The Cupra Tavascan electric SUV is on the way and, following on from the Born electric hatchback, it previews a new corporate style for all models from this Spanish manufacturer, this fresh look called the ‘shark nose’. Well, now it’s time for two of its existing products, the Leon hatch and the Formentor coupe-SUV, to receive this appearance. There are also updates for certain drivetrains in the range, as well as improved in-car infotainment.
Here we’re testing the range-topping petrol-fuelled Formentor, now given an additional 23hp and 20Nm from the previous 310hp/400Nm flagship we’ve driven before - making it the most-powerful right-hand-drive Cupra model yet put on sale. At the Formentor’s European launch we drove the Formentor predominantly on rural roads near Barcelona.
How much is the new Cupra Formentor?
Unfortunately, we can’t fill in this section of the review with any concrete details as yet. The updated Cupra Formentor hasn’t been priced-up for the Irish market and we’re not yet sure exactly which models and trims will make it over here. It’s likely the most potent versions will carry the ‘VZ’ badging, which is a contraction of the Spanish word for speed which is ‘veloz’, and as the old 310hp version was sold from €76,829 right up to the point of the update, we’d expect the newer, more powerful version to see a modest price hike. The most affordable Formentor pre-facelift was €41,440, incidentally, and there is once again a 150hp powertrain offered in the latest variant which could see a similar starting price.
What’s different on the outside of the new Cupra Formentor?
There’s no mistaking the updated Formentor for its predecessor. With a much smoothed-off front end, strongly reminiscent of Cupra’s electric vehicles, the central radiator grille of the older version has been dumped in favour of the shark-nose styling. This brings a sleeker panel between the headlights, punctuated only by a thin slot for cooling. Below that is a larger aperture that funnels air to the combustion engine behind, but whether you like this beakier appearance or not is going to be entirely subjective, of course.
Beyond that, it’s the triple-triangle light details - repeated fore and aft on the Formentor in LED clusters - as well as a full-width strip which includes an illuminated Cupra boot-badge logo on a V-shaped tailgate. And then it’s just an array of different 18- and 19-inch alloy wheel designs to choose from, plus a choice of eight colours, two of which are new matte-effect paints, giving the Formentor a snazzier appearance in certain lights.
A look inside the Cupra Formentor 333 TSI
Copper is Cupra’s corporate colour, and you’ll find it trimming various features in the cabin of the Formentor SUV, including around the air vents, on the spokes of the steering wheel, surrounding the satellite buttons for drive modes and engine start-stop on the wheel’s boss, and also for the frame of the automatic gear selector. Cupra has also always liked to sculpt dashboards with strong contours and the updated car is no exception, with a visually interesting environment around the two front-seat passengers. Throw in generally good material quality, with only one or two questionable plastics to be found here and there, and the cabin is off to an impressive start.
It's not just supposed to look good and feel good, though, but also be good on the environment. The seats, for instance, are trimmed in either 73 per cent recycled microfibre upholstery, or an ecologically conscious leather instead, so that should appease those customers who want to tread more lightly on the face of planet Earth with their car choices.
The Cupra Formentor’s on-board technology
Along with classy ambient lighting which frames the hoop running around the front of the cabin, the Formentor has a heavily digitised interface to give a suitably high-tech, modern feel to the passenger compartment. This includes the new centrepiece, a 12.9-inch infotainment screen that is larger than the unit found in the pre-facelift cars. It has a supposedly clearer layout of its menus and apps, with the ‘Clima Bar’ ensuring that the vehicle’s in-cabin temperature adjusters are always to hand... mainly because they’re only on the touchscreen, and not a physical control panel. Cupra has also backlit the much-maligned climate and volume sliders beneath, while simultaneously improving the graphics in the driver’s instrument cluster to match.
Meanwhile, audiophiles will like the optional 12-speaker, 425-watt Sennheiser Mobility surround system on the top models, while all Formentor customers have access to a wide range of advanced driver assist systems (ADAS), enhanced by the addition of new technologies such as predictive adaptive cruise control, which can not only regulate the Cupra’s speed according to traffic in front of it but also slow the car down to negotiate junctions, roundabouts and sharp bends in the road.
