotainment), Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity and BMW connected online services.
In SE trim, you can upgrade to a 116d diesel with 116hp for €36,655; or a 118d with 150hp for €38,565. An eight-speed automatic gearbox is available on all models as an optional extra, costing €1,913.
Going for Sport trim will cost you €37,713 for a 118i, €37,994 for a 116d, or €39,925 for a 118d. Sport trim also unlocks another engine option, the 190hp 120d diesel for €44,924 (which has optional four-wheel drive).
Sport trim comes with 17-inch alloys, a body kit including gloss black exterior trim, sports seats in the front, backlit interior trim, part-leather upholstery (a man-made 'Sensatec' leather) and two-zone air conditioning.
Next up is the immensely popular M Sport trim, which starts from €40,255 for a 118i, €40,734 for a 116d, €42,365 for a 118d, or €48,275 for a 120d. M Sport models come with 18-inch alloys and a more muscular body kit, auto-dimming side mirrors, heated front sports seats and lower and stiffer M Sport suspension.
Above those models sit the high-performance line-up, starting with the 128ti that we're testing here, with a starting price of €53,195, and the four-wheel-drive 306hp M135i that starts at €59,327.
CO2 emissions range from 119g/km for a basic 116d, to 121g/km for the 118d, 129g/km for the 120d and 135g/km for the four-wheel-drive 120d xDrive. Petrol models have CO2 emissions of 130g/km for the 118i, 139g/km for the 128ti and 168g/km for the M135i.
BMW Ireland currently has a finance offer in place for the 1 Series, with monthly repayments starting from €303, but check out the official website for the most up-to-date finance offers.
The 128ti interior
The 128ti's interior benefits from it being one of the more expensive models in the 1 Series line-up. Basic versions, even with two standard big screens, can look a little bare and plain inside, but the 128ti's combo of leather, carbon, aluminium and M Sport badges gives an appropriate level of ritz given the €50k+ price tag.
Actually, those M Sport badges are a little out of place. You see, the ti (sometimes capitalised as TI) badge goes back much further than M in BMW lore. It kicked off with the 1800 TI of 1963, a sporting version of BMW's successful 'Neue Klasse' compact saloon line-up. It may have only had 110hp (pretty good for its day, really) but it set the template for every sporty BMW that followed, right up to the mighty M5 CS of today. Incidentally, the TI badge doesn't signify fuel injection - that original 1800 TI used twin Solex carburettors, and the badge means 'Turismo Internazionale.' In fact, when fuel injection came to the TI model line-up in the seventies, with the 2002 two-door saloon, BMW added an extra 'i', making it the 2002tii.
I suppose it's a bit of a shame, then, that for this resurrection of the ti name, that BMW couldn't come up with some bespoke trim elements for the 128ti, rather than just raiding the existing M Sport parts bin for blue, red and purple-stitched seatbelts and a three-spoke steering wheel.
The good news is that the cabin works really well. As with the exterior, we're not talking subtleties here - there's a massive 'ti' badge stitched into the top of the central front armrest, and there are extraneous red stripes all over the shop. Still, as with the eighties-style stripes and badges on the outside, there's a slightly retro, almost goofy charm to these add-ons. Maybe you just have to be in the right mood.
And those sports front seats are excellent - comfortable on a long run, supportive when cornering with enthusiasm - and all your major contact points, from the rim of the steering wheel to the stubby gear selector, feel excellent and of exceedingly high quality.
The 128ti has separate, physical controls for its heating, ventilation and air conditioning which is very good news, and if the digital dials, with the outside sweep of their needles, still won't please all we at least think they look handsome, and the dash display works well. The infotainment system might still be sticking with the older 7.0 version of BMW's in-car software, but the screen is bright and clear, and pretty easy to use. You can get caught at times between touching the screen, using the rotary iDrive controller down on the centre console, using steering wheel buttons, or even trying out voice control, but at least the huge choice of inputs gives you a few options.
Down on the centre console, next to the iDrive controller, there's the engine-start and the buttons to toggle between Sport, Comfort, and Eco Pro driving modes. In front of these and the gear shifter there is a storage area that features two cupholders, a USB-A socket and a wireless phone charger that sits up at an angle and includes a sprung lid that keeps your phone in check when you can't keep your enthusiasm for corners in ditto.
There are more USB sockets under the armrest, and more in the back, but what there's not a huge amount of is actual space. When it switched to a front-wheel-drive platform, the 1 Series gained extra rear room compared to its predecessor, but it's on the tight side for a family of four, and there's less room in there than you'd find in a Golf, A3, or Focus. The rear doors are also quite small, which makes getting in and out a little tricky.
The boot is decent, though - a 380-litre capacity matches that of the Golf, and it expands to a useful 1,200 litres when you flip the back seats down. If you're loading kids in, there are ISOFIX points in the outer two rear seats.
The 128ti driving experience
Remember when BMW's advertising used to tout its cars as being 'the ultimate driving machine'? Well, the 128ti does...
In general with the 1 Series, it's a case of diminishing returns as you rove higher up the price list. The most basic manual 118i is actually the most fun 1 Series of all to drive, thanks to being light, relatively simple and having an engine you can rev without falling afoul of the law. The more power and options (for which read, weight) you add, the less fun it all gets, culminating in the 305hp M135i that is fast and agile, but not really all that engaging.
The 128ti bucks the trend ever so slightly, by being a pricey 1 Series that's fun to drive. Much of that is down to it being front-wheel drive, rather than using xDrive all-wheel drive. Not so long ago, suggesting that a front-wheel-drive BMW might be good to drive would unleash the Spanish Inquisition side of Twitter upon you, but no longer. Putting power to the front tyres is no longer anathema to Munich, and its experience with the MINI's engaging chassis and steering has clearly bled through to the 1 Series in general, and the 128ti in particular.
The steering - which has been tuned especially for the 128ti - may not quite give you the granular, fine-grained detail and feedback that you might crave, but it's sharper in feel than that of the current Golf GTI, and its weighting and accuracy are impressive. Yes, the 128ti is front-wheel drive, but you'll have to be really trying to get it to break traction and devolve into understeer - this is a car that very much goes where you point it, and when you want it to. Traction isn't generally an issue (slippery surfaces and tight junctions aside) and grip levels are high, helped in no small part by having a Torsen limited slip differential between the front wheels.
It's not all just point and squirt, though. Unlike the M135i, the 128ti is a car to play some cornering tunes with. It's throttle-adjustable, up to a point, and feels flickable in a way the 80kg heavier, four-wheel-drive car just isn't. It also rides comfortably - it's certainly not soft, but the damping rounds off the harsher edges of the 10mm-lower-than-standard M Sport suspension, which has stiffer springs and dampers than those of the standard 1 Series. Impressively, the 128ti is more or less as good at taking care of duller duties than early-doors back-road spins. It cruises comfortably and quietly on the motorway, and is perfectly happy when tackling town traffic and tight parking spaces too (helped by both sensors and a reversing camera).
The 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine develops 265hp and a robust 400Nm of torque, delivered through the familiar eight-speed automatic gearbox, supplied by German transmissions experts at ZF. It is a shame that there's no manual option (you can shift manually using the paddles behind the steering wheel, but it's never as satisfying to do so), but the engine itself is excellent. It's smooth at low rpm, but gives off a cheerfully gruff roar at higher crank speeds, and pulls strongly at any rpm. It's also decently economical - we pretty easily managed 7.5 litres per 100km overall, in mixed driving.
Rivals to the BMW 128ti
Both the Audi S3 and Mercedes-AMG A 35 are kind of rivals for the 128ti, but they're really more expensive, four-wheel-drive foils for the M135i. Both are arguably more handsome, and the Mercedes has a better interior, but neither is quite so engaging to drive as the 128ti. The Ford Focus ST has more power, sweeter steering and a better chassis balance, but it can't hold a candle to the BMW's premium appeal. The Golf GTI can, though, and for the same money as the 128ti can be had in 300hp Clubsport form. There is something lacking in the current Golf GTI's character, though, and it feels more GT than GTI overall - the BMW is more fun. The sharpest rival for the 128ti is the brilliant Honda Civic Type R, which has more power, more space inside and a chassis and steering combo apparently wrought by the handling gods. It does look OTT, though, and the current generation won't be around for much longer so actually getting hold of one could be an issue.
Our verdict on the BMW 128ti
BMW has scored a significant bullseye with the 128ti. As both M Performance and full-on M models become ever more expensive and ever more powerful, resurrecting the ti name for a more reasonably priced, accessible and enjoyable model seems like an excellent idea. The 128ti clearly isn't going to provide M-car explosive performance, but it makes up for that by being much more fun to drive at reasonable speeds, and less in-your-face in styling and noise terms (outré eighties-esque side graphics aside). The best thing we can say about the 128ti is that we hope it won't be long before the ti philosophy spreads to other BMW models. It's that good.
What do the rest of the team think?
The 128ti is huge fun, but it's still very expensive and I think BMW missed a trick by not making it even more driver-focused. I'd have liked to have seen a manual gearbox and some significant weight reduction. Still, great to have another front-wheel-drive premium alternative to the Volkswagen Golf GTI.
Shane O' Donoghue - Editor
