When BMW took the covers off the 128ti it was immediately being called the GTI competitor and rightly so.
The spec sheet says that these two should be very evenly matched. The BMW uses a 2-litre B48 4-cylinder turbocharged engine, good for 261 hp (195 kW) and 400 Nm (295 lb-ft) of torque, all of it sent to the front wheels via an 8-speed automatic gearbox from Aisin. This setup should allow it to reach 100 km/h (62 mph) from standstill in 6.1 seconds which is not bad at all.
The new Volkswagen GTI is slightly down on power delivering 241 hp (180 kW) and 370 Nm of torque but it is also slightly lighter. Unlike the BMW though, the VW uses a 7-speed dual-clutch DSG gearbox to push the power to the front wheels alone.
The result may surprise you but we need to remember that we are getting a detuned version of the 128ti in South Africa which matches the GTI output. Looking forward to seeing a local drag battle.