00:00CUPRA is on a mission to put the fun back into crossovers with their new Formentor.
00:07Can they succeed?
00:10The Formentor was CUPRA's first exclusive model after the separation of the brand from SEAT.
00:16And now it has gotten an update and we'll check that out right now.
00:20Welcome to RAV.
00:23Before we go any further, let's take a quick look at the history of the CUPRA brand.
00:27Known for being a peppier and go-faster alternative to SEAT, the name CUPRA is a portmanteau of cup and racing,
00:35a nod to the brand's motorsport heritage.
00:38In fact, the CUPRA name was first used to commemorate SEAT's success in the 1996 2-litre World Rally Cup.
00:46The first car to receive the CUPRA badge was the SEAT Ibiza CUPRA, a hot hatch if ever there was one.
00:53CUPRA soon established itself as an elite motorsport-inspired brand.
01:01And the updated Formentor, though light on the sporty DNA, is its latest offering.
01:09The Formentor is available with a bunch of different drivetrains.
01:13There are gasoline, diesel and also plug-in hybrid versions,
01:17and also depending on whether you want a manual or an automatic transmission.
01:22Just how much grunt does it have, though?
01:27Power output ranges from 150 to 333 horsepower,
01:32and we're testing the more powerful plug-in hybrid version that delivers 272 horsepower.
01:38With that, the car will make the standard sprint from zero to 100 kilometres an hour in a little more than seven seconds,
01:46and the top speed is 220 kilometres an hour.
01:50Numbers that could stem from CUPRA's Formula E connection.
01:55What's even more interesting, the plug-in hybrid version has a 19.5 kilowatt-hour battery that are net numbers,
02:04and with that you will achieve an electric range of around 100 kilometres according to WLTP,
02:10and that is quite good because usually up until now most plug-in hybrid cars will have around 60, 65 kilometres of purely electric range,
02:19and slowly these plug-in hybrids are getting better,
02:24and the Formentor is one of the first to feature 100 kilometres of purely electric range, which is really good.
02:33And what's it like behind the wheel?
02:36The general driving impression in the new Formentor is really good.
02:42Quite sporty as you would expect from the outside look of the car,
02:47but of course it's still somewhat an SUV and you feel that it has the tendency to lean into curves, but it still feels safe.
02:57You can of course change between different drive modes and then the difference in that is noticeable, but it's never too sporty.
03:13So the engineers kept an eye on the comfort in the Formentor to keep it at an appropriate level.
03:19That way it's not as sporty as, for example, a Leon can be.
03:28Cupra claims an average consumption of around half a litre per 100 kilometres of fuel.
03:36Of course you will then have consumption with the battery, so electric energy,
03:41but once the battery is empty or needs to be charged, the car will use five and a half, six litres per 100 kilometres.
03:53At least that's what Cupra claims.
03:55Right now our battery is not yet empty and we have, as claimed, half a litre of fuel consumption and 20 kilowatt hours per 100 kilometres.
04:11Let's talk about charging, because the new Formentor can be charged with up to 50 kilowatts,
04:17which is quite good for a plug-in hybrid and that means going from 10 to 80 percent takes 26 minutes.
04:25So in theory, even if you do long distance trips with the Formentor, you can charge it while you're taking a break
04:34and then use the electric energy to get to that half a litre of average consumption, which is quite good.
04:42Usually with plug-in hybrids you have the problem that they take very long to charge.
04:48Although if you've got a heavy foot, you can't rely only on battery power.
04:53The combined acceleration of the one and a half litre engine with 170 horsepower and the electric engine is quite good.
05:03As I mentioned, it takes a little more than seven seconds for you, it's quite good.
05:07But if you press the gas pedal too hard and the electric engine can't handle,
05:12then the gasoline engine will have to take over most of the work, which results in it being quite loud.
05:28But you have to admit though, it will do its job and accelerate the car.
05:33The Formentor's new shark-nose design gives it a distinct look, marking a departure from its SEAT roots.
05:40The front end is as Cupra as it gets and the copper-toned 18 and 19-inch alloy wheels help keep it light and nimble.
05:50The interior of the Formentor looks really good as with almost any other Cupra model, especially the steering wheel.
05:58I'm always a huge fan of that and I can't even stress this enough.
06:02With these buttons here, left side a Cupra logo to switch between the drive mode
06:08and the right side the start-stop button, just like with a race car.
06:15Maybe it's a nod to multiple world touring car champion Ivan Muller, who's raced many Cupras to victory.
06:22And although the new Formentor is no race car, it's got a nicely revamped interior.
06:27The main differences are in the middle.
06:30You will have a 12.9-inch infotainment display, which has all the usual functions,
06:37Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, radio navigation and so on and so on.
06:42You can also check the battery state and charging with the hybrid version, of course.
06:48And what's really, really good, the adjustment of temperature and volume are now illuminated,
06:55so you can easily find them when it's dark.
07:02If you take a seat in the back, the space is also quite good.
07:06You still have some legroom left and that despite the fact that the seat has gotten a little bit to the rear,
07:13which it does when you stop the car to help getting in and out.
07:16So if I would be sitting right there, then it would be even more legroom.
07:20And the headroom is absolutely okay as well, even though you have that glass roof that is closed right now.
07:27The new Formentor's neat rear features coast-to-coast taillights with an illuminated Cupra logo in the middle,
07:34making it impossible to mistake for anything else.
07:38After its launch in 2020, the Formentor quickly became the most successful model for the Cupra brand.
07:46In Germany alone, they sold more than 80,000 units up until now.
07:52And of course, even more in the other markets.
07:56And that is quite impressive.
07:59As you might be able to see in my face, those are reflections from the temperature
08:05and volume adjustment layers right below the touchscreen,
08:10which makes them not only impractical, but even somewhat disturbing, depending on where the sun is.
08:16The new Formentor is also equipped with a new LED headlamp,
08:21right below the touchscreen,
08:23which makes them not only impractical, but even somewhat disturbing, depending on where the sun is.
08:31Very nice.
08:38The Formentor does always feature sport seats.
08:43What we have right here are the cup seats for the VZ version,
08:48so the sportiest of the sporty-looking cars.
08:53The VZ is available either as we have as a plug-in hybrid with its 272 horsepower
09:00or in the top version with just a gasoline engine and 333 horsepower.
09:07Quantum motorsport style shot in the arm?
09:10The top-end variant comes with Torque Splitter technology,
09:14as well as optional Acabono brakes and an Akrapovic exhaust system.
09:24To sum up my Formentor experience, I have to say I really like the car.
09:29I also liked the predecessor, but now it looks even more Cupra to me,
09:35and I really like what the designers did to it.
09:38The drivetrain is absolutely okay.
09:40A plug-in hybrid is always good if you use it purely electric for your everyday way to work,
09:46and then, of course, you can use it for long-distance trips thanks to its gasoline engine.
09:52So it features the best of both worlds.
09:55The only thing is, a starting price of just under 40,000 euros is not exactly for everyone,
10:03even though you get a lot of car.
10:06All in all, the new Cupra Formentor plug-in hybrid looks the part,
10:10has good purely electric range and can be charged fast.
10:15But the quality of the touchscreen operation and the highly reflective interior surfaces
10:20do need to be rethought if it's to score closer to 10 in our books.
10:35For more information, visit www.Ford.com
Comments