Introduction
What Car? says...
If the Cupra Formentor makes you think, “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 in a straight line and handy around corners but, as far as looks are concerned, not much different to the regular Seat Ateca family SUV.
Just how good are all these versions of the Cupra Formentor, though? After all, it has to hold its ground against family SUVs including the Audi Q3, Cupra Ateca and Volkswagen Tiguan plus coupé SUVs such as the BMW X2 and DS 4.
Well, over the next few pages of this review, we’ll tell you everything you need to know about how it handles, what the boot space is like, how much it will cost to run and much more.
Then, whichever make and model of car you decide to buy, make sure you find the best price by checking out our free What Car? New Car Buying service, which features plenty of new coupé SUV deals.
FAQs
We don’t have specific reliability data for the Formentor, but Seat’s reliability record is fairly average – and that’s relevant because Cupra is an offshoot of Seat. In our 2021 What Car? Reliability Survey, Seat finished 17th out of 30 manufacturers, just above Audi and Volkswagen, but below Toyota and BMW. All Formentors come with a three-year/60,000 mile warranty. Read more here
The Formentor is not available as an electric car, but you can get two plug-in hybrid (PHEV) versions: the 1.4 e-Hybrid 204 and the more powerful 1.4 e-Hybrid 245. Read more here
We think the best value Formentor is the 1.5 TSI 150 petrol engine with V1 trim. It delivers decent performance without high running costs, and the entry-level trim includes plenty of equipment. If you want something that feels like a proper sports SUV, there’s the 2.0 TSI 310 4Drive, which is quick and good value next to similar rivals. Read more here
All versions of the Formentor come with a 12.0in touchscreen infotainment system. The screen is bright and clear, and the operating system is usually responsive, although it takes a fair bit of playing with the menus to grasp their slightly odd arrangement. Read more here
The fastest version of the Formentor is the 2.0 TSI 310 4Drive, which can cover 0-62mph in just 4.9sec. The slowest is the 1.5 TSI 150, which takes 8.9sec to do the same sprint. Read more here
The Formentor’s boot offers 450 litres of space if you go for a front-wheel-drive model, or 420 litres if you have a four-wheel-drive (4Drive) version. That’s easily enough to deal with a family’s holiday luggage. If you go for the e-Hybrid, the capacity drops to 345 litres, which is roughly what you get in the Volkswagen Golf. Read more here
| RRP price range | £29,880 - £45,855 |
|---|---|
| Number of trims (see all) | 5 |
| Number of engines (see all) | 6 |
| Available fuel types (which is best for you?) | petrol, hybrid |
| MPG range across all versions | 188.3 - 44.8 |
| Available doors options | 5 |
| Company car tax at 20% (min/max) | £830 / £3,284 |
| Company car tax at 40% (min/max) | £1,659 / £6,568 |
| Available colours |
