BMW Revives "ti" After More Than a Decade
Will a new front-wheel-drive model live up to the sporty billing?
BMW has just announced that it's bringing the famed "ti" badge back into its range with a new model called the 128ti. The new addition to the 1 Series family will launch in November with an OTR price starting at £32,995. That's not a lot more than a regular M Sport model, so what exactly does the 128ti have to offer?
To help deliver the "exhilarating driving enjoyment" BMW promises in the press release for the 128ti, the new model will features a standard M Sport specification, a 265 horsepower TwinPower turbo engine, a Torsen limited-slip differential and bespoke M Sport suspension, exclusive accents and a striking interior design.
The engine is a 2.0-litre unit with BMW TwinPower Turbo technology that puts out 265 horsepower and 400 Nm of torque, which sends the power to the front wheels through an optimised eight-speed Steptronic Sport automatic transmission. That combination gets the BMW from 0 to 62mph in 6.1 seconds and onwards to a top speed of 155mph.To help deliver the "exhilarating driving enjoyment" BMW promises in the press release for the 128ti, the new model will features a standard M Sport specification, a 265 horsepower TwinPower turbo engine, a Torsen limited-slip differential and bespoke M Sport suspension, exclusive accents and a striking interior design.
Inside you'll find Sensatec/cloth sport seats with a red 'ti' stitched into the centre armrest, which like the door armrests, door panels, instrument panel and floor mat edging, all feature contrasting red stitching. You can have the M Sport seats covered in perforated Dakota leather in either Black or in Magma Red with grey accents, but we're afraid you'll have to pay extra for that particular privilege.
The eight-speed Steptronic Sport transmission delivers rapid gear changes for that sporty feel, and plenty of lightweight M Performance Parts both enhance the aerodynamics of the car as well as the exterior styling. It's hard to believe it will be as much fun to drive as it would have been if it was a rear-drive offering, but it still sounds like a lot of fun and it will probably sell very well when it appears in November.