Cupra Formentor review

Hopefully you’re aware of Cupra by now. Formerly the name given to hot Seats, it became a sporty standalone brand with its very own tattoo-style logo in early 2018. Things kicked off with rebadged Atecas and Leons, but in 2020 Cupra went it alone for the first time with the Formentor.

It's a mildly confusing little car – it's an SUV, because those are fashionable and people want a high-riding slice of comfort and security. Except it's a hunkered down, low running SUV because people always want something that's a bit dynamic. Hmm.

Obviously it’s not a completely bespoke machine from the ground up. That’s not how the Volkswagen Group works. Under its crisply creased skin, the Formentor is based on the same raw ingredients as the well-rounded Seat Ateca, or for that matter the VW Golf: same basic chassis, shared gearboxes, and *shudders* same infotainment system.

The Formentor is longer and lower than the school run-spec Ateca, though, giving it a more butch stance. In the metal it’s a handsome beast, although it’s now more aggressive than ever.

Wait, what?

Yep, it may feel like 2020 was only five minutes ago, but the Formentor is already old enough for a facelift, and you certainly can’t accuse Cupra of playing it safe.

Unveiled in April 2024, the new look provides the Formentor with a ‘shark-nose’ front end with less grille and even more sharp edges than before. There are new triangular matrix LEDs too, plus an illuminated logo in the redesigned rear lightbar. Inside you get more recycled materials, a redesigned centre console and a larger 12.9-inch infotainment screen.

Are the engines all fast ones?

The Formentor engine selection isn’t quite as spicy as you’d think from all the racy advertising. The range starts off with a 148bhp 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol that’s familiar from other VW products and is paired with a six-speed manual gearbox. That manages the 0–62mph sprint in a glacial nine seconds. Want a seven-speed DSG auto with the same engine? That's just as quick but adds a mild-hybrid system with a 48-volt starter-generator and teeny lithium-ion battery.

If you’re feeling slightly more eco-conscious there’s a plug-in hybrid set-up in two states of tune, teaming the 1.5-litre turbo engine with an electric motor and a 19.7kWh battery. The lesser of the two gets 201bhp while the more powerful PHEV makes 268bhp. Both claim 62 miles of all-electric range.

Your final option is the familiar 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo engine from the likes of the VW Golf R and Audi S3. It’s auto only and you’ll soon be able to have it with 261bhp, although right now it’s full fat 328bhp and four-wheel drive or bust. The latter manages 0-62mph in 4.8 seconds and tops out at 155mph.

What will it cost?

There are six trims available – V1, V2 and V3 are the starter course, VZ1, VZ2 and VZ3 trims the tasty main. The car now starts at £34,150 for the V1, rising to a slightly eye-watering £52,425 for the fastest VZ3. That’s quite some ground to cover. More over on the Buying tab.

What’s with the name?

Apparently it’s nothing to do with the ghoulish soul-sucking villains of the Harry Potter universe, nor the yeasty properties of brewing your own beer. ‘Formentor’ is in fact a picturesque peninsula in Majorca – a nod to Cupra’s Spanish roots. Remember that when your mates ask you what your car’s called, because weirdly, the word ‘Formentor’ doesn’t appear anywhere on or indeed inside the car.

The Formentor is not exactly a car of many surprises. It’s built on a tried and tested platform. It’s powered by engines that’ve shone in many a decent, recent hot hatchback. But that’s not to say this curiously badged, go-faster offshoot is an also-ran. Seat’s Ateca is one of Top Gear’s favourite crossovers because it’s so wilfully unpretentious and easy to use, yet the driving experience manages not to be the motoring equivalent of a Third Division nil-nil draw. It’s almost fun.

So, taking those ingredients and wrapping them up with more power, in a lower, prettier package creates a car that has some genuine appeal. The configurator is a bit of a minefield though.

Still, it doesn’t matter that it’s not a household name: very few cars these days say anything about you beyond ‘there was cheap finance available on this and I liked the colour'. Drive a Formentor and at least it says you might know a bit about cars beyond Google’s first results page.