Cupra Formentor review

Cupra Formentor. Now, if you know your cars and you’re thinking, “Hang on, a sporty looking model with a Spanish name – is it a Lamborghini?”, that’s a good guess. But wrong.

Yes, Lamborghini does name its cars in Spanish, but Cupra is a Spanish brand in its own right (it's the performance offshoot of Seat) and the Formentor is its second SUV. The first was the very good Cupra Ateca, which is quick, and handy around corners, but, as far as looks are concerned, not much different to the regular Seat Ateca. The Formentor is a whole different ball game, though.

As you can see, it is a visual feast of chiselled lines, muscular hunches and dramatic swoops. No, we’re not going to get carried away with ourselves and describe it as a mini Lamborghini Urus. Put it this way, though: there’s nothing for the price that looks more like the Lamborghini than this Coupe SUV does. 

In its entry-level form, the Formentor uses the 148bhp 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine that we recommend in the Seat Ateca and a host of other VW Group cars.

There are few spicier options, too – a plug-in hybrid, which mixes a turbocharged 1.4-litre petrol engine with an electric motor for a total output of 242bhp, and a trio of conventional 2.0-litre petrols, including a flagship 306bhp version that goes toe-to-toe with Sports SUVs such as the BMW X2 M35i and Volkswagen T-Roc R.

Over the next few pages of this review of the Cupra Formentor, we'll look at how it compares with other Coupe SUVs including the BMW X2 and Toyota C-HR. If at the end you decide this car – or any other make and model that suits your needs – is for you, make sure you find the best price by checking out our New Car Buying pages.