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CUPRA Formentor

The independent definitive CUPRA Formentor video review
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    UP FOR THE CUP (some text hidden) SECTIONED_new_cupraformentor_2021

    By Jonathan Crouch

    The CUPRA performance brand strikes out on its own with the Formentor. Jonathan Crouch drives it.

    Ten Second Reviewword count: 27

    The CUPRA performance brand strikes out on its own with the Formentor, a lively Spanish take on the mid-sized performance SUV concept. Jonathan Crouch takes a look.

    Backgroundword count: 206

    This is more like it. When in 2018, Spanish maker SEAT announced that CUPRA would become a stand-alone brand, we were first served up merely a performance variant of the Iberian maker's Ateca Crossover. This Formentor model, in contrast, is a completely new design - well almost anyway. It does share a platform and some mechanicals with the Ateca, but everything else feels much more bespoke. You'll probably know the 'CUPRA' name, but only as a sporty trim designation that goes back to 1996, since when it's been used on a whole string of SEAT Ibiza and Leon hot hatches. Now, SEAT wants CUPRA to mean more, creating, in its words, 'a range of unique, sophisticated performance models designed to captivate car enthusiasts.' The idea here, says the company, is 'to create cars not founded in nostalgia but rooted in the present'. Presumably, that's meant to be a dig at directly competing brands like Alfa Romeo and MINI, both of which produce products this Formentor model sets out to directly target: namely, quick, charismatic petrol-powered mid-sized SUVs, cars that offer a lot of what you get in, say, a Porsche Macan for a great deal less money. Is that what we've got here? Let's find out.

    Driving Experienceword count: 309

    It should be no surprise given CUPRA's mantra as a performance brand that drive dynamics are the Formentor's main focus. And it comes well equipped for the task, the fast variant using the Volkswagen Group's 2.0-litre TSI turbo four cylinder engine in its most ballistic state of tune, with 310PS on tap. If you can't quite stretch to that, this same 2.0-litre powerplant comes in two other flavours; one with 190PS and 4-wheel drive, the other with 245PS and front wheel drive. There's an entry-level front driven 1.5-litre TSI 150PS variant too, but if budget permits, a better choice for efficiency would be one of the two front-driven e-Hybrid PHEV plug-in derivatives, offering either 204 or 245PS. In both cases, a 150PS 1.4-litre TSI petrol engine is mated to a 6-speed DSG auto gearbox and an 85kW electric motor powered by a 13kWh lithium-ion battery with a WLTP-rated all-electric driving range quoted at 34 miles. I tried the 310PS 2.0-litre turbo version, which like other Volkswagen Group models using this unit gets 4-wheel drive and adaptive damping as part of a very accomplished package. 62mph from rest here takes only 4.9s, which is only 0.7s slower than the limited run variant that serves as the Formentor range flagship, the 2.5-litre 390PS left hand drive VZ5 model. Drive is via the usual VW Group 7-speed dual-clutch paddleshift auto gearbox. And there are five selectable drive mode settings - 'Comfort', 'Off Road', 'Sport' and rorty 'CUPRA', with an extra 'Individual' menu if you want to set your own parameters. Handling through the turns is accomplished, thanks to the 4Drive electro-hydraulic multi-disc system's reassuring levels of traction, its software constantly monitoring numerous sources - steering angle, wheel speed, the yaw of the vehicle and road conditions in real time - so as to always deliver power to the wheels with most traction.

    To see the full road test text contact us on 0330 0020 227

    Pictures (high res disabled)

    Statistics (subset of data only)

    Min

    Max

    Price:

    £39,830.00 (At 23 Nov 2020)

    £43,840.00 (At 23 Nov 2020)

    Insurance group 1-50:

    33

    CO2 (g/km):

    194 (2.0 TSI 4Drive 310PS)

    Max Speed (mph):

    155 (2.0 TSI 4Drive 310PS)

    0-62 mph (s):

    4.9

    Combined Mpg:

    22.1 (combined)

    22.4 (2.0 TSI 4Drive 310PS)

    Length (mm):

    4450

    Width (mm):

    1839

    Height (mm):

    1511

    Boot Capacity (l):

    420

    Scoring (subset of scores)

    Category: Crossover or SUV 4x4s

    Performance
    80%
    Handling
    80%
    Comfort
    80%
    Space
    70%
    Styling, Build, Value, Equipment, Depreciation, Handling, Insurance and Total scores are available with our full data feed.

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