Skip to main content
Home
Gerane

Main navigation

  • Home
  • Automotive
  • Tech
  • Business
User account menu
  • Contact

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. Seat
  3. The new Cupra Formentor VZ e-Hybrid is put thru the tests

The new Cupra Formentor VZ e-Hybrid is put thru the tests

Cupra Formentor VZ e-Hybrid

The Cupra Formentor VZ e-Hybrid is nothing but a boring station wagon. But, in the test, it turns out to be a sheep in wolf's clothing: Its appearance is grim, dynamic, its inner values, on the other hand, relatively harmless and solid. And this is precisely a clever tactic that Cupra uses with its premiere as its brand. 

The Cupra Formentor VZ looks chic. No, chic is not the right word - almost a bit nasty with the copper-colored logo in the radiator grille and its noticeable vehicle edges: The Formentor, named after the Cap Formentor on Mallorca, appeals to extroverts. Those who want to get envious and appreciative looks from Passat or Ford Focus drivers on the Aldi parking lot. 

The highlight of the Cupra Formentor is the optics because the vehicle data itself is neat but not spectacular. Our test car is the VZ variant, which throws 245 hp instead of 204 hp into the scales and is more expensive in the configurator than the version without VZ.

Cupra Formentor VZ e-Hybrid
Cupra Formentor VZ e-Hybrid
Cupra Formentor VZ e-Hybrid

As usual, the test car is fully equipped, including 19-inch alloy wheels that cost 1,090 euros in the configuration. And there we are on the subject of surcharge policy: according to the manufacturer, the basic version of the Cupra Formentor VZ e-Hybrid costs 44,120 euros before funding, our test car was listed at 54,346 euros, big chunks were, for example, the blue Cupra leather (1,680 euros) and that Panorama sliding glass roof (1,360 euros). This means that it is roughly par with the Cupra Leon sports tourer. If you want to lease the Formentor, you will find numerous leasing offers, some of which are even less than 100 euros (commercial) but usually have to be content with the 204 hp version (i.e., without the VZ addition in the name). 

Our conclusion at the end of the text shows why Cupra, with its premiere as an independent car brand, detached from Seat, did a lot right and at the same time bridges the gap between common sense and fun. 

Cupra Formentor VZ: optics, infotainment, space

We had already touched on the subject of external optics: dynamic, aggressive, angular. Inside, Cupra continues the look. A sporty-looking cockpit, chic leather seats with integrated headrests and ventilation slots, contrasting stitching, and leather elements - all of this again garnished with copper-colored details. Something like that makes a good impression and doesn't look like a car under 50,000 euros. The optionally available electric panoramic roof (1,360 euros) does the rest. 

The cockpit is too much of a good thing for our taste. You can only deal with everything quickly if you have driven a younger Seat before. Otherwise, you will miss haptic buttons, and it will take you a long time to find your way around, even if the advantage of the many functions means customization down to the smallest detail. Furthermore, the smartphone integration has light and shadow: Cupra offers an inductive charging standard, but if you want to use Android Auto or Apple Car Play wirelessly, you have to pay an extra 240 euros. 

The sports steering wheel with its flattened lower part and steering wheel heating receive great praise: It lies perfectly in hand and, in addition to the on/off button on the right, offers the button for the Cupra mode on the left - so you don't have to open it while driving fumble around the display but switch to what is probably the most popular driving mode via the steering wheel. 

In terms of space, there is little to complain about. At the front, you sit very comfortably; the seats do not pinch the driver and front passenger too severely but could be a little too lax for those who are spoiled by sports seats. Taller people also feel at home in the back - as long as there are no more than two people.

Incidentally, anyone who considers the Formentor as a towing vehicle will be disappointed. Because the hybrid can tow a maximum of 750 kilos unbraked. That might be enough for a small boat, but not for a horse trailer and four-legged friend. 

The Cupra Formentor measures 4.45 meters in length. This makes it 20 centimeters shorter than, for example, its hybrid brother Cupra Leon Sportstourer, but 5 centimeters higher.  

