cupra formentor

The name Cupra may be familiar to you as it was badged by Seat as their sporty derivative but now the company have taken the move and created the stand alone brand of Cupra and the Formentor is currently the 1st of its brand, writes Bob Hickman. While the Cupra is a sporty brand, the Formentor does have a plethora of choices when it comes to power. A 2-litre turbo petrol with 310bhp or plug in hybrid route with a 1.4-litre engine with battery. The combination really is extensive, if you really do want the performance then the 310bhp 2-litre with its 4-wheel drive and 7-speed dual clutch gearbox is a serious contender. Not only does it have outstanding performance with 0-60 in a mere 5 seconds and a 130mph top speed, it also has the advantage should you venture off-road on to the car boot field, 4-wheel drive will help to extricate you and also in winter conditions 4-wheel drive really is a bonus. The test car had a 2.0-litre petrol engine assisted by an electric motor giving a total power output of 140 bhp and it drove through a 7-speed automatic gearbox.

The front bucket seats are really supportive and hold you beautifully, the detail on the seats and the trim is one of a much higher specification vehicle. The contrast in orange stitching really was a work of art and should be commended to whoever it was did the manufacture.

The vehicle is classified as a 5-seater and in the rear there is plenty of space for 2 adults and they do have the advantage of excellent leg and headroom despite the design of a sloping roof. The very nice people at Cupra have included a huge amount of storage areas, cup holders in the centre console and different sizes so if you have a bottle or a drink they actually fit, it is also good to note that within the gear selector area there is storage for our mobile phone with a wireless charging pad. The door bins on the side will enable you to put a large bottle of water, in addition the rear passengers have not been overlooked and they have quite a lot of storage facilities in addition.

The vehicle enables you to carry 5 people and as you would expect the boot space to be accommodating and at 450 litres it is of a reasonable size, one downside was quite a high lip to lift items in. There was also some more space beneath the boot floor.

The Cupra Formentor although being promoted as a sporty derivative, it will fit in to being a family car, during a 400 miles sojourn with the vehicle, which encompassed motorways, town work and some rural aspects we achieved according to the computer 48.9mpg, which is certainly acceptable.

The Formentor on test was one of the top specifications and the bells and whistles equipped on the vehicle was extensive. Certainly, the electronic adjustment of the front seats was a bonus feature, there is so much adjustment and the facility to press No 1 or No 2 if you have 2 drivers, that you can store in the memory system on the seats, again small but useful feature. The driving dynamics were one of a vehicle whilst having sporty connotations but still had excellent steering, little effort, parking was a delight due to the power system which eased as the vehicle gained in speed. Also, whilst the sporty nature was paramount it is not one that the suspension was so tight and hard that it rattled the fillings in your teeth, it cornered very well considering its SUV pedigree and was a willing companion, when you breathed on the accelerator pedal it took off with rapid performance.

The on the road price is £36,655 and the Cupra has a 3-year, 60,000 miles warranty.