The American hot hatch scene has grown a little in the past few years, and the 2022 Golf GTI will undoubtedly make it even better with its classy features. However, Europe has many more models we don't get, including the brand new BMW 128ti, which hasn't existed until now.
BMW has built many other "ti" models over the years and other cars that could be called a hot hatch, but this is the first time a front-wheel-drive car has received a sports treatment. That's right, the 128ti doesn't even come with xDrive, which makes it lighter than the M135i and a worthy rival to the GTI.
Curious how they stack up? Well, here's the first drag race we could find, courtesy of Motorsport Magazine. Diving straight into the numbers, we're reminded that the new GTI makes 242 hp (245 PS). That's the same as the old European model (the previous model year), but should mean a small power bump for the Americans.
Meanwhile, the 128ti is even more powerful. BMW has been developing 2.0-liter turbo engines for many years, and this one falls right between the output of an X1 xDrive28i and the M135i/M235i. To be more specific, it makes 261 hp (265 PS). Another difference between the two rivals is that VW still uses DSG for its hot hatches, and BMW has an automatic.
And as impressive as the new Golf R was in drag races, the Golf GTI proves to be somewhat of a disappointment here. The Bimmer pulls away like they forgot the handbrake on in the Volkswagen. What? It's a little button; you can pull it by mistake.
During a previous acceleration test from the same source, the 128ti did the 0 to 62 mph (100 km/h) pull in 6.1 seconds. That already suggested it would be faster than a GTI, but this is a bit unexpected and suggests the power gap between the two is much larger than officially stated. However, you rarely see this kind of gap in the segment. Just remember what the Golf did to the Focus ST recently.
It's worth noting that the 128ti is a little more expensive, and Volkswagen does offer a more powerful GTI with nearly 300 ponies. But we still find this unique BMW to be very interesting, from the exhaust box to the decals and accent colors.
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
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