Cupra Leon vs BMW 128TI

What's the difference?

Cupra is not trying to fit in.

In a car market that is getting more and more crowded the Volkswagen Group-owned Spanish performance brand is looking to stand out. Which is why its refreshed Leon hatchback range has added the most unlikely of new models - a small wagon.

The conventional hatchback is struggling to survive against the onslaught of SUVs, and almost every brand has abandoned the wagon in all its sizes, but not Cupra. It has added the Leon Sportstourer to its facelifted Leon hatchback range, giving buyers looking for something different a new alternative.

This new compact wagon is powered by a plug-in hybrid powertrain and joins the Leon hatch in a three-pronged line-up initially, with the Leon S mild-hybrid and VZx hot hatch. A red hot VZx version of the Sportstourer and plug-in hybrid hatch are locked in to join the local Cupra range in 2026, but for now we’ll focus on this trio.

It wasn’t that long ago the notion of a front-wheel drive (FWD) BMW was unheard of, but along came the third-generation 1 Series five-door hatchback in September 2019.

The 'F40' 1 Series' predecessors were based on rear-wheel drive (RWD) platforms, as was every other model in BMW's long history – to that point.

Ironically, though, the F40 1 Series' performance flagship remains the all-wheel drive (AWD) M135i xDrive, but now it has a FWD counterpart, the Volkswagen Golf GTI-baiting 128ti.

Critically, this represents the first time since the late 1990s range of 3 Series Compact three-door hatchbacks that the ti, Turismo Internazionale, badge has been affixed to a BMW.

So, does the 128ti hot hatch live up to the ti lineage of sporty BMW small cars? And perhaps more importantly, does it prove a FWD BMW can be truly desirable? Read on to find out.