Driving the Cupra Formentor 333 TSI
The Formentor will continue with turbocharged petrol and plug-in hybrid drivetrains, the latter now powered by a larger battery pack (rated at 19.7kWh) and therefore capable of up to 116km of electric-only driving according to the official figures. But perhaps the biggest news comes in the top model of all, which continues to employ a four-cylinder turbocharged 2.0-litre petrol engine as it did before, with the same 4Drive all-wheel-drive system and a seven-speed DSG dual-clutch automatic gearbox. The change is that it has gained greater outputs, as well as a fancier rear axle.
In short, this is pretty much the same mechanical update that Audi has just enacted on its S3 model. Which means that the Cupra Formentor is now packing 333hp, up from 310hp previously, and 420Nm of torque, a step up from 400Nm. That doesn’t change the (irrelevant) limited top speed of the SUV, but it does trim its 0-100km/h time by another tenth to 4.8 seconds now.
It's not so much the marginally increased acceleration which marks out the new Cupra Formentor driving experience, though, as it rarely felt like it lacked for pace when it had 310hp; no, it’s the new rear axle. This was always a keen-handling SUV and, with the latest torque-apportioning set-up on the back wheels, it feels even livelier and more engaging than it did before. There’s great steering, impressive body control on the standard-fit Dynamic Chassis Control (DCC) adjustable dampers and a sense that the Cupra Formentor is alive, alert and balanced, rather than simply some grip-heavy point-and-shoot merchant.
That said, we didn’t find this facelifted car to be perfect. There was quite a lot of driveline shunt from the Formentor when it was performing full-throttle upshifts in its most aggressive drive mode of ‘Cupra’, this being a notable thumping sensation from under the car as the next gear is engaged. And there were more than a few occasions when we were asking for a down change using the paddle shifts on the wheel when approaching sharper corners, and the transmission refused the change despite the fact there were plenty of revs spare to play with.
Nevertheless, despite the car’s significant performance potential, few owners will ever subject their Formentor 333 TSIs to the most strenuous of workouts, and otherwise the car puts in an accomplished display. Despite there being an underlying firmness to everything its suspension does, no matter which mode the DCC is in and as a direct corollary of Cupra’s positioning in the Volkswagen Group as a sporty brand, the Formentor 333 TSI is never uncomfortable, riding with a tautly controlled grace that’s most agreeable.
It also limits tyre noise and wind buffeting about the passenger compartment well, with the drivetrain dropping to near-inaudible levels at lower revs. Only if you gun the engine do you get much in the way of vocals from the four-cylinder turbo unit, whereupon it can come across as a bit gruff - unless you’ve optioned up the expensive Akrapovič sports exhaust, which does bring some welcome tunefulness to the Formentor’s soundtrack.
How efficient is the Cupra Formentor 333 TSI?
The official economy figure is still to be homologated, but as the old 310hp TSI could officially do 8.2 litres/100km (34.4mpg) with 186g/km of CO2 emissions, we don’t expect the new 333hp model’s figures to be too far off that. Especially as we know it will emit 193g/km of CO2, while the similar weight (if lower and a touch more aerodynamic) Audi S3 can achieve 8.7-8.4 litres/100km (33.6-32.5mpg) with this same powertrain. So somewhere in that ballpark can’t be too far away for the updated Formentor 333 TSI. There will be far more economical models in the revised lineup if efficiency is a priority.
The reasons you’d buy a Cupra Formentor
Divisive front-end redesign aside, the changes wrought upon the Cupra Formentor seem to be largely beneficial. What was always one of the better-handling and more interesting coupe-SUVs at this sort of price level has just gained a sharper chassis - without sacrificing anything significant in terms of ride comfort and rolling refinement - as well as an improved passenger compartment. If Cupra gets the revised line-up’s pricing just so, then the Formentor will continue to be a very desirable and much sought-after option.
Ask us anything about the Cupra Formentor
If there’s anything about the Cupra Formentor 333 TSI we’ve not covered, or you’d like advice in choosing between it and other cars, you can avail of our (completely free) expert advice service via the Ask Us Anything page.
