(G)TI Face-off: The BMW 128ti vs Volkswagen Golf 8 GTI
“The new kid on the block” taking on the “Benidorm Bastard”. BMW is making its first front-wheel-drive hot hatch -with its knowledge from MINI- to put its aim on an established value, the Volkswagen Golf GTI. It’s time for our boys, Beau and Kenny, to see what’s what.
The battle of the 2.0-liters
Both the BMW and the Volkswagen get their power out of a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder. The BMW 128ti can enjoy a detuned engine from the M135i, which in this form is good for 265 hp and 400 Nm of torque. It throws all of that power through an 8-speed Steptronic automatic gearbox on the front wheels. Thanks to a Torsen-limited slip differential and Michelin Pilot Sport4-rubber every horsepower should be able to be used. Everything adds up to a zero to 100 km/h-time of 6,1 seconds and an electronically limited top speed of 250 km/h. The Volkswagen Golf 8 GTI throws in some less power with just 245 hp and 370 Nm, but can also enjoy a limited-slip differential (VAQ). Only 0.1 seconds longer will it take for the GTI to hit 100 km/h and it will also keep pulling to an electronically limited top speed of 250 km/h. How German.
Beau: “Being quite the BMW fan myself, I got to say I wasn’t looking forward to driving a performance front-wheel-drive BMW. But I set off without prejudices since BMW really worked the effort into the car. It’s not just an M135i downtuned and with no power going to the back. Weighing in at 80 kg less than the 135i and with a firmer springrate and a slightly less aggressive Torsen LSD change the character of this car completely.
The steering on the BMW is heavier compared to the GTI which I personally like since it still feels like the steering wheel is hooked up to the front axle. It’ll have trouble from time to time to get the power down but it actually finds grip again very fast and consistently leaving you with confidence to really push the car.“
Kenny: “Taking the Volkswagen Golf GTI home was -at first thought- not so pleasant. I ain’t a GTI-fan. But open-minded as I am, I gave it a go. Between the two, the Volkswagen Golf GTI is the easiest one to explore the limits of what it’s capable of. The differential works wonderful and makes it possible to drive the car like a hooligan. That’s harder with the BMW because it will lose control in extremes, the extra power can be blamed. The power advantage -for the BMW- in a straight line is negligible and will never be a deciding factor in your choice.”
Classy or cocky
Not the exterior -that’s for later-, but the interior. First the cocky part? The Volkswagen Golf GTI gets its typical Burberry-styled seats. Some people will talk about the history and the need for this interior, we can’t look through that cocky thing. Beyond that, the interior is just like every Volkswagen product: easy to use, clean and sometimes a little bit cheap looking. The BMW on that part feels more premium. You know, the typical BMW interior. Some leather, some colored stitches and a lot of dark materials. Classy, like some will say.
Kenny: “Again, I have never been a fan of the GTI and the interior is one of those reasons. This time the Burberry isn’t too overwhelming and if you add the fact that the seats are great, you will give the seats a thumbs up. I would take this setup over the one in the BMW, every day! The BMW gave me backache after just half an hour. The infotainment system in the Golf is easier to use, while the digital dashboard is more customizable. The general feeling of the interior, the quality of material, in the BMW takes a win above the Volkswagen. That “premium” feeling where people talk about.”
Beau: “One of the things I love about the ti is how pronounced it is, you just know you’re in a ti and there’s no confusion about sitting in a regular 116d. The little Ti details really make the car stand out on the inside. The finish is here where BMW is unbeaten, especially on the shifting paddles where the Golf’s feel like a 90’s keyboard.
Contrary to Kenny I found the GTI seats to be too much sofa-like compared to the Ti. The BMW’s seats may be a little harder but provide better lateral support and I didn't have the usual back pain I have with harder performance seats. Probably an age thing.”
Red gives a sporty feeling
Something Volkswagen and BMW agree on. Volkswagen chooses the Moonstone Grey for our Golf GTI and that color really works with the red details. The new exterior of the Golf 8 combined with a more aggressive front bumper and 18-inch Richmond rims makes this Golf 8 GTI a looker. BMW baptized the 128ti in Alpinweiss III and on that color the red definitely stands out. Just like Volkswagen, BMW gives the car 18-inch bi-color wheels to make the car look more sporty.
Kenny: “Strange to say that the Golf GTI is the least “Yobbo”-looking car for me and that’s why I would go for the GTI. It looks cleaner and doesn’t need the fuss this BMW 128ti throws at you. You get the feeling Volkswagen is doing a “911” on the Golf changing the car piece by piece but always having faith in the presence of the previous model. Since the F40-model, the BMW 1-Serie has lost its uniqueness and needs the rush the prevent it from becoming a grey dot.”
Beau: “I’ll follow Kenny’s judgment here and saying the 128ti is the biggest training shoe out of both cars. It’s worthy to note that the red accents only appear on certain color choices. However, as much as the 1 Series has lost its unique shape, it’s still a good and sporty looking little hatchback. Granted it does look a lot more similar to competitors but again contrary to Kenny, I think the Golf changed a lot more and the design language just has a certain blandness to me which the Golf 7 didn’t have at all.”
Conclusion
We need to start with an objective thing, being the price. The cheapest BMW 128ti you can buy is 45.100 € (BE), while you can find a Volkswagen Golf 8 GTI for 40.995 € (BE). Adding up the options, the color, the rims and so on and you will hit a price of 51.779 euros for the BMW and 45.864 euros for the Volkswagen.
Beau: “2 cars both very similar in purpose yet very different. And I’ve been arguing a lot about this one with Kenny about which one is better and we can’t come to an agreement it seems. The price difference is obvious but so is the level of refinement to the whole 128ti. Not saying there’s anything wrong with it but we’re still comparing BMWs with Volkswagens here. There’s not much in between them in how exciting they drive but considering this is the first FWD BMW they really put down a solid effort here. Personally, the BMW has the edge on the Golf on nearly every level. Both are solid options but if you do want something a bit more refined interior and infotainment, the 128ti is the one I’d pick.”
Kenny: “Do you see the price difference? Do you see it? The Volkswagen Golf 8 GTI with its options hits the price of the basic BMW 128ti. The GTI seems like a bargain doesn't it? I can’t find a reason to pay all of that extra money for the BMW. Is it a lot faster? No. Is it easier to use? No. Does it look better? No, and the Golf GTI is the least bad-sounding car of the two. I would choose the Volkswagen Golf 8 GTI all day every day.”
