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First drive: Cupra Formentor 2024MY. Image by Cupra.

First drive: Cupra Formentor 2024MY
A rather startling facelift hides the fact the top-dog Cupra Formentor has got a bit more power and a fancier rear axle.

   



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Cupra Formentor 333 TSI 4Drive VZ

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Cupra's incredible launch from sub-brand of SEAT to the main act of the Iberian arm of Volkswagen Group has been rapid, and in the future it's going to be the main purveyor of electric vehicles from Spain as well. But the models which founded its success either started life as SEATs in the first place, or - in the case of the thoroughly likeable Formentor SUV - as a special, standalone vehicle for Cupra itself. Thus, it's now time for the Formentor's midlife updates and, boy, has the company done something unusual to the face of this machine...

Test Car Specifications

Model: 2024 Cupra Formentor 333 TSI DSG 4Drive VZ
Price: Formentor range from £35,475, 333 TSI TBC
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol
Transmission: seven-speed DSG dual-clutch automatic, 4Drive all-wheel drive
Power: 333hp at 5,600-6,500rpm
Torque: 420Nm at 2,100-5,500rpm
Emissions: 193g/km
Economy: TBC
0-62mph: 4.8 seconds
Top speed: 155mph
Boot space: 420 litres
Kerb weight: 1,641kg

Styling

Oof. Now, styling is subjective and you may well be looking at the new Formentor and thinking it looks pretty snazzy. But you might also be looking at it and going... 'oh dear'. The corporate styling of this company has clearly been shunted in the direction of making the internal-combustion models, like the Formentor and the Leon, which is undergoing a similar restyling process, look more like the electric cars, namely the Born hatchback and the incoming Tavascan SUV.

This results in some fairly striking details, most notably that smoothed-off, beaky nose. It's an appearance that's not entirely successful, if we're honest, maybe because your mind is telling you that this isn't an electric vehicle and the engine situated behind that conk does need some cooling air to get to it, so why does the Formentor now look like a big Born? Whatever; there are cooling apertures, obviously, with the slot in between the headlights and the main grille being down in the lower intake where the number plate is mounted, so it's not as if the car is going to overheat.

But your eye is so drawn to the lack of front-end definition on the Formentor that you might miss the rather more successful new touches, like the 'triple-triangles-in-a-triangle' light clusters fore and aft, or the new illuminated Cupra badge on the bootlid. Or the new designs of 18- and 19-inch alloy wheels, and the additional matte-effect paint colours added to the Cupra's palette. Oh well.

Interior

The big news here is that the Formentor has the latest, updated MIB4 infotainment system which is making its way throughout the wider Volkswagen Group's products and is attempting to eradicate some of the egregious errors the set-up had previously. So there are backlit temperature and volume sliders now, while the larger 12.9-inch infotainment screen has the climate controls permanently arrayed across the bottom of the display in a strip to make the HVAC more accessible. This new system undoubtedly works well and looks nicer too, although as with any touchscreen-centric cabin, it's not flawless to operate when the car's on the move. Otherwise, though, material quality is high and the Formentor still has those attractive copper highlights dotted about its fascia, so it's a largely successful interior ambience.

Practicality

Bearing in mind it's a coupe-SUV with a lower roofline that's closer in height to the Leon than it is to the Ateca, the Formentor isn't supposed to be the most spacious machine inside. That said, it can seat four adults quite comfortably - although the transmission tunnel in the rear precludes the middle seat being much more than an additional storage ledge - and the boot is decent enough. That, though, depends on the model in question. If it's a front-wheel-drive Formentor, there are 450 litres to play with, dropping to 420 litres on any version fitted with 4Drive AWD. But then the plug-in hybrids have just 345 litres, due to the placement of the battery pack beneath the boot floor, so choose carefully when ordering a Formentor if luggage space is your absolute priority.

Performance

Engine choices for the facelifted Formentor continue with the base 150hp 1.5-litre petrol version, as well as upgraded plug-in hybrid models with a new 1.5-litre-derived powertrain and a much larger battery pack for greater driving range and improved eco-statistics. However, attention here is focused on the variant which was previously the 310hp flagship.

It has been upgraded by 23hp and 20Nm to peaks of 333hp and 420Nm, while it also gains a dual-clutch, torque-splitting rear axle for its four-wheel-drive system that improves the Formentor's dynamic acuity. It results in the ultimate version becoming the 333 TSI, to reflect its output, and if you're thinking all this chassis tech sounds familiar then know that similar work has just been wrought upon the updated Audi S3, while it's about to be bestowed upon the Volkswagen Golf R 8.5 as well.