Cupra Formentor VZ: range, charging, consumption

As is typical of a hybrid, the Formentor e-Hybrid also has a small battery - we pumped just 10.4 kWh into the crossover and, with careful driving in the most economical mode at moderate outside temperatures, achieved a purely electric range of 45 kilometers. Indeed, some readers will now argue that a hybrid is more likely to be driven in mixed operation. But in the end, the point of a car with an electric motor is to get from A to B with as few emissions as possible - and the distances here are limited. However, if you can regularly charge at home or at work, the hybrid makes perfect sense in this case.

The Cupra Formentor needs a good 3.5 hours to charge its battery from 0 to 100 percent; the maximum charging power here is 3.6 kW. At the household socket, it is then 5:45 hours with 2.6 kW. 

Only those who drive a lot electrically and properly recharge will be happy about the around 1.9 liters Cupra officially specifies over 100 kilometers in combined hybrid mode. In the test, we determined consumption of 4 liters on 100 kilometers of country roads; with an empty battery, it was 7.2 liters at a speed of 130 km / h on the autobahn. These are good values ​​for a combustion engine of this size and are very similar to the Passat GTE. 

The Cupra Formentor cuts a pretty good figure in electrical consumption: 23.11 kWh for 100 kilometers is a value in the lower average for plug-in station wagons but is far from the WLTP figures of 15.9 kWh.

Cupra Formentor VZ: motorization, horsepower, driving dynamics

The Cupra Formentor is not as aggressive as it looks. Above all, if you are only driving with the internal combustion engine with an empty battery. Because then only 150 HP are available instead of the combined 245 HP system output, the 1.4-liter displacement does the rest for the front-wheel-drive with four cylinders. True speed enthusiasts might yelp at the maximum speed of 210 km / h, but that should be enough for the majority of buyers. By the way: Those who prefer to use the first fully electric Cupra, the Cupra Born, have to be content with 160 km / h. 

So on our test drives, we gave up our expectation of sitting in a Spanish Porsche and learned to appreciate the smooth-running, well-engineered, and at the same time never boring engine and its existing dynamic range of 400 Newton meters (combined). When things got a little livelier, it was enough to press the Cupra button on the steering wheel, which was acknowledged by an exceptional Cupra sound that imitated the roar of a sports car but was somewhat extra bells and whistles for us. The very dynamic front-wheel-drive remained pleasantly predictable and always controllable in the test even at full power, i.e., in hybrid mode, with Cupra or sport modes. We were rarely able to provoke oversteer or understeer on winding roads, even with a sporty driving style. 

Image gallery:
Cupra Formentor VZ e-Hybrid
Cupra Formentor VZ
Cupra Formentor VZ e-Hybrid
Cupra Formentor VZ e-Hybrid
Cupra Formentor VZ e-Hybrid
Cupra Formentor VZ e-Hybrid
Cupra Formentor VZ e-Hybrid

Our conclusion: Charming

Well done, Cupra! The first car without a Seat in its name was a great success for the Spaniards. However, the optics were much more significant while the engine power, consumption, and electric range were virtually identical to the Seat Cupra Leon Sportstourer e-Hybrid.

The Cupra Formentor is an almost stormy-looking crossover with nothing to do with a family car like Skoda Octavia or VW Passat. The many copper-colored accents seem almost too much paired with the blue leather, but you cannot argue about taste as is well known. Cupra's tactics with the Formentor are obvious: Address as many buyers as possible - even if they have a different focus on their car. Namely, to stand out from the crowd with an almost aggressive-looking station wagon, but also not to blow fuel beyond 10 liters. And so, a charming hybrid car was created that bridges the gap between passion and reason. In terms of price, Cupra asks its customers to pay more than Skoda or Seat with a list price of at least 44,000 euros but is still lower than VW with its Passat GTE. The Formentor is a real box-office hit when it comes to leasing: many platforms usually offer the normal e-Hybrid instead of the stronger VZ version at prices well below 150 euros for private individuals. 

Are you planning to buy an electric car or a hybrid car?

Category

  • Automotive

Tags

  • Cupra Formentor VZ e-Hybrid
  • Cupra Formentor
  • Hybrid vehicles

Brand

  • Seat
Country
Spain
  • Log in or register to post comments
Avatar
By freedofollow, 18 December, 2021

Similar stories

Cupra claims it can make electric mobility attractive

On the occasion of the fifth birthday of the brand at the end of February, the Seat subsidiary Cupra sees itself in the fast lane, and it intends to more than triple sales of the… Continue reading...

