The BMW 128ti is BMW’s answer to the Golf GTI

Remember the Compact? A 3 Series with a chopped-off tail and a hatchback it was never BMWs best looker, but with rear-wheel-drive and a six-pot motor it was as sweet to drive as any of them. It was a slow seller though and it swiftly made way for the first  1 Series and it is that range today which  sees the return of the ‘ti’ go-faster badge, complete with go-faster flashes of red trim on the body.

In many ways, including price, the 128ti is a junior version of the M135i xDrive. Its price of £33,000 and power of 265PS means it costs around £3k less and can call on 40 fewer horses than its bigger brother. But with an 80kg weight saving and 10mm lower sports suspension, the promise is it should be just as agile; BMW actually says the 128ti has sharper driving dynamics than the M135i.

Sharper maybe but inevitably different because the 128ti is front-wheel-drive against the M135i’s all-wheel-drive. And it was only a couple of years ago that the first really sporting 1 Series, the much lauded M140i, was rear-wheel-drive! Talk about chop and change…

Making BMW’s most potent front-drive car ever handle like a Bimmer has inevitably required a lot of work. BMW says the standard M Sport suspension is bespoke to the 128ti and combines the firmer anti-roll bars and anti-roll bar mounts from the M135i with bespoke stiffer springs and dampers, the lowered suspension and steering designed to minimise torque steer.

To further limit the steering tug and boost cornering grip, the 128ti also gets the mechanical Torsen limited-slip differential from the  M135i. Electronic stability systems include a version of BMW’s Performance Control to get the back end working harder, and also a faster-acting ARB traction system. The result, says BMW, is less power understeer. No mention of power oversteer though as fans of previous ti models might like!

Brakes – vented discs with four-piston calipers painted red – are a straight lift from the M135i, as are the wheels. Standard is a bi-colour Y-spoke 18-inch alloy shod with Michelin Pilot Sport 4 rubber. 19-inch wheels are an option.

The familiar 2.0-litre four-cylinder TwinPower turbo engine delivers 265PS (195kW) to the front wheels via an eight-speed Steptronic automatic transmission. The 80kg weight saving over the four-wheel-drive M135i can’t compensate for the 40PS power deficit: the 128ti can do the 0-62mph dash in 6.1 seconds against the M135i’s 4.8. The top speed is limited to 155mph.  BMW is promising a sporting engine note in the cabin along with 44-46mpg (CO2 is from 139g/km).

Like any new 1 Series that cabin is a good place to be, its appeal heightened by a smattering of M Sport goodies (steering wheel, seat belts) and plenty of red accents: to the seats, stitching and the embroidered ti logos.

Red is the accent colour on the outside too with trim around the air intakes, sills and badging in that colour. M Sport front and rear aprons are fitted.  A de-chromed Shadowline trim is on the options list while M Performance styling options include lightweight carbon-fibre body parts and high gloss black trims.  Other ways to inflate the 128ti’s £33,000 starting price include M sports seats, Dakota leather, head-up display, electric tailgate, and carbon-fibre steering wheel and shift paddles.

The BMW 128ti is launched in the UK in November. Turismo Internazionale is back then. What next we wonder… a tii version?