I’m not sure what the BMW lacks that the 8 GTI has? Some actual useful stuff or superfluous electronics?
As a hot hatch and driver’s car the BMW has things like under bonnet and under floor chassis bracing as standard meaning it feels much more solid on crappy British roads than any mk7 I’ve driven (and those that know me know!) along with an interior solidity that feels leagues ahead. Compared to a cost stripped mk8 I dread to think! We shall see...
And I’m not saying the BMW has no cheaper looking bits, it does but the bits used on the bigger more expensive cars that it shares are evidently better quality than the VW equivalent. That kind of fits in with the respective hierarchy where the 1 is the bottom tier of the brand and the Golf sits far further up the VW tree.
Having metal inserts in the loading lip of the boot, the better quality carpets and switchgear (a volume knob with a rotating bezel so the on/off logo stays the right way up 🎉), hydraulic bonnet struts and hidden key slots even...
The BMW AID is nowhere near as clear as the VW offerings but the side screen feels more expensive. iMac next to Inspirion. Plus the BMW software is iMac quick too.
Interior gripes on the new 1 series for me are merely a lack of indication of what gear you’re in which can often be irrelevant as the thing has so much torque plus the slightly odd speedo and Rev counter which to be honest I rarely look at having HUD.
What is annoying some days is the dashboard reflection on the screen at times.
I’m not suggesting anyone rushes out to buy a 128ti over a GTI either. VW’s forte is the Golf, its future forte will be called an ID or something and that’s where VW’s eyes are set right now. BMW have done a bloody good job of making a Golf rival but it’s still not a GTI.
135 vs R? Dunno yet. Depends if you’re a drift mode wannabe which seems rather odd as the 135 feels like a fast FWD hatch that has rear wheel assistance and the VW has become tail happy(?)
Role reversal!