When a car company introduces a new brand it takes a bit of time for the car-buying public to get to know about it and its range of cars. Advertising helps and word of mouth is also good, but nothing beats seeing the car ‘in the flesh’ on the road or in shopping centre car parks.
Cupra is a sub-brand of Seat and the Formentor is the first bespoke car from Seat’s sporty sub-brand. It was launched during Covid which explains why it has taken a bit of time for Irish car buying public to get to know more about the car.
Last week I drove the latest version of the Cupra Formentor, the e-Hybrid or plug-in hybrid version. The Formentor is based on the same platform as the Seat Ateca and joins other Cupra models such as the Leon and Ateca and the fully electric Cupra Born.
Cupra now has four version of the Formentor available: the TSI (petrol), e-TSI (mild hybrid), TDI (diesel) and e-Hybrid (plug-in hybrid).
So, whether you are looking for efficiency, power, or a balance of both, the Cupra has everything covered.
We can see how long it is taking to build a proper charging network around the country and for motorists interested in switching to an electric car at some stage, a plug-in hybrid version might help them to make up their mind.
This impressive looking motor builds on the success that this SUV has already achieved. Re-designed to embrace Cupra’s new design language, featuring a striking shark-nosed face, triangular matrix LED lights, and new colours like Century Bronze and Enceladus Grey.
I drove the Century Bronze version with very fancy, brown-coloured alloys. The colour of the car had a lot of people I met guessing as to what was the proper name for the colour and they also wanted to know more about the Cupra brand also.
When you get a different car every Monday, it takes a few minutes to figure out the controls on the dashboard. I must say that the infotainment screen on the Formentor was user friendly, with all the icons popping up when I pressed the ‘home’ button.
Normally I like an old-fashioned type of knob for the radio volume, but this time I was very happen with a control on the steering wheel, which I would lower or increase with my small finger.
The interior now includes newly designed elements, like the central console, and is enhanced with high-quality materials such as 73% recycled microfibre and environmentally conscious leather, reflecting Cupra’s commitment to a more sustainable future.
At the front, the distinctive Cupra logo dominates the grille and inside you get a high-fidelity 12-speaker audio sound system developed in collaboration with Sennheiser.
There is plenty of room in the back seat for three well-built adults. And plenty of boot space also, but no spare wheel as the space that is normally reserved for a spare wheel is taken up by some of the hybrid technology.
It’s also a very safe car and the brakes will be automatically applied if the sensors detect any object when reversing or driving off. And apart from the full electric option, it also has a frugal engine.
A matt finish would not be to everyone’s liking, but a matt finish for a Century Bronze coloured car certainly stood out in the shopping centre car parks last week.
Prices start at €39,885 for the 1.5-litre TSI, while the e-Hybrid version I drove will cost you €50,430. For the month of January, you can get an e-Hybrid version of the Formentor from €309 per month with a 3.9% APR Finance.
