2022 Cupra Formentor VZe new car review

The latest arrival from an all-new car brand has a Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde personality, bringing the best of both worlds in one very enticing package.

Cupra is the latest car brand to launch in Australia. It is part of the giant Volkswagen Group and its cars have a sporty edge. We take a closer look at the Formentor plug-in hybrid compact SUV.

Cupra is an all new brand to launch in Australia.

It’s a hybrid, but not as you know it

Conventional hybrids have an electric motor that provides back-up to the petrol engine, reducing fuel consumption, particularly around town, where the reduction can be as much as 50 per cent. Cupra’s plug-in hybrid Formentor VZe has a similar sized electric motor to a conventional hybrid but the battery is almost ten times the size, which means it can theoretically travel about 58km on pure electric power before it switches over to the petrol engine. As the average daily round trip commute in Australia is only 32km you can potentially do the weekly commute without using a drop of fuel. We didn’t quite match the claimed range on our trip but we weren’t too far off. The Formentor’s official fuel label says it uses just 1.9 litres of fuel per 100km, which is less than half that of a conventional hybrid. That figure is misleading, though, because the number comes from a lab test, rather than the real world. On longer trips, once the battery is depleted, you’ll use as much fuel as a petrol SUV. On a 220km round trip that included city and freeway running, we ended up using about 7L/100km.

The Formentor pairs sporty driving with hybrid power.

The performance is peppy when the battery’s full

The VZe teams a 110kW 1.4-litre turbo petrol engine with an 85kW electric motor for combined outputs of 180kW and 400Nm. When the battery is full, that makes for spritely acceleration around town. It defaults to electric mode on start-up and provided you’re not too heavy on the accelerator, it drives like an electric vehicle, delivering loads of instant torque. Floor the accelerator and the petrol engine will kick in. The petrol engine also kicks in once the battery reaches a certain level of depletion. You can set the engine to act as a generator for the battery and it will maintain the battery charge at a certain level. It can also recharge the battery if required. Otherwise you’re looking at roughly six hours to replenish the battery from a home power point.

The interior is packed with hi-tech features.

It stands out from the crowd

The Formentor is a handsome looking vehicle, combining sharp creases with a svelte coupe-like silhouette. There are the usual SUV styling cues such as flared guards and cladding on the wheel arches, but copper highlights in the grille and on the wheels are a refreshing change from the norm. A strip of LED tail lights looks classy at night time. Those copper highlights are carried through to the cabin, which is a mix of hi-tech displays and sporty styling cues including a racy flat-bottomed steering wheel and heavily bolstered seats clad in cloth. A $2750 “leather and power” package includes heated, power-adjustable leather seats and a hands-free power tailgate. Ambient lighting adds atmosphere after dark.

The Formentor can drive more than 50km on pure electric power.

Technology is a trump card

The cabin is a technological tour-de-force, beginning with a large 12-inch centre touchscreen and a 10.25-inch digital drive display that can be configured according to the driver’s tastes. There’s a wireless charging pad and wireless smartphone mirroring, as well as two front and two rear USB-C ports. Driver assistance tech includes auto emergency braking, lane-keeping assistance, blind-spot monitors and adaptive cruise control. You pay for all those goodies though; the VZe starts at $60,990 plus on-road costs, which is pushing into luxury brand territory. That equates to a $7200 premium over the VZ model with the 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo.

It’s a rewarding drive

The Formentor is sharper than the vast majority of SUVs through the corners. Adaptive suspension allows you to tune the damping for comfort or control. In comfort mode it soaks up bumps and perfections well, while sport mode is firmer but less prone to leaning and pitching through corners. Accurate, responsive steering and impressive grip add to the driving enjoyment. It’s quicker when the battery is fully charged but still has enough grunt for overtaking and climbing hills when the engine is supplying the bulk of the power. As with most hybrids, the brake pedal can feel a little wooden at times.

Originally published as 2022 Cupra Formentor VZe new car review