BMW 128ti reviews: what the critics say

The 128ti is a high-performance hatchback that will give its competitors a run for their money, says The Daily Telegraph. With an eight-speed gearbox, it’s fast and fun. Less powerful than its big brother, the M135i, the 128ti is a more “nimble” touring companion. It’s not perfect – the rear seats are uncomfortably cramped, for instance. Still, it injects a dose of “excitement” into the class.

There has never been a sporting front-wheel-drive BMW before, and there’s definitely room for a hot hatch that doesn’t do the “obvious thing” and “go after the boy-racer market”, says Autocar. It isn’t a looker; but it is “subtle under the skin”, and the drop in power gives it a rare weightlessness which makes it a pleasure to drive. “Priced to excite”, this car is forging a new identity for the hatchback. Prices start from £33,885.

“This front-wheel drive would have been unthinkable just a decade ago”, says Top Gear, but engineers decided that its predecessor, the M135i, would be better with the “weight of its rear driveshafts skimmed and a new suspension setup”. The 128ti takes a bold tilt at the VW Golf GTI – and with a traction control setup that reduces wheelspin, it’s “quite possibly beaten it”.