The BMW 128ti arrives to bring the most traditional driving experience to the 1 Series

Last year the BMW 1 Series arrived with a new generation to revolutionise its own concept, introducing front-wheel drive in place of the rear-wheel drive that had accompanied the 1 Series since its beginnings and that is one of the hallmarks of the Bavarian brand. Now the 1 Series is about to receive a new member which, although it does not bring back rear-wheel drive, does aim to offer a more traditional driving dynamic thanks to the improvements introduced: it is the BMW 128ti.

Today, if we want the maximum sportiness within the 1 Series, we have to turn to the BMW M135i and part with the little over 50,000 euros it costs in our market. But soon BMW will add the new 128ti to its range, a clearly sporty model that will sit one step below the M135i, from which, incidentally, it inherits certain mechanical elements, giving us an idea of the sporty concept we can expect.

BMW has given the “ti” badge back to a model that has been tuned on a circuit as demanding as the Nurburgring, and which arrives to make life difficult for the new compact sports cars that have entered the segment, such as the Hyundai i30 N. In pursuit of a purer driving experience and of reducing its weight as much as possible, the BMW 128ti will not use the xDrive all-wheel drive system as the M135i does, cutting 80 kg of weight compared with the latter, so all the power is sent directly to the front axle.

This power comes in the BMW 128ti from a 2.0-litre four-cylinder in-line engine that delivers 265 CV (41 CV less than the M135i), sent through an eight-speed Steptronic sports automatic gearbox. It is a pity that BMW has not considered a manual gearbox as the most suitable choice for this model. Even so, thanks to this, the BMW 128ti is able to reach 100 km/h in 6.1 seconds, while its combined consumption sits between 7.1 and 6.8 l/100 km, with CO2 emissions of between 162 and 154 g/km.

Lightness has not been the only goal for the BMW 128ti: the brand’s engineers have also focused on making its handling, and especially its cornering, as quick and precise as possible. To achieve this they have fitted a Torsen limited-slip differential that provides better traction to the front axle, together with a sport suspension that lowers the ride height by 10 mm, tuned by BMW M, and a steering with a specific setup. In addition, components taken from the M135i have been used, such as several bearings and the anti-roll bars, among others.

Aesthetically, the BMW 128ti will come with an M aerodynamic kit that will be slightly different from the one fitted to the M135i, in order to bridge the differences with its bigger sibling. Although no images of its interior have been released, it is expected to be in keeping with the exterior and mechanical characteristics of this model. BMW plans for sales of the 128ti to begin next November, so we will not have to wait long to learn the price it will have in our market.

Technical specifications of this car

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