Cupra claims it can make electric mobility attractive

The Alfa Romeo Tonale SPECIALE Launch Edition is available to order

The new Alfa Romeo Tonale is currently available in the SPECIALE Launch Edition trim. Alfa Romeo's first compact SUV heralds the start of a new age for the company. It will undergo… Continue reading...

Alfa Romeo Tonale SPECIALE Launch Edition

The all-new Mazda CX-60, with its overwhelming power and attractive, dynamic styling

The all-new Mazda CX-60 is the newest addition to Mazda's portfolio, and it sits above the perennially popular Mazda CX-5. Over the past few years, Mazda's SUV portfolio has racked… Continue reading...

Mazda CX-60

The new Peugeot 408: a sustainable and emotion-driven addition to the Maticmind fleet

Maticmind, a leading company in the ICT system integrator sector, has recently added the new Peugeot 408 to its corporate fleet, thanks to the decisive test drive organized by… Continue reading...

Peugeot 408

The new Peugeot 408 HYBRID First Edition can now be ordered online

With the new Peugeot 408, Peugeot introduces an innovative silhouette to the automotive market with the lion brand's feline design. The Peugeot 408 redefines sedan standards while… Continue reading...

Peugeot 408 HYBRID

The new Volkswagen T-Roc compact SUV arrives in spring 2022

The new Volkswagen T-Roc compact sports SUV will be available in dealer showrooms from spring 2022 as the sporty spearhead of the model at a price starting at 48,000 euros… Continue reading...

Volkswagen T-Roc

The Mercedes-AMG SL 63 Motorsport Collectors Edition is epic

Mercedes-AMG has unveiled a special edition of the SL63 4MATIC+ to commemorate the end of the 2022 Formula One season. It is inspired by the Mercedes-AMG F1 W12 E PERFORMANCE race… Continue reading...

Mercedes-AMG SL 63 Motorsport Collectors Edition

The Ford Mustang Mach-E has a towing capacity of 1,000 kg

The approved towing capacity of the Ford Mustang Mach-E was increased to 1,000 kg on extended range models with both single and twin engines - enough to allow customers to tow a… Continue reading...

Ford Mustang Mach-E

Audi Q6 e-tron prototype tested in Northern Europe

Audi has been making headlines with its ambitious plans to introduce more than 20 new models, with more than 10 of them being electric, towards 2025. The Audi Q6 e-tron is only the beginning… Continue reading...

Audi Q6 e-tron prototype tested in Northern Europe

Matthias Kahle won the Lausitz rallye with a SKODA FABIA Rally2 Evo

Matthias Kahle, the driver of a SKODA FABIA Rally2 Evo, has won the Lausitz rally for the sixth time. The native of Görlitz, together with his co-driver Christian Dörr, benefitted… Continue reading...

SKODA FABIA Rally2 Evo
Cupra claims it can make electric mobility attractive

Cupra claims it can make electric mobility attractive

..

Popular stories

The new Citroen Ami is declared the best-selling electric quadricycle

Citroen Ami

Skoda's favorite city vehicle: the new Skoda Fabia

2022 Skoda Fabia

Brandon Routh was a victim of Superman's curse.

Brandon Routh

Gigi Hadid Promotes Ralph Lauren's Club Fragrance

Gigi Hadid

The 2022 Kia Stinger is a fantastic sports car

The 2022 Kia Stinger is a fantastic sports car

Top 5 of the Best Used Audi Engines Currently Available on the Market

Audi 2.0 Liter TFSI DOHC

Fortnite gamers admire Gordon Ramsay a lot

Fortnite gamers

The new Cupra Formentor VZ e-Hybrid is put thru the tests

Cupra Formentor VZ e-Hybrid

The Alfa Romeo Tonale SPECIALE Launch Edition is available to order

Alfa Romeo Tonale SPECIALE Launch Edition

The XEV Yoyo electric car arrived in Spain

XEV Yoyo electric car

Partners

Nodeid
EV stories
Powered by Contabo: Powerful VPS SSD

Categories

Automotive (83)

News (41)

Business (38)

Technology (35)

Transport (11)

Adsense sidebar bottom

RSS feed

Footer

  • Ford
  • Audi
  • Citroen
  • Opel
  • Skoda
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact