Cupra Formentor Review: 'You might be able to stop looking, but I couldn't'
Look at it, just look at it. Eventually, you might be able to stop, but I couldn't. Every time I was anywhere near one of the front windows of my house, I had to have another peep.
That paint job, in Century Bronze Matt, is spectacular in any light, looking rich and velvety in bright sunshine, feline and vaguely predatory when the clouds close in.
It's so tactile, you actually find your hand running along the side of the car before you open the door. Cupra Formentor. Pic: Cupra
In a country that loves grey cars, and once enjoyed a lengthy flirtation with silver, bronze actually is the real deal, coolly understated and wearing its luxury with unshowy confidence.
The only issue is that it is a €2,626 optional extra on top of the €59,135 base price of this plug-in hybrid Formentor (the standard petrol-only model costs €39,885, so it's not so much a price walk as a fairly lengthy trot).
Nor was it the only extra on my test car, because it also came with 19-inch Hailstorm copper machined alloy wheels (€1,641), an Immersive by Sennheiser 12-speaker system with subwoofer and amplifier (€704), Pure Performance pack with matrix LED Ultra lights and dynamic chassis control (€1,134), Progressive Design with leather seats, power front seats with driver memory (€1,154), Intelligent Drive DQ with side and exit assist, pre-crash assist, intelligent park assist, lane-keeping system plus, satnav, traffic jam assist and top view camera (€2,017), and Skyline pack with panoramic sunroof (€1,287).
That's an options list that comes to a pretty hefty €10,563. Yikes! Nevertheless, if you had the money, a few things on there are worth it.
The wheels, for starters, are the perfect accessories for the paint job, like a really well-coordinated shirt and tie. The sound system, because it's pretty spectacular, with lovely deep bass and elegant treble. The sunroof because, well, Ireland. Cupra Formentor. Pic: Cupra
The leather seats, which admittedly do look a little sullen, are livened up a bit by the bronze stitching. The cabin feels nice and roomy, even for the rear seat passengers, and there's a feed-through panel in the middle rear seat for items too long to fit in the 345-litre boot. The 12.9-inch infotainment screen is crystal clear, and there are physical sliders to adjust the three-zone cabin temperature, for which much thanks.
Standard equipment includes heated bucket seats up front (really, really comfortable), heated steering wheel, hands-free tailgate, 10.25-inch digital cockpit, wraparound interior lighting, rearview camera, front full LEDs, wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, and lots more.
The battery in this plug-in hybrid is 20 kWh, and will take two hours and 30 minutes to get from 0-100 per cent on a home wallbox, and 26 minutes from 10-80 per cent on a 50 kw public charger.
I've only ever charged plug-in hybrids at home, to be honest, because I know that when I'm driving an EV and need to charge it on the road, there's nothing more infuriating than finding a PHEV hogging one of the units when the driver could get home on petrol, and probably for a lot cheaper.
Cupra cites WLTP electric-only range of 118km, which I suppose might be possible, but at 100 per cent charge, my test car was projecting 83km, though after mostly motorway driving. Cupra Formentor. Pic: Cupra
As for performance, the electric motor and combustion engine combine to produce 272 hp, and that means a 0-100kph sprint of 7.2 seconds. The VZ in the name is 'veloz', the Spanish for speedy, and while that's a decent clip, it's not eyewateringly quick off the blocks.
To be honest, the best thing about the Formentor is driving it at a steady speed on the motorway, where it sits very nicely, delivers a decent flick of acceleration when needed, and smoothly utilises the six-speed DSG automatic box.
The suspension is very well calibrated for Irish roads, absorbing a lot of lumps and bumps without ever feeling unduly soft, so country roads present no problems of note.
This is a mid-life facelift that has refined the original design of the first standalone model from CUPRA after it became a boutique brand under the SEAT umbrella, and it has just the right amount of Catalan flair to mark it out as something rather special.
The lines and proportions are delightful, and the redesigned grille is attractive. Above all, though, the addition of the bronze paint job is what makes it exceptional, and a reminder that while many spend their lives going for gold, you don't have to seek glister when muted reflection is so much tastier.
CUPRA FORMENTOR VZ 1.5 TSI E-HYBRID PRICE €59,135; Model driven, €69,698 ENGINE 1.5-litre petrol BATTERY CAPACITY 20kWh ELECTRIC RANGE 118km POWER 272hp TRANSMISSION Six-speed DSG automatic 0-100KPH 7.2 seconds FUEL CONSUMPTION 4.8-5.4 l/100km
EMISSIONS 10g/km, €140 tax DIMENSIONS (MM) 4451 (L), 1839 (W, excl mirrors), 1537 (H)
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