Cupra formentor

THE Formentor was Cupra’s first standalone model, in that it wasn’t also sold as a less sporty version with SEAT badges on it. And you get the sense that this relatively young Spanish manufacturer is all the more proud of its coupé-SUV as a result. So much so that, as part of this facelift, it has given the model a new, punchier Audi S3-rivalling 329bhp flagship.

But it’s a wide-ranging update for the Formentor family as a whole, which is centred on a redesign of the front end that clearly ties the car in with the newer Born and Tavascan EVs. There’s a smoothed-off nose, framed by LED headlights that are made up of three triangles within a larger triangle motif. We have no doubt that Pythagoras would most heartily approve.

Around the back, those triple lamp clusters are repeated. But the bigger talking point will be the illuminated light strip across the bootlid, which now includes the Cupra logo. This is something seen on plenty of Volkswagen Group products, since it first appeared on the VW Touareg SUV, and it’s as divisive as it is desirable.

Inside, there’s been an attempt to tidy up and improve the previously maligned touchscreen infotainment system, so it’s now presented on a 12.9-inch display and runs the fourth-generation MIB operating system. Many will still lament the fact that lots of functions are incorporated within the screen, including the climate controls, but in the main, it works in a more intuitive and acceptable fashion now, and it looks sharp, too. To go with this, the digital instrument cluster has also been spruced up with snazzy new graphics.

At a higher level, the Formentor’s interior is easy on the eye and seems thoroughly well bolted together, while the major touchpoints are shot through with quality. But you don’t have to go searching high and low for a few sub-standard materials on various surfaces, so the crossover’s facia is by no means faultless.

It’s a spacious car, though, and two taller adults ought to be comfortable in the rear seats. Although it’s worth noting that the Formentor is obviously not as practical as Cupra’s Ateca, because it’s closer in height to a Leon hatch than it is to the older SUV. Boot space is as generous as 450 litres in front-driven models, and as stingy as 345 litres in the plug-in hybrids, due to the placement of the battery pack. But this all-wheel-drive range-topper makes do with a decent 420 litres of cargo capacity.

Drivetra