Cupra Formentor Review 2024

The Cupra Formentor is right for you if you want a relatively compact car that is cool, but has more space inside than a small family hatchback. It's nice to drive and comfortable and has a broad range of engines that'll suit most people's performance needs and budgets.

The entry-level 150PS petrol engine will suit most people. It's not searingly rapid, but it never feels slow and the engine is refined and very economical. You get lots of kit as standard with the Cupra Formentor, but we'd take one step up from basic V1 trim to get a V2 model. 

They look smarter thanks to their 19-inch wheels and feel posher inside due to their Nappa leather interiors. The seats are electrically adjustable and heated, and you get a heated steering wheel, park assist and a very handy reversing camera. 

The Cupra Formentor is a stylish and sporty SUV, so you might consider it against models such as the BMW X2 and Audi Q3 Sportback. The Cupra isn't quite as sporty to drive as the BMW, but it's cheaper and has more back-seat space. It's also more comfortable than the hard-riding German car. The Audi, meanwhile, trumps the Cupra for badge appeal and has a posher interior, but it's not as nice to drive and is expensive. 

Cupra has attempted to forge its own unique identity on the Formentor's interior, but this is still very much a VW Group car, so it's sturdily built if somewhat bland. The dashboard and insides of the doors are made of soft-to-the-touch plastics, but the lower centre console feels cheaper and you get harder plastics in the back of the car.

A facelift to the car in mid-2024, with promises of an enhanced interior, could well address these issues, but we've yet to try the revised version.

Much has been said about the VW Group's latest family of infotainment screens (a lot of it not positive), so while the 12-inch screen (12.3-inches on post-facelift cars) is colourful and clever – it understands smartphone gestures, for example – it can also be infuriating. It looks more modern, but is less intuitive and more fiddly to use than an older car with actual physical buttons.

That's not going to change, but you can console yourself that at least Apple CarPlay and Android Auto come as standard, meaning you can use their far more intuitive menus and voice activation systems. Annoyingly, even in this brand new car, it's not possible to transmit your smartphone's maps onto the 12.3-inch driver display screen, which would be the most sensible place for them. You can do that with the car's built-in sat-nav.

The Cupra Formentor's sporty ambitions don't get in the way of it being a great family car. It's a decent size at 4450mm long, 1992mm wide (excluding mirrors) and 1528mm tall.

The front seats might not have as much lateral support as you expect based on how sporty they look, but they do offer loads of adjustment, including lumbar adjustment, so drivers of all shapes and sizes should find a comfortable seating position and get an excellent view out.

With no gap between the headrest and the main body of the chair, the front seats can make your passenger in the back feel a little claustrophobic by blocking their view of the road ahead, but there's little to complain about in terms of space. Tall adults in the back will have plenty of room even if they're sitting behind tall folk in the front, and the middle seat is more comfortable than you'll find in most family hatchbacks. Headroom is also plentiful across the rear bench.

Both of the outer seats in the back have ISOFIX points, as does the front passenger seat, and the Formentor's raised height should make it easier to slot a seat into place. 

Four USB sockets mean there's plenty of space to slot in your chargers and smaller cubby space is excellent. You get a big tray for your phone in front of the gearstick, large door pockets and big glovebox. The door pockets in the back are smaller, but still big enough for a water bottle.

The 450-litre boot is also big when compared to a conventional hatchback – a VW Golf has a 381-litre capacity – but smaller than direct rivals like the BMW X2 (550 litres) and Audi Q3 Sportback (530 litres).

You don't get an adjustable boot floor in the Cupra Formentor, but there is somewhere to store the parcel shelf and the the back seats fold flat so you can slide big items into place through the large boot opening. Electric operation of the heavy bootlid is a useful option on some models.

When it first went on sale, the Cupra Formentor was available with a variety of turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engines: a 150PS 1.5-litre, a 2.0-litre with 190PS or 245 PS, two plug-in hybrids with a 1.4-litre petrol and an electric motor that combine to give outputs of either 204PS or 245PS, and a range-topping 2.0-litre model producing 310PS. 

