Character plug maker who made friends
It is not often that the AutoWeek editors are unanimously enthusiastic about a new car. The Cupra Formentor is an exception in this respect.
It is a plug-in hybrid in a unique package, because the Formentor is so far the only Cupra that does not have a sister model under the Seat banner. The model is popular: it is a tough appearance, and certainly not a dime a dozen SUV. Or is it more of a crossover? It stands out with its special, matt paint, which is called Performance Matt Black/Silber. It is therefore not a wrap, but real paint that requires an additional cost of 2,545 euros. You should know that the varnish is very contagious for greasy fingers. And since you really have to open the tailgate every now and then, you will certainly run into that. Driving was also appreciated, because the Formentor is not a typical SUV in this area. Its fairly low design and low seat in very good (sports) seats and the fine seating position almost give you the feeling of sitting in a hatchback. Almost, because a comparison test with the Cupra Leon showed that it is even a bit sportier, especially because of the lower center of gravity.
In winter 40 kilometers away electrically
Our 1.4 e-Hybrid VZ Performance is a 245 hp plug-in hybrid. In the summer it has a range of 50 kilometers with a full battery, in the winter you can reach a maximum of 40 kilometers. On electric power you stay far away from the real Cupra experience, but if you use all the power and the petrol engine participates, the Formentor is seriously smooth. We experienced how intense this car can be when we brought the Formentor with Audi RS3 engine. That 390 hp executioner shows what a dynamic there is in the crossover. Then you also have a real five-cylinder sound and not a fake sound like in our endurance tester, in which the characteristic roar of a petrol engine is generated in a completely artificial way.
Plug-in behavior and type of journeys determine consumption
The average consumption falls or stands with your plug-in behavior and whether you make many short or long journeys. Over the entire endurance test period, in which we covered more than 14,000 kilometers, we arrived at an average of 4.3 l/100 km. You can drive about 6.6 l/100 km on the petrol engine alone. At the end of the period we noticed that a window strip had disappeared. Was it the wind? A thief who lost one himself?
Other than that nothing remarkable happened and we can conclude that it may not be the most practical SUV you can buy, but it is one of the best looking and driving in this segment. Although there is a hijacker on the coast and he may soon show whether he is a serious threat to this original Cupra. You can read it in the double test with the Cupra Formentor VZ 14 e-Hybrid, so a different one, which we put next to a Peugeot 408.
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– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl