I’m getting along with the Cupra just great, a few initial niggles aside. But they can’t detract from what is a thoroughly capable and talented car that (despite what the Bluetooth system says) feels like a true Cupra. It’s a standalone model with its own personality that’s dazzled me with more than just its use of light.
Mileage: 1,659
Economy: 30.1mpg
Sometimes a second chance can be a brilliant opportunity. I remember the first Cupra Formentor Auto Express ran on its fleet some 18 months ago: a 1.5 TSI 150 in a lower-spec trim level. I liked it, but there was something missing for me.
As good as it looked, as nice as it was to drive and as well as it covered all the bases a family SUV needs to, it never quite wowed me. Not so with this new Formentor that’s just pulled into the office car park.
That’s not because it has more power, even though the 2.0-litre turbocharged engine’s 306bhp means the Cupra lives up to its sporty billing in terms of performance. No, this time the Cupra has grabbed my attention with its near-premium level of quality and some cool features – and on the latter point, the use of light is a big one.
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I like the LED lighting signature at the front and rear of the car. The thin strips of bright white and glowing red at either end of the Formentor give a hi-tech look. I also like the puddle lights from the door mirrors, even if I still can’t quite work out what the depiction of the Cupra logo picked out on the pavement is meant to represent? To me, the brand’s badge looks like either an action hero’s helmet-clad head (think Wolverine from X-Men) or one of those dead animal skulls people sometimes put in glass cases.
Inside, the neat use of LEDs continues. The strip that encircles the front of the cabin on the dash is a nice feature. Depending on the mode, it changes colour (or you can set it to a preferred option in the menu), and it’s a good visual clue as to which setting you’re in if you’ve been playing with the drive mode button on the steering wheel.
In Cupra mode, the LED bar shines red and elongates from the centre towards each extreme of the dash panel, stretching further the more throttle you use. It is a bit of a gimmick, and I don’t like the artificial engine note in Cupra, so I prefer the Individual setting with the “Pure” exhaust note instead.
I also like the way the LED bar turns orange on either the driver’s or passenger’s door to warn you of a car in your blind spot – it’s a nice touch. However, despite the Formentor’s rakish look, rear three-quarter visibility isn’t actually that bad.
When it comes to light, one area I’m not so enamoured with is the glow from the infotainment screen in the evening. Even when dimmed it’s too bright, and there doesn’t seem to be a night mode for the display, which is annoying, because the bright white glow from the sat-nav’s map can be very distracting. I’ve already taken to using Android Auto anyway, because the Cupra’s native system is far from the best.
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On the subject of tech, I also had to chuckle when I first hooked up my phone to the Formentor’s Bluetooth. The system comes up as “My SEAT 9010”, so as much as Cupra is a standalone brand, there are still clues as to its heritage.
While I like the look of the headlight signature, and even though the high-spec VZN trim features matrix-LED units, they don’t seem to be quite as bright or as powerful as those in the Audi that I ran previously. Still, being able to flick the left-
hand stalk on to full beam and let the car take care of the rest – not dazzling oncoming drivers but still keeping the road ahead illuminated – has been great, especially in the atrocious weather we faced in July.
On another point of comparison with the Audi SQ5 I ran, it’s easy to identify Cupra’s positioning as somewhere between mainstream and genuinely premium. The Formentor feels much nicer than a VW Golf inside, for example, but it still can’t quite match up to Audi’s standard when it comes to material quality in the cabin. Most of the plastics (such as the nice dash panel) are soft, and the seats are great, but there are a few areas where it feels like there’s been some money saved in the Formentor.
Still, even at £46,210 for this VZN car (pricey, I know), which comes loaded with premium kit, there’s a good 20 grand between it and the most affordable SQ 5 Sportback on sale. I don’t think anyone would feel short changed by the Cupra when viewed like that.
Model:
Cupra Formentor 2.0 TSI 310 4Drive VZN
On fleet since:
July 2023
Price new:
£46,210
Engine:
2.0-litre 4cyl turbo petrol, 306bhp
CO2/tax:
193g/km/£180
Options:
Mountain Green metallic paint (£270)
Insurance*:
Group: 33/Quote: £717
Mileage:
1,659
Economy:
30.1mpg
Any problems?
None so far
*Insurance quote from AA (0800 107 0680) for a 42-year-old in Banbury, Oxon, with three points.