BMW 128ti

Bill Turnip

Bill Turnip

Bill Turnip

Associate
Joined
1 Oct 2020
Posts
1,286
I'm looking at changing car and the BMW 128ti has definitely taken my eye. The unfortunate thing is thay the ones in my price range have the red sill and accents on the front.... Bleh, not for me.

Moving on from a Civic with pretty much all of the mod cons, and looking to get something that is still practical, but has a bit of life to it as well. Tend to do around 20k miles a year, and hope that

Looking to take one for a test drive next week, is there anything I need to particularly be aware of, or any real plus points to look forward to? Or even any alternative cars to suggest in the 25k-30k range? Low mileage is key for me as we cover a decent amount of miles each year, and I'm hoping for this car to last around 5 years.
 
Bill Turnip said:
The unfortunate thing is thay the ones in my price range have the red sill and accents on the front
Click to expand...

This is part of the design of the 128 though. It's how they look. Its there to highlight it against the normal 1 Series.

The obvious alternative to consider is the M135i - same engine, more power, but 4 wheel drive instead of front wheel drive. If you're spending as much as £30k you might find an early higher mileage M340i or an M440i is within range, or maybe even the current generation M240i which is a much better car than the 1 Series.
 
Last edited:
Armageus said:
Mini JCW would be the obvious alternative - essentially the same car in a different frock
Click to expand...
Thanks for the thought, problem is that wife will also use the car (probably more than me) and needs a decent size boot for work equipment. Her mum has a mini, and it just wouldn't work unfortunately.
[TW]Fox said:
The obvious alternative to consider is the M135i - same engine, more power, but 4 wheel drive instead of front wheel drive.
Click to expand...
From reviews it seems like the 128 was a lighter, slightly cheaper car that didn't miss much from the 135,but I will have a quick look.
radderfire said:
You may become unaware what an indicator stalk is once you drive one.
Click to expand...
I belive I must become totally unaware of anything other then myself if I get a Beemer.
jpaul said:
Electric wouldn't work within the daily range/mileage requirement? alfa velocee, similar size, also with with FWD front LSD, only a few kg more
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202603240974195 exclusivity.
Click to expand...
Electric is a no for me, not something I'm too keen on just yet. Living in deepest Cornwall doesn't lend itself to cutting edge.
 
The 128ti is supposedly the better steer than the m135i. It has unique suspension rates, anti-roll bars and other settings that are exclusive to the 128ti and most reviews at the time liked it. It has a bit of a dim-witted auto gearbox compared to the bigger RWD beemers as it's an Aisin/Toyota box rather than the highly regarded ZF8 box. have you considered a M240i? https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202602250217559 RWD with the ZF8HP gearbox, B58 Engine, one of BMW's best although that one is a bit light on spec. No H&K sound and poverty Nav screen.
 
Last edited:
MissChief said:
The 128ti is supposedly the better steer than the m135i. It has unique suspension rates, anti-roll bars and other settings that are exclusive to the 128ti and most reviews at the time liked it. It has a bit of a dim-witted auto gearbox compared to the bigger RWD beemers as it's an Aisin/Toyota box rather than the highly regarded ZF8 box. have you considered a M240i? https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202602250217559 RWD with the ZF8HP gearbox, B58 Engine, one of BMW's best although that one is a bit light on spec. No H&K sound and poverty Nav screen.
Click to expand...
Appreciate the suggestion, but realistically getting 30mpg from that is a hard sell to the other half. Looks a good example though.
 
Bill Turnip said:
Thanks for the thought, problem is that wife will also use the car (probably more than me) and needs a decent size boot for work equipment. Her mum has a mini, and it just wouldn't work unfortunately.
Click to expand...
Countryman or Clubman, both are available as JCW (302hp)

Bill Turnip said:
Appreciate the suggestion, but realistically getting 30mpg from that is a hard sell to the other half. Looks a good example though.
Click to expand...
B48 is only going to get high 30s at best - in the higher 128ti or m135i tunes probably <35mpg anyway.
 