The least powerful engine gets a six-speed manual as standard, although the seven-speed dual-clutch automatic is optional. It's standard-fit on the rest of the petrol range and serves up slick and smooth changes whether you're cruising along or driving more energetically.

Whether you choose the optional auto or not, the 150PS model is a fine entry-level car. Its engine is smooth and quiet and serves up decent performance of 0-62mph in 8.9 seconds whether you choose the auto' or stick with the manual. A top speed of up to 127mph means cruising is relaxed: in fact, you'll struggle to pin point engine noise at the legal limit. 

The 190 4Drive and 245PS models serve up incremental performance gains - they get from 0-62mph in 7.1 and 6.8 seconds, respectively. The 190PS model has four-wheel drive, which gives you plenty of traction in slippery conditions, but both versions have useful overtaking power if you do lots of driving on country roads. 

The 310PS model is the quickest car of the lot by some margin. It gets from 0-62mph in 4.9 seconds – less than a second off a Porsche 911's figure – and quicker than the Cupra Leon hot hatch (5.7 seconds). 

That said, much of this is down to the four-wheel system that launches it from a standstill like it's been hooked up to an aircraft carrier's catapult. Even so, it still seems to lack the Cupra Leon's explosive mid-range fizz – perhaps that's because the Formentor tips the scales at 1644kg compared to the Leon's 1490kg. 

Weight's not something the hybrid models will be keen to talk about. They're the lardiest of the lot at 1681kg (204PS model) and 1704kg (245PS), yet they post decent respective figures of 0-62mph in 7.8 seconds, and seven seconds dead. 

Acceleration can be frustrating in practice, though. Push your foot flat on the throttle and it's as if the car is running through a pilot-style checklist before serving up the forward motion you've asked for: ignite engine? Check. Engage drive? Check. Drop down a few gears? Check. Increase engine revs? Check. And, what seems like a long second later – you're away. 

If you can live with this, there's not a lot else to complain about. Unlike PHEVs of old, it's easy to chunter about on electricity without ever engaging the engine: even accelerating from a standstill to 60mph won't produce the slightest whiff of an exhaust fume, making it a relaxing car to travel in. 

In 2024 a facelift to the Formentor saw the introduced of some new powertrain options: a new version of the 1.5 TSI petrol engine with a six-speed manual gearbox, and a mild-hybrid version called the eTSI, which comes with a DSG automatic transmission. Both have 150PS. A new version of the plug-in hybrid e-Hybrid tech was also introduced. In V1, V2 and V3 trims it has 204PS and an electric-only range of more than 70 miles. In the performance-focused VZ trims power is upped to 272PS.

The VZ range also has a new, more powerful petrol engine with 333PS powering all four wheels. Another petrol option, a 2.0-litre, 265PS model, is due to arrive later in 2024.

The Cupra Formentor's large wheels (no less than 18-inches in size) drum up quite a lot of road noise, which is amplified by the car's relatively sporty suspension setup. A more comfort-orientated SUV – a Skoda Karoq on 17-inch wheels, say – would be quieter in this respect. 

There's not a lot else to complain about, though. Engine noise is well muted in the petrol models (and non existent when the e-Hybrids are running on electricity), while there's very little wind noise and no squeaks or rattles. 

The Cupra Formentor was given the full five-star rating for safety when it was crash tested by Euro NCAP in 2021, so you can expect it to stand up well in an accident.

All models get adaptive cruise control that can accelerate and brake the car for you, along with lane assist that keeps the car on your side of the road using the steering rather than by dabbing the brakes like lesser systems. 

To that lot you can add road-sign recognition, which displays signs on the infotainment screen – handy for those tricky 20mph in-town limits – and high-beam assist, which dips your full-beams when another car is detected. 

VZ2 models and above get the Driving Pack XL. It adds a blind spot warning system that detects cars in your blind spot, lane change assist – if it is safe to do so, the car pulls out automatically when you indicate to overtake – and emergency assist, which means the car can steer around collisions in an emergency. You also get exit assist, which will warn you if you try to open your door in the path of a cyclist. 

