This BMW 128 Ti Is So Much Fun To Drive! Its BMW's Golf GTI *First Drive Review*

[@kenw1295]

The interior quality and Screen operating systems (buttons and rotary controller) alone are enough to go for the 128 Ti. As for the cerium grill on the M153i it actually makes it look unique as the black grills seem to be the go to choice for every other 1 series BMW owner.

[@mbarn]

Exactly as you said at 7:50, I also love the manhandling aspect of a fwd car with power. Mk2 Focus Rs was one of the most fun cars I’ve driven. Dynamically terrible, but equally that hold on and try get it to stay on the road was a hoot.

[@SignoPanino]

Still the most underrated auto KZbinr out there, great video as always mate. Love the 128 just can’t make my peace with that front end… proper angry birds looking thing

[@StefABtv]

Thank you so much 🙌❤️

[@marshmellow377]

I tested both the 128Ti and the M135i, I found the 128Ti to be a little lacking, although better in interior, it just felt like a golf/S3. Where as the M135i felt more planted, gripped better, and just brought more of a smile to my face :)

[@King-Chub]

The red looks better on the white

[@johnfranklin6394]

A great review Stef. And the first I have seen of the 128ti that really shows the torque steer. It is something of a handful for sure. I have a Melbourne red metallic 128ti and deselected the ti stickers. The accents are black on my car, and match the grill nicely. I also have the standard black cloth/pleather seats. Those red seats are a £1,150 option. I would say it is a more fun car to drive than my previous mk7.5 Golf GTI Performance DSG. However, the torque converter gearbox is a little slow whitted compared to the VW DSG box. The upside is that the BMW auto is more refined in slow traffic, whereas the DSG could be a bit jerky.

[@StefABtv]

Thank you for watching

[@ynwa14red]

The ti & red accents you can deselect on the configurator and the red seats are options

[@johnfranklin6394]

Yeah, those seats are a £1,150 option! I went with the standard black cloth/pleather seats. They are great and I have no regrets. Also deselected the ti stickers. Accents are black on my Melbourne red car.

[@o-townminideals3104]

I want that Motor in the MINI JCW Hardtop 🤞🤞🤞🤞

[@petemayes1940]

Glad I have seen this well done re torque steer.Thankfully watching the steering I did not buy I could not do 400 miles a week in this.

[@grizzlystr3445]

On my radar, love the looks but would go for the black option instead of the red accents 😎 Great review 👍

[@StefABtv]

Thanks mate

[@johnfranklin6394]

I got the 128ti in Melbourne red with black accents. I de-specced the stickers as well. That also got rid of the black side skirts, which I would have liked. Maybe should have left the stickers and then just peeled them off. The torque steer is real as well! I changed from a mk7.5 Golf GTI Performance DSG, and the 128ti is a wild animal by comparison. No regrets though, I did not like the interior of the mk8 Golf, so that settled it for me.

[@limalimauk]

I love the look of these. Think I might go BMW next car 🚗 🤔

[@StefABtv]

They are good cars

[@limalimauk]

@@StefABtv I'm an old boy racer so the looks are up my street lol

[@levibelgium5406]

I love my 128Ti with the 19" rims! But be careful with the electronics meaning the GPS. There are some problems with the GPS to keep it's position. BMW will have to solve this. Further on it's a wonderful good hot 🔥 hatch.

[@StefABtv]

Looks great on 19s

[@leeandjancruise]

Hmmm? 265 horses but only has the same 0-60 as my 230 JCW, no I'd be looking more towards the M135i but I do like the seats in red.

[@johnfranklin6394]

The red seats are an £1,150 extra. The standard seats are black, cloth/fake leather combo. I went with the standard seats and have no regrets.

[@philcourty]

This was an option for me but went with the standard '22 JCW for uniqueness...similar to the JCW GP, wasn't a fan of the tacky exterior. I'd argue the JCW sounds better too despite the OPF 👌🏼

[@johnfranklin6394]

I just optioned the tacky stuff away. Mine is Melbourne red with no red bits. They are black instead. And no TI stickers on the side either. So, looks even more like a 118i! A bit of a sleeper.

[@nickname1812]

Good review. I think this 'shape' is getting accepted more now. I prefer the new Audi A3/S3 design more though.

[@stanislas4990]

Great review. I am not a fan of the design of the BMW 1 series. Stef, what are your thoughts about the Focus ST?

[@StefABtv]

Not driven one to be fair. Only driven the focus RS which was a very cool car to drive. Very fun and asbo, I liked it

[@csapie]

If I am not mistaken the car can be specd without the red accents.

[@StefABtv]

I’m sure you can

[@johnfranklin6394]

@@StefABtv I specced mine without the stickers. The accents are red as mine is a Melbourne red car. Only thing was I did not realise that losing the stickers would also mean I lost the contrasting side skirts, which would have been black on my car. Oh well, still happy with it. And it does torque steer like a b*stard!

[@mhhfgjcccc9225]

Hi stef, been watching a while, good stuff. A quick question. In your opinion what would be better to buy? The Abarth 124 spider or the new BMW Z4 g29? Many thanks..

[@StefABtv]

New Z4 for comfort and premium feel. I’d you can get an M40i version that’s a winner

[@mhhfgjcccc9225]

Thanks mate, I’ll save a little longer 👍

[@stephengriffin4990]

Nice review buy the GTI for ride comfort.

[@johnfranklin6394]

I have the 128ti, and it definitely has a firmer ride than the mk7.5 GTI Performance it replaced. My GTI was on passive dampers. So, a new GTI on adaptive dampers would definitely be a more comfortable car. I just wish the roads in Cheshire were not quite so pot-holed!

[@johngoodall7097]

Another honest video Stef but I,m with you on the red accents also I am heartily sick of grey cars!!! We have grey roads in this country and if you don’t have light on you are damn nigh invisible how is that safer? Just my opinion but valid I feel. Disagree if you wish I think we need more good colours like yellows golds, greens and that great red that Renault and Mazda are using at the moment, there Stef pick the bones out of those comments Ha Ha Ha😁😁😁👍👍👍🚘🚘🚘

[@StefABtv]

Haha no it’s a fair point but some people like to go around discreet I guess 😂😂😂

[@johnfranklin6394]

I went with a Melbourne red 128ti, and deselected the ti stickers. The accents are in black on my car, which key in perfectly with the black grill. I am also not a fan of grey cars. Although, I do realise that my red BMW can provoke a negative reaction from some road users 😂

[@os1611]

Sooooo cute ...... that dog

[@carljohn9337]

BMW is higher level of car than VW. BMW always in prestige car bracket, VW is supposed to be a budget brand. The red makes car stand out, otherwise everyone think you have a 118d. As a grown up, I don’t see the red as boy racer, I see it as a unique feature which sets the car apart from others. First review I’ve seen who sways towards golf gti. Everyone entitled to opinion.

[@StefABtv]

Thanks for watching

[@willedwardspercdrums]

Sweet!

[@davidjack3]

Hi ,maybe FUN to drive ,but no substitute for 4wd when in the Scottish highlands where i have a house at,i would definitely sacrifice fun for knowing you can actually get going in the snow

[@jondonnelly3]

BMW have a lovely xdrive for you.

[@billx4266]

This or the gti clubsport?

[@StefABtv]

GTI clubsport for me

[@topcat4265]

Smart car, smart car, smart.car. when the next video?

[@StefABtv]

Very soon!

[@cherylwright9408]

Why does the BMW cars look like they have sunglasses on its grill ?

[@MrRoyck10]

Ti stands for Tacky item 😂…..not for me a 4 pot FWD hatchback with boy racer red stripes, coupled with that electronic synthetic sound with fake pops and bangs mapped into the exhaust, this a well used recipe that all car manufacturers then to use. Old school BMW are gold but the new ones,Nada.

[@patrickbateman7122]

This!

[@sysakPL]

I drive a boy racer-mobile myself but geez this is a right cluster****.

[@ScrotyMcDickface]

Even Ferrari map the 'fake bangs and pops' in the exhaust. It's a thing. And get used to the four pot engines because they are are the last decent fossil fuel engines you'll see. BMW did a really good job with this engine, and the entertainment and control systems are ace. The looks are up for debate, but it's just personal preference; I don't like people telling me what art to like, or what music to listen to. If you buy the 128ti without the decals it looks good. Old School BMW's are good cars too, but that doesn't mean the new ones aren't (suspecting most new BMW haters own old BMW's..)

[@kaamilalli1833]

Someone might like this kind of car, dude. They are fantastic to drive.

[@johnfranklin6394]

You can deselect the red stickers and accents. I ordered mine without, its a red car and has black accents. You can also turn off the fake sound pretty much all the way from the menu. I had to buy an OBD11 device to switch off the fake engine sound in my previous Golf GTI Performance.

[@davidjack3]

I disagree with the grilles !i absolutely love the silver dots on the m135i

[@Pelbee54]

Novice question - if you re-map it, can it be easily de-mapped to factory settings? Thank you : )

[@Pelbee54]

Since spoken to mapping peeps and apparently it’s locked down - gutted. If anyone has had any joy holler!!

[@rimmerblues1586]

So is the passive suspension too harsh, is the adaptive really more comfortable? Overall the F40 looks good but agree the front is rather fat and looks like a smiling piggy 🐷🤣 I don't get why people like that Storm Bay Grey colour - it's like the colour u get when children mix all their paint colours together and out comes a yuck blue-grey.

[@stevenbennett3922]

If BMW meant it to have 300bhp then it would. But then the suspension, breaks and tyres would be uprated as well.

[@StefABtv]

Well 300bhp you go for the m135i

[@KING0SISQO]

Well no because why would anybody consider the 135i if they can get similar performance for a good deal less? There’s a lot more to it than that. But performance alone. Bigger brakes isn’t a problem etc. But it would up the cost plus it’s only trying to squeeze into the gti market. Edit: I’m saying I agree with stef. Remapping is no big deal. Just because it didn’t come like it out the factory doesn’t mean the car and parts can’t handle it. Obviously depending on how much more gain is got out of it.

[@stevenbennett3922]

I think my point was you stated that the engine could be tuned. Hence my if BMW etc.

[@cookierc7267]

@@KING0SISQO its not just a remap to get the power figures, the M135i has uprated cooling, reinforced parts etc to handle the increase.

[@johnfranklin6394]

The brakes are the same on the 128ti as on the M135i XDrive. So, the 128ti should already have better braking performance since it is 80kg lighter than the M135i XDrive. The car in the video was on Michelin Pilot Sport 4 tyres. A no cost option. I ended up with Pirelli P Zeros on my 128ti instead of the Michelin Pilot Sport 4's, as BMW supply from a range of manufacturers against the performance tyre option. As for the suspension, they did make a range of adjustments and changes compared to the M135i XDrive (including to the setup of the Torsen LSD) some of which Stef mentioned in the video. I think the car would easily handle 300bhp without needing any physical changes. But, the likely additional torque steer would be pretty mad!

[@FuelwithDave]

Defo not a fan of the red like you... Maybe one to look at next year when changing the wife's car.. would probably go m135i though

[@johnfranklin6394]

You can deselect the red highlights and ti stickers. They get switched for black highlights. And they are black as standard on the blue and red metallic paint cars.

[@Andy-we9fe]

I got the grey with no red looks awesome

[@tonyga5]

This kills the MK8 GTI on styling. Especially that MK8 interior dash and infotainment which is a nasty ugly mess.

[@philipcollins3849]

The one I’m getting the red is being removed

[@dj-vy3yl]

Couldn't think of anything worse than sticking on a ti grill on my 35i, what are you on about mate 😂 why would I make the better car look cheap

[@StefABtv]

Disagree. Look at the motech m135i car.

[@dj-vy3yl]

@@StefABtv the motech one is black , its still the 35i grill

[@d-n-a8119]

The ti looks kind of like the i30 n performance in my opinion 🤣

[@StefABtv]

Haha yeah I can see that

[@jamesspacer7994]

It's better than the Golf

[@H8XME]

Its ford stealth grey 🤣

[@legionluciano]

The red accents are too KDM/JDM... This is a German car. It needs to look the part. Just MHO

[@johnfranklin6394]

You can deselect them at no cost. Then you get black accents and no ti stickers.

[@jaysen704]

The red accent isnt tacky.the ti stands out for a reason. The front end is excellent.idont like this review and will not be coming back..

[@jamesspacer7994]

In the potato land of Ireland, it's closer to 60k euro 🤦😳

[@ian2183]

I really think BMW made a mistake here. The whole point of getting a sporty BMW is because of the RWD... I just have no idea why they did it. Just imaginge how fun it would have been if it was RWD. Maybe make the low spec, lower HP ones FWD so you can sell to the vast amount of normal people, and the higher spec, higher HP RWD for us petrol heads. That would be smart i think. There are just TO MUCH FWD hatches out there, Golfs, Seats, Audis, Ford, Hyundai, etc... RWD 1 series NEEDS a comeback!

[@gooeykev]

Sounds just like a GTI when you put your foot down on the throttle 😳 save your money get a GTI lol 😂

[@Andy-we9fe]

These are miles cheaper on PCP I'm paying 265 on a 2 year old one

[@Lollikips]

It might be fun, but it's also ugly. Thanks, but no. Great review as always though.

[@StefABtv]

Thanks for watching

[@schrimpf]

….what is the name of the dog…?

[@StefABtv]

Rollo, French bulldog

[@schrimpf]

@@StefABtv very nice. Say „Hello“ to Rollo. Like your video. I am considering buying this car but I’m a little bit afraid about the suspension. According to your experience is it rather hard and stiff with little comfort or still sufficient comfortable?

[@paul7t5]

Ruined by those stupid red parts.

[@INCREDIBULHULK]

beautiful car but not a RWD anymore ... so sad fan no more

[@SChapps]

The front is ugly and it's automatic only, no thanks.

[@madmike6266]

Looks decent tbf. Still can’t get over how dated the ‘new’ BMW interiors are though. They are absolutely awful. So dated. Compare it to the lastest mercs and it feels like BMW interiors are about 5 years behind. That just ruins it for me. Good review as always keep up the good vids 👍🏻

[@slen6293]

The mercs interiors fall apart after a few months and rattle like mad. Bmw is leading interior game out of merc and Audi at the moment imo

[@madmike6266]

@@slen6293 no they don’t 😂😂 utter fucking bullshit that is and if you think the new 3 series interior looks better than the new c class then you’re smoking actual crack

[@slen6293]

@@madmike6266 had the new A class and so have friends. Rattle box mate and trim moving and falling off all over the place. Sat in the new C class and looks ok, but again, cheap materials and build quality not on par with BMW. BMW is more impressive and that’s also a common thread in all reviews. Merc way too chintzy and tacky

[@madmike6266]

@@slen6293 go get it fixed then u helmet

[@StefABtv]

Thanks Mike

[@patrickbateman7122]

Automatic hot hatch = Just No..

[@sysakPL]

Fugly shitbox. They can keep peddling these to the guys who know nothing about cars beyond caring about the badge. I'd much rather get the previous generation.

[@King-Chub]

The red looks better on the white