Volkswagen may not have invented the hot hatchback, they sure are very skilled at making them.
And the trick has been the same for almost 45 years. Take a practical, compact middle class car, put a powerful engine in it, you tune the chassis
and you got yourself a GTI. A car which feels at home going to the shops and going fast on twisty roads.
And except for the nineties, it has always worked. Where cars like the Focus RS, Civic Type R and Megane RS became more and more extreme,
the Golf GTI has remained the good old accessible hot hatch.
Now however, this eighth generation GTI has a very remarkable rival to think about. A new competitor in the shape of a BMW 128Ti,
a sporty BMW with front-wheel drive.
Before we get into that, let's talk about the eighth generation of Golf GTI. I already mentioned Volkswagen has used the same recipe for 45 years,
and that applies even more to this eighth generation. It's powered by a transversely mounted turbocharged EA888 2.0-litre 4-cylinder, producing...
245 horsepower and 370 Nm of torque. So what used to be the Performance-version, is now considered as standard in the Golf GTI.
And it's a very good engine. It already produces maximum torque at 1.600 RPM, and if you go above that, the throttle responses is really good.
It's nice and feisty and you never have wait very long for the power to arrive. The power curve doesn't crash either above a certain RPM.
However, don't expect any fireworks or explosions. It's just a very quick and feisty GTI without too much frills or becoming too extreme.
The same goes for the transmission. In the Netherlands, you always get the 7-speed DSG-gearbox as standard. And it's a very good gearbox,
but if you have to change down a lot very quickly, it sometimes feels a little slow. However, since the drivetrain uses a lot of torque,
it's not that big of a problem. It's a fast drivetrain, but not too hardcore.
It does sound good though. But the whole 'fast, but not hardcore' applies to the chassis as well.
In the chassis, everything that used to be an optional extra on the Performance-version of its predecessor, is standard on here.
That means you always get a limited-slip differential between the front wheels, which is very handy if you put your foot down to get all of the...
245 horsepower on a wet surface in a tight corner. So it's actually able to deliver. It's a very good chassis. Even though it doesn't have...
Dynamic Chassis Control, or continuously variable damping, it always feels good. It's sturdy, but it's not too hard, so you're able to drive over...
speedbumps or other bumpy roads without having to crawl across. And if you start looking for the limit on a twisty road like this,
you'll immediately know how far you can go. It's sturdy, it positions itself, the rear is very solid and the steering is very direct.
It doesn't offer a lot of feeling, but it does give you enough trust in the chassis. It's just what the GTI was always meant to be,
a very good allrounder that's accessible to everybody. And if you want something more extreme, you should get a Volkswagen Golf GTI Clubsport.
Or this BMW 128Ti. Welcome ladies and gentlemen, we're in Wonderland. It's a sporty BMW with front-wheel drive. They've finally done it.
And it's the first classic hot hatch from BMW. Sure, they already had the M140i, but that relied more on having a six-cylinder rather than being a hot hatch.
And you now have a M135i, but that has four-wheel drive and it's more of a hyper-hatch really, rivalling the Golf R.
This is the first time they've installed a big engine in a front-wheel drive car. And if you ask me, they've just taken a Golf GTI and put it...
through a copyer. If you look at the specs, they're incredibly similar. The BMW is powered by a 2.0-litre 4-cylinder, which is slightly more powerful.
265 horsepower and 400 Nm of torque. All of the produced power is sent to the front wheels through an 8-speed automatic gearbox.
And inbetween the front wheels, there's a limited-slip differential. And the engine pretty much has the same personality as the engine in the GTI.
It produces its peak power very early on, despite being slightly later than in the GTI. But it's close.
But it's the torquey mid-range where all the magic happens. In the high range - and it reaches peak RPM earlier than the GTI - it's not...
going to make the power tumble or anything, but it's not very rewarding to keep the revs high, because the works has been done already.
It's connected to an 8-speed automatic gearbox, and you'd think it'd be slower than a double clutch automatic gearbox.
Funny enough however, that's not the case. BMW has so much experience with their 8-speed automatic gearboxes, it's incredibly feisty.
I even think that if you start manually changing gear with it, it's better than Volkswagen's DSG-gearbox. And that's quite the achievement.
But as a whole, the drivetrain is really good. It nicely ticks all of the 'GTI-boxes' really. It sounds really good and it seems to be a very strong...
rival for the GTI. And if you take a look at the chassis, BMW has done a really good job. Essentially, they've taken the M135i-chassis...
and they've stripped it from the propshaft and rear-wheel drive. That means the car is 80 kg lighter and that the front wheels are...
on their own. When it comes to personality, it really reminds me of a big Mini or something. The rear is so much looser than in the GTI.
That makes it much more challenging. Especially in tight corners, when you release the throttle. You can really feel the rear pushing the car around.
However, because the steering is less direct, but offers much more feeling, you feel much more in control. That makes it even more challenging.
The GTI is calm, collected. That fits the 'good old' role the GTI has very well. But this thing is contineously moving around. That makes it...
less comfortable in the city. Almost like a puppy jumping around constantly. However, when it's finally allowed to go, it's a lot of fun.
You can throw the nose to the inside of the corner, and when it bites down, the rear will swing around as well. And then, the manic front axle...
pulls everything forwards. And you can probably notice by the way I'm talking, that it's a very fun drive.
What's fun as well, is that both cars have a mode for the ESP that's right inbetween on and off. A Sport-mode, really.
And BMW has clearly done a more refined job. In this car, you know the ESP only kicks in because the front or rear is breaking out badly.
Other than that, you can do whatever you want. In the GTI however, you get the feeling that the car is kind of babysitting you.
That's not a bad thing or anything, but it makes clear that the BMW is more fun to drive.
If you add that to all of the advantages that it's a BMW, like having a better infotainment system and a nicer interior,
this isn't a bad first attempt at all. And 45 years of Golf GTi won't change that in the slightest.