As a relatively new model from a relatively new brand, it's difficult to tell how reliable the Formentor will be. SEAT, however, came 22nd out of 30 manufacturers in the latest HonestJohn.co.uk Satisfaction Index. 

Cupra Formentor insurance groups range from Group 19 (150PS V1) to Group 33 for any model fitted with the 310PS engine. 

Most versions of the Formentor are liable for the same flat rate of road tax that applies to all conventional petrol and diesel cars built after April 2017. Currently, that flat rate stands at £180 per year. Choosing one of the hybrids earns you a discount, but it's only a tenner per year, so we really wouldn't make that the sole reason for spending the extra on a PHEV.

That's not the full story, though. Any car that costs more than £40,000 (inclusive of optional extras) when brand new is subject to an additional 'luxury car' surcharge of £390 per year for a five-year period, between years two and six of the car's life, hiking your annual bill up to £570, or £560 on the hybrids. The prices of some higher-end versions bust that threshold, and even many of those that don't get pretty close. If the car you're considering has a few optional goodies fitted, that could well take it over, lumbering you with the extra burden. It's always worth doing an online check on the reg of any potential purchase to make sure you know what you're looking at.

The Cupra Formentor was originall available in five trim levels – V1, V2, VZ1, VZ2 and VZ3. A sixth option, the V3, was introduced with the 2024 facelift, as was a special VZ First Edition model.

In isolation, it would be easy confuse the basic Cupra Formentor V1 as a top-of-the-range model. It looks great thanks to its body kit, roof bars, 18-inch alloy wheels and all-round LED lights.

There's plenty of kit to talk about, too. You get automatic headlights, auto wipers, rear parking sensors, tri-zone climate control and keyless entry. Infotainment is also comprehensive with the car getting a digital instrument binnacle and a large 12.0-inch screen (12.9-inches on facelifted models) that has connected navigation as well as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto – wireless in post-facelift cars, which also get a wireless phone charger.

All that all being said, Cupra Formentor V2 models are noticeably nicer. On the outside they get prettier 19-inch alloy wheels, whilst inside you'll find a real Nappa leather interior, or Dinamica synthetic suede on post-facelift models. The seats are also electrically adjustable (with a memory function) and, like the steering wheel on pre-facelift cars, they're heated. V2s are also easier to park, adding front sensors and a rearview camera to the mix. Post-facelift cars have front sensors as standard on all models, and come with an electric bootlid on V2 models as well as keyless entry and start.

The Cupra Formentor V3, available from mid-2024 onwards, adds a different design of 19-inch wheel finished in black and copper, and further upgraded, electrically adjustable front seats with a memory function. The seats are upholstered in leather and there's a top-view camera system to help with manoeuvring. Extra safety systems are added too, including a blind-spot monitor.

Cupra Formentor VZ1 models are sportier. Using V1 as a base, they add 19-inch wheels and a diffuser-look rear bumper, plus you get Dynamic Chassis Control, so you can adjust the suspension to be comfy or firmer for more control. Inside, you get manually adjustable bucket seats (electrically adjustable and heated in post-facelift cars) and a boot that opens when you waggle your foot under the rear bumper (but not in post-facelift cars). Safety kit is boosted with auto-dipping headlights, traffic-sign recognition and a system that can warn you not to open your door into the path of other cyclists. 

Cupra Formentor VZ2 adds to VZ1 with a Nappa leather interior, electrically adjustable seats that are heated, and you also get a heated steering wheel in pre-facelift cars. Pre-facelift VZ3 models, meanwhile, are reserved for the 310PS model, adding 19-inch wheels with copper highlights and uprated Brembo brakes. Post-facelift cars are available with the 272PS plug-in hybrid powertrain as well as the four-wheel-drive petrol model, and feature a Sennheiser sound system and carbonfibre-backed bucket seats. The uprated brakes are made by Brembo on plug-in models, and Akebono on the petrol models.