In truth, though, straight-line speed and drivetrain responsiveness were never weaknesses of the Cupra Formentor 310, and they're certainly not of the 333 TSI either. Admittedly, this modest power and torque uplift only trims a tenth from the 0-62mph time to 4.8 seconds, an improvement you'd be hard-pressed to discern subjectively without the use of official timing gear, but like anything with an EA888 fitted the Formentor punches hard pretty much all around the rev counter and it sounds rorty too. It sounds even better, though, with the optional Akrapovi? exhaust system, and broadly speaking we've got no real complaints about the Cupra's performance - about our only reservations relate to the DSG, oddly enough, which seemed to generate a fair amount of driveline shunt when going up from one lower gear to another at full throttle in the most intense 'Cupra' drive mode, while at times it also refused a few seemingly reasonable downshifts on the paddles when approaching corners. Other than that, though, it's a big thumbs-up for the 333 TSI from us in this department.

Ride & Handling

Providing us with a closed road on which we could test the new Cupra Formentor 333's improved rear axle kinematics, we had a blast, er... blasting the SUV up the twisting route. It felt like it always has: composed, yet lively and interesting, in a way few other MQB-based crossovers and SUVs within the wider group ever do.

Strangely, however, we came away from driving the 333 TSI feeling more... lukewarm about it than we did when we drove the 310 four years ago. There's no doubting the Formentor is, considering its height and 1.65-tonne mass, far better to drive than it has any right to be. The steering is sharp and accurate, and even has traces of meaningful feel, the body control is epic, and traction is unbreakable in the dry. We couldn't ascertain as much of a dynamic uplift to the way the Formentor handled, though, when comparing its new, fancier rear axle to the old one; in the Audi S3, there's an added feeling of interaction over its predecessor that sadly doesn't quite manifest in the Cupra, although maybe that's just because it handled so brilliantly in the first place so you don't think it needed much sharpening in the corners.

On the other side, with the standard-fit Dynamic Chassis Control (DCC) variable dampers - yes, with the somewhat superfluous fifteen different settings, still - the Formentor rides quite sweetly for something on big 19-inch wheels and sports tyres. There's a firmness and tautness to everything it does, which speaks of its handling prowess, but the Cupra is never uncomfortable and the rolling refinement is also exceptional; you don't get a lot of tyre roar cavitating around in the back of the passenger compartment when you're on rougher surfaces, the 2.0-litre engine is admirably subdued when it's running at 2,000rpm in seventh gear, and wind noise is noticeable only by its relative absence.

So what we're saying is that this is a good-looking (if you can get past the new 'shark nose', that is) SUV with a quality interior, a great chassis, thoroughly civilised manners and a strong drivetrain - all of which adds up to something you should put top of your list, right? Well, yes... with the caveat that it, somehow, seems to have lost a bit of its spark. And we can't quite put our finger on why that would be.

Value

Prices for the entire Formentor range aren't quite confirmed yet, but a 150hp V1 starts from £35,475. Specifications will, as they did before, likely run V1, V2, VZ1, VZ2 and the VZ3, with the 'VZ' cars being higher specification and, typically, higher output too. There will also be a VZ First Edition that's laden with kit, but while the 333 TSI's exact price hasn't been confirmed as yet, the new 272hp eHybrid PHEVs are around 50 grand in VZ specifications, so it might be the case that the ultimate petrol Formentor is even more expensive again. We'll keep our eye on this and report back soon.

Verdict

We've always been big fans of the Cupra Formentor for being much more than the sum of its oh-so-familiar parts, and that summation remains the case today. The increased power and torque, plus the more advanced rear axle torque-vectoring, all serve to subtly enhance what was already a very, very good coupe-SUV family crossover anyway. Weirdly, though, it doesn't feel quite as special as it once did; almost as if Cupra hasn't moved it on enough from its stellar entry into the world in 2020. And the front-end looks are divisive, although the company should be commended for not holding back on the restyle in the slightest.

If you've never driven a Cupra Formentor before, a spin in the 2024 model with the 333hp 2.0-litre turbocharged engine will likely be revelatory. If you have driven one previously, though, or you're an owner of the existing 310hp flagship, you might feel like not a lot has changed when it comes to the latest car. Whether you view that statement as a significant plus or minus depends on how much of a Cupra fan you are.



Matt Robinson - 16 Jul 2024



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