A new hot hatch will join the premium car market in Australia early next year, called the BMW 128ti. It revives the iconic ti name and will come in as a front-wheel drive proposition just below the AWD M135i.
Following its initial reveal in October, BMW’s Australian arm has confirmed the 128ti will go on sale locally priced from $56,900. That’s quite a step down from the M135i xDrive, which is priced from $69,990. It’s also around $10,000 more than the entry 118i ($46,990).
For that price you’ll get a range of sporty enhancements and a bespoke powertrain. However, the 128ti is not an M Performance model like the M135i. Instead, it features a lot of equipment by BMW’s M Sport division. That includes a specific M Sport suspension setup (10mm lower), M Sport aero kit, and M Sport brakes (360mm front, 300mm rear).
Power comes from a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder engine that churns out 180kW between 5000-6500rpm, and 380Nm between just 1500rpm and 440rpm. This is connected up to an eight-speed auto transmission which feeds into a front-wheel drive system via a Torsen limited-slip differential.
BMW says the 128ti also features a unique ‘Performance Control’ system to improve rear axle agility, and there’s a bespoke ARB (near-actuator wheel slip limitation) system positioned directly within the engine control unit rather than being incorporated into the stability control system. BMW says this latter system is able to work 10 times faster, resulting in smoother transitions while also reducing power-understeer.
As standard, the BMW 128ti comes with two 10.25-inch digital displays inside, including one for the instrument cluster and another for the media interface. These run on BMW’s 7.0 operating software. There’s also a 9.2-inch head-up display as standard, along with sports seats and steering wheel, and dual-zone climate control.
The new variant will land in Australia “early next year” priced from $56,900, as mentioned (excluding on-road costs). Buyers will be able to option up to four different packages for further personalisation. See below for the highlight standard features, and then further below for the option packs.
Standard highlights:
- BMW TwinPower Turbo inline four-cylinder engine
- 8-speed Steptronic Sport transmission
- Limited slip differential on front axle
- 18-inch M light alloy wheels 553M Bicolour with performance tyres
- Cloth/Sensatec upholstery, black with red stitching
- Comfort Access System
- M Sport brakes, red high-gloss
- M seat belts
- M leather steering wheel with red stitching
- Floor mats in velour with red accents
- Electric seat adjustment
- Adaptive LED headlights
- High-beam assistant
- Automatic air-conditioning, two-zone
- M Sport suspension with specific tuning
- M rear spoiler
- BMW Individual high-gloss Shadow Line with extended contents
Enhancement Package 1 – $3000
- Metallic paint
- Panorama glass roof
- Active cruise control with Stop & Go functionality
Enhancement Package 2 – $3700
- BMW Individual Storm Bay Metallic
- Panorama glass roof
- Active cruise control with Stop & Go functionality
Convenience Package – $1300
- Automatic operation of tailgate
- Luggage compartment storage net
- Through-loading system
Comfort Package – $1023
- Seat heating for driver and passenger
- Lumbar support for driver and passenger
- Steering wheel heating
