Creating within the Seat family the Cupra line is a very wise decision. We always found that the quality and panache of the recent Seats merited special place, and with Cupra, they truly found it. We can even say that Cupra will become the main mass market sporty brand for Volkswagen.

The Cupra designers and stylists put on wheels one of the best looking SUV’s in its segment, and for your servant this alone is a very good reason to have a good look at this car and call it your own.

Furthermore, it carries the well proven VW group technology, and with that comes performance, economy and reliability.

Just read further…

Hans Knol ten Bensel

Exquisite

The Formentor certainly is kind for your eyes. Indeed, the car is pleasing to look at from any angle. It seduces with gentle, well balanced curves, well proportioned accent lines, and a very pleasing light signature. At the rear, it is reminiscent of the Lamborghini Urus and displays also a touch of the Panamera. The front end also conveys exactly what the Formentor stands for, and the beautiful alloys complete the picture perfectly. It is a low slung SUV. The manufacturer defines the Formentor as a bespoke SUV Coupé, and deservedly so. Formentor signals its Spanish roots, and actually is the name of a beautiful peninsula in Majorca.

Also in the cabin, the designers have done their homework. One finds copper coloured accents throughout, from the stitching to the copper tinted badge on the steering wheel. The led lighting is also dramatic, with as default hue a copper yellow which runs along the dashboard edge. Note also that this wraparound LED also alerts you to objects in your blind spot (!). Of course, when you step in your Formentor at night, the CUPRA Welcome light projects the CUPRA logo down onto the floor.

Then we have said nothing about the digital instruments on the panel in front of the driver. You can choose between calm simplicity with some navigation and audio information thrown in or two classic round dials,

and last but not least a large Porsche style central rev counter or as icing on the cake the two square shaped clusters reminiscent of BMW’s.

Of course we preferred most of the time the “Porsche” large rev counter in front of us, as we liked to see what we heard, i.e. the pleasant throb of the efficient 1,5 litre four cylinder at work. This 150 HP/110 kW long stroke unit is coupled to the well proven DSG 7 speed box, and it suits the engine characteristics perfectly. Well honed electronic engine and gearbox management sees to that. The engine develops a healthy 250 Nm of torque between a very wide rev range of 1,500 to 3,500 rpm.  One has the choice between different driving modes, from sport to comfort.

The engine is lively enough and has more than sufficient pulling power to warrant an inspired driving style, so we opted most of the time during our test for the comfort mode. Indeed, it is hardly necessary to put the throttle deeper, the absolute performance figures amply prove the point. Accelerating from 0 to 100 km/h is absolved in 8,9 seconds, with the engine revving with a beautiful staccato. Indeed, this is one of the joys of driving a petrol engined car…Top speed is a good 203 km/h. Mind you, these overall performance figures are the same as the original 911 Porsche!

Of course, fuel consumption varies a lot in function of your driving style. During our test, we averaged some 7,2  liters, with several long motorway stretches thrown in. Driven in a rather spirited manner in urban traffic, consumption rises to a good 10,5 liters/100 km. The manufacturer quotes according to the WLTP cycle for the DSG version a consumption ranging between 6.6-7.2 l/100 km. CO2 emissions are  150-163 g/km.

Superb handling

The Formentor runs on the VW Group MQB platform, with the suspension of course calibrated to its sporting pedigree. It handles and steers with balance and precision, and it is a true joy to drive it with verve on winding roads. Of course, the chassis and suspension are laid out for far more power than this 1,5 litre 150 HP version. The most powerful is the 310 HP variant, so you can understand that the car has a rather easy play with the performance of this one.

All these good road manners are combined with very good comfort. The Formentor is nicely sprung, striking a good balance between low and high speed stability, surefootedness and absence of body movement in sharp corners. The suspension is also not unduly firm on rougher surfaces either. We noticed on some road surfaces somewhat higher wheel roll noises, which force you to turn the audi knob a bit higher than you would like.

Everyday life

The Formentor is very pleasant to live with. We said, one is already spoiled by the aesthetics of the instrumentation and cabin, and on top of that you will find out that you have more than sufficient head and legroom both in front and at the rear. Boot space is also more than sufficient with its standard 450 liters. One good word also about the infotainment system. On the centre console we find the easy to read and manipulate 12 inch touchscreen, with of course all the necessary functions at your fingertips.

There are lots of pleasant features for your phone. For instance the place your smartphone in the Connectivity Box to amplify signal, charge seamlessly and sync to play music via the premium BeatsAudio™ system. There is also CUPRA CONNECT: you receive real – time traffic updates and directions while seamlessly connecting to your smartphone to utilise apps and listen to music services on the move. Of course there is Wireless Full Link, so your Apple or Android smartphone seamlessly syncs up, so you can display your favourite apps and functions on screen.

Conclusion

The Formentor is a compact SUV with lots of style and character, and it was actually the main reason why we found it so endearing. For more sporting souls, the Formentor has many more cards upon its sleeve, and the dynamic SEAT/Cupra PR department at D’Ieteren promised us also a test with the 2 litre 190 HP version early next year, so indeed we have something very good to look forward to in 2024!

Hans Knol ten Bensel

Photographers notes:

We shot the photos here with our newly acquired used Panasonic Lumix DMC FZ-1000. As I mentioned in my Instagram site autoprova.be, this so called “bridge” camera, offering a 20 mp sensor, 4k video, and last but not least a Leica Vario Elmarit aspherical f 2.8-4 25-400 mm lens, certainly has the works. It was still in pristine, “as new” condition. These bridge cameras are certainly worth looking at. They offer versatility and formidable value for money. Read all my comments on my Instagram post… https://www.instagram.com/p/Cxr1A1loacv/?igshid=MTc4MmM1YmI2Ng==