Battle of the hot hatches: VW welcomes BMW’s new Golf GTI fighter

Volkswagen says BMW’s new 128ti hot-hatch pays a great compliment to its Golf GTI, while believing its compatriot brand has yet to prove itself in the front-wheel-drive segment.

The eight-generation version of the GTI was launched in Australia this week. With an increased starting cost of $53,100, it’s close in price to the recently released, $56,900 128ti which is BMW’s first ever front-drive hot-hatch.

The two performance hatchbacks are also both powered by 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engines – and with almost identical outputs.

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VW Mk8 Golf GTI

Where the GTI offers 180kW and 370Nm, the 128ti’s power and torque figures are 180kW and 380Nm.

There’s also little to separate them on performance claims, with the BMW a tenth quicker: 6.3 versus 6.4 seconds.

“It’s a great compliment [BMW is] in that space and it has an aligned product,” said VW Australia product manager Todd Ford.

“We'll see how it goes. I think we're really yet to see, just from the [sales] numbers, BMW do amazing things with the new 1-Series platform. Mercedes has been very successful with the A-Class [but] I think BMW is still, in a way, establishing itself in that front-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive space versus its [RWD] heritage.”

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BMW 128ti

The 1 Series was comprehensively outsold by the A-Class in 2020, with the Mercedes claiming 43 per cent market share in the luxury small car segment compared with 17 per cent for the BMW, though it has closed the gap markedly so far in 2021.

Add the 2 Series Gran Coupe – essentially a four-door version of the 1 Series hatch – and BMW’s compact cars are outselling the Mercedes A-Class hatch and sedan.

Volkswagen continues to play down the Hyundai i30N as a direct rival, saying the new GTI brings even greater sophistication over the Korean hot-hatch.

“I feel [the gap to the i30N] is only further enhanced with the Mk8 [GTI], where I use the phrase ‘brains over brawn’,” says Ford.

“We've got the same power figure as before, the same seven-speed DSG we've carried over, and the great electromechanical diff and so forth, but the effort's gone into the chassis, suspension and electronics.

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VW Mk8 Golf GTI

“The [new] Vehicle Dynamics Manager [has come in to] manage all the coordination of the diff and the adaptive chassis control.”

Volkswagen has also enhanced the sophistication of the GTI’s interior by introducing a digital-heavy dash it dubs 'Innovision Cockpit'. It combines a 10.0-inch central infotainment touchscreen with a fully-digital instrument display.

The GTI’s standard equipment has been extended with additions which include metallic paint, privacy glass, three-zone (rather than dual-zone) climate control, wireless smartphone charging, 30-colour customisable LED ambient interior, plus an expanded driver assistance suite which includes partial autonomous steering.

Features such as 18-inch wheels and adaptive suspension are also standard on the Australian-spec GTI where they are optional in most other markets.