2022 BMW 128ti UK review: should you buy one over the VW Golf GTI?

A front-wheel drive BMW hot hatch? You bet. And with the new Mk8 Golf GTI being a bit of a letdown, the new 128ti might just be the best German hot hatch on sale.

So here are the numbers: the 128ti packs a turbocharged 2.0-litre petrol engine producing 265hp and 400Nm of torque, making it a fair bit more powerful than the Golf GTI. Power is sent to the front wheels through an eight-speed automatic (no manual here, sadly) and it'll go from 0-62mph in 6.1 seconds with a little help from launch control. You also get beefier brakes and an updated suspension setup over the standard 1 Series for a sportier drive, plus an M Sport body kit that matches the look of the M135i super hatch. It all sounds very promising, so can it take the fight to the legendary Golf GTI?

Chapters:
0:00 Intro
1:12 What is a ti?
1:50 Design
3:59 Engine specs and 0-60 time
5:00 Performance upgrades
6:09 Pricing vs Golf GTI
7:05 Interior features and tech
9:51 Driving
13:43 128ti vs Golf GTI

🎥 Check out our other videos:

What is CarScore?
It's quite literally the new home of car reviews. We scour the web for the latest test drives from top car reviewers and websites, before allocating each review with a score out of 100. We then calculate a final number based on the average across all reviews, which will be the definitive car score. But that's not all: we'll provide our own independent review right here on YouTube and soon our very own website to give a little context to each score.

Note: this video was originally created for another channel in June 2021.

[Anouk]

I drive an 128ti as a daily! I love this car, and it’s absolutely a toy to drive!

[andybellgardt]

I have this great 128ti since 2 Years, I'm absolute happy and satisfied with this BMW....! Great Performance on every Road ! ...Best wishes from Hamburg Hamburg

[TamjidVlogs]

Nice review, good production quality. Why is there such low views tho

[postalpancho]

Wish we had this in the US. You guys in EU are lucky.

[tonyga]

As a Golf owner, this BMW kills the GTI on styling. Miles ahead. The MK8 interior is a cheap and nasty mess.

[nicksims]

I like everything but the automatic (which I am sure is absolutely brilliant) since I prefer manual, and I feel that the front bumper/grill/headlight setup all looks “too big” for the rest of the car, if that makes sense. If I could get over the front end view and driving an auto then I may bite. That said, I LOVE my 7.5 GTI, but a lot of that is due to work I’ve done on it. I can’t stand the Mk8 though. The only way I’d take one is in R trim, and I’d hate the interior setup lol

[AlpineGABE]

Have done about 1000 miles in this car, and honestly - you can hardly notice the FWD as a daily

[marksapollo]

Tempted to look at this second hand. Cheaper to run then an M car or AWD model, but still fun and sporty.

[chihabeddineeddaoui]

This bmw isnt fwd because it's targeting golf 8 but the whole new 1 series was designed on a new fwd plateforme to reduce cost

[sunnylove]

Suscribed, I love your energy, keep it up !

[Chrisuk]

Looked so bumpy down those back roads where the tarmac road surface was naf, think it would be un-comfortable as a daily due to the suspension being too hard and no option for adaptive dampers that you can have on the golf, yes if does cost extra on the golf.

[jlu]

1:11 Is it just me or did the car just squish a bit there 🤔

[TheWretchedWorld]

They tested this in Australia on a group track test identical conditions to a mk8 gti with the same race car driver behind the wheel. They found it to be WAY slower. Which was very surprising given on paper it seems like it would be as fast or quicker.

[richardhoulton]

It’s the 1-Series sweet spot. A better car than the M135. If only they’d offered a manual. But this over a Mk8 GTI and its terrible UI and cheap and cynical cost cutting? Absolutely.

[peterbennpan]

Can you now get your hands on a 2022 BMW M135i F40 please

[danielainger]

Interior is nice but the looks, especially the front grill is unforgivable it’s hideous.

[fatwalletboy]

The actual driving starts at around 8 mins if you want to get to the meat.

[darrenbodfish]

My next car 😊, because for the money, I don't think you can do better in its class.

[prxmises]

I don't like this car personally. I have an 125i LCI from 2016 which looks nicer, has no fake vents and real front grills, less restrictions, and most importantly it's rear while drive so you can have so much more fun with it.. Really disappointed that BMW discontinued the RWD 1-series

[dzat]

Too boy racer...different buyer to a GTI