MissChief said:
The difference between the two will be a few £ a week at most.
Click to expand...
I thought it would be the difference between 30 and 40 mpg. At 20k miles a year it'd be between £80-£100 per month - not inconsiderable. It was the main reason I stopped considering a focus st.

However, if the difference is closer, then it may be doable. I appreciate claimed economy figures are generally a little ambitious, but a few reviews seem to have the 128 ti at around 38-40 in real life.

@Armageus I'm just not that much of a fan of the mini body shape/interior generally. There is a mini dealer very close to where I live so will definitely have more of a look.

Does anyone have any experience of the 128 itself? Always a concern when everyone immediately suggests other cars, have I been looking at a dog of a car?
 
Bill Turnip said:
However, if the difference is closer, then it may be doable. I appreciate claimed economy figures are generally a little ambitious, but a few reviews seem to have the 128 ti at around 38-40 in real life.
Click to expand...
I've got the 190bhp version of the B48 in our Countryman (which admittedly it's a slightly heavier body) and the best we've managed is 37.4mpg and that's absolutely babying it and using eco mode.

Bill Turnip said:
Does anyone have any experience of the 128 itself? Always a concern when everyone immediately suggests other cars, have I been looking at a dog of a car?
Click to expand...
It's not that it's a dog of a car, just it's in the curious middle ground (and this generation of 1 series loses some of the key BMW traits e.g. rear wheel drive and 6 cylinder option)

The m135i is faster or the 120i cheaper but neither are ultimately much different.
 
Bill Turnip said:
I thought it would be the difference between 30 and 40 mpg. At 20k miles a year it'd be between £80-£100 per month - not inconsiderable. It was the main reason I stopped considering a focus st.

However, if the difference is closer, then it may be doable. I appreciate claimed economy figures are generally a little ambitious, but a few reviews seem to have the 128 ti at around 38-40 in real life.
Click to expand...

If you're not booting it absolutely everywhere, the 40i engines can be very economical, if you're plodding up and down A roads at 60mph during rush hour for the commute, 40mpg isn't unrealistic from a 240i I don't think.
 
Bill Turnip said:
At 20k miles a year it'd be between £80-£100 per month
Click to expand...
If you're doing 20k a year a mild hatch would be the last thing I'd be looking at.

Also for reference, my wife ran a 128Ti for 3 years and got ~25mpg out of it over that time. That was 75% around town, though.

Kenai said:
if you're plodding up and down A roads at 60mph during rush hour for the commute, 40mpg isn't unrealistic from a 240i I don't think.
Click to expand...
I managed 43mpg 2-up in my G42 240i on a run from MK to Coventry for a friends wedding back in October. That was mostly at 70 as well. Could have squeaked more quite easily, but I wasn't even trying for economy.
 
Last edited:
GravyMonster said:
If you're doing 20k a year a mild hatch would be the last thing I'd be looking at.
Click to expand...
A totally fair point. I was hoping to get something with more performance than our civic but at a similar economy level, if possible. We currently get around 40, and I had seen reviews of people getting around that with a 128, hence the interest.

If a 240i is able to get to it, then maybe it does need more consideration.
GravyMonster said:
Also for reference, my wife ran a 128Ti for 3 years and got ~25mpg out of it over that time. That was 75% around town, though.
Click to expand...
Not a lot of our driving is in and around town which will help, but this sort of experience is really helpful, thanks.

I think I'm just trying to be non sensible in as sensible a way as possible, and it may not work.
 
I got my wife a 128ti in December 2024 and it's been brilliant. I went for the really nice blue colour which means you don't get the red bits on the outside and they are black instead so it looks mint.

£25k got me a good one, in the colour I wanted, from a main dealer with a huge spec list 15 months ago so I'd assume that's still possible now.

Real world MPG has been about 28 but that's all short journeys and school runs.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom