Cupra Formentor 245 HP: test and photos of the plug-in hybrid

For the first two years of operation, the Cupra was based on the Ateca and Leon models. At first glance, they were distinguished by brass rims and the lack of the characteristic “S” on the hood. It was replaced by the Cupra logo – tribal, symbolizing the family property. The Cupra Formentor appeared in 2020 and no one can doubt that it is “just” a Seat with a modified badge.

In 2022, Cupra delivered 152,000. 900 cars, almost twice the previous year. Two out of three cars sold of this brand are Cupra Formentor (97,600). It is part of the C-crossover, related to the Seat Ateca, but there is not much similarity at first glance.

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Cupra Formentor is the manifesto of the new brand’s DNA. You can see the boldness of the designers, the strong and aggressive design and the eye-catching details. It should be modern, sporty – and at first glance it is. Formentor is 445 cm long, 184 cm wide and 151 cm tall. The ground clearance is 17 cm and the wheelbase is 268 cm. The trunk has a capacity of 345 liters. The batteries took 90 liters. Because the Cupra Formentor, which was included in the editorial test, is a plug-in hybrid.

Cupra Formentor has 245 HP, but – as with hybrids – this is the power of the system. A 1.4 petrol engine with a power of 150 HP and an electric unit producing an additional 110 HP work together. These two values ​​are not directly added, so the power of the system is slightly lower than the result of addition. 12 kWh batteries are enough to travel up to 53 km. In practice, you should expect a result of 30-40 km. The fuel tank has a capacity of 40 liters.

What does the plug-in hybrid provide? It allows the manufacturer to reduce the CO2 emissions of the vehicles it produces. Drivers? The possibility of traveling only by electricity for short distances. This makes sense if we cover 20-30 km a day and have our own hole. Then we can easily have a full battery every morning at a low cost. When we go on long routes, we can use the fuel-efficient drive system and not worry about recharging.

In addition, by default it starts using the electric motor and recovers some energy during frequent stops in traffic jams. How does all this translate into fuel consumption? If you are consistent and charge your car every night, you can achieve a fuel consumption of 2.5-3 l/100 km for a distance of up to 100 km. After unloading them, the Formentor becomes a “normal” hybrid. On the road it uses an average of 5-6 l/100 km, in the city about 7.5-8 l/100 km, and on the highway about 9 l/100 km. A lot depends on your driving style. Hybridization promotes operational environment.

Where is the sporty spirit of the Cupra brand? Hybrid Cupra Formentor accelerates from 0 to 100 km / h in 7 seconds. This is not a record-breaking sports car. But for driving hard it is quite enough. Especially when we consider the maximum torque of 250 Nm. By speeding up to 50 kilometers per hour, we can leave a large number of cars behind. You can count on some excitement in the Cupra mode after turning off the traction control. However, these true driving sensations are reserved for the 390 horsepower Formentor VZ5, which accelerates from zero to 100 km/h in 4.2 seconds. This is Robert Lewandowski’s “service” car at FC Barcelona.

You might really like the Cupra Formentor. Especially when we decide – at least for an additional fee of around PLN 10,000. PLN – in matte gray color with already mentioned black and bronze rims. Most importantly, the good feeling it creates from outside continues when we open the door. The interior uses dark leather with brass stitching, and the details around the air vents and on the steering wheel are in the same Cupra “corporate” color.

Optional sports seats not only visually “work”, but are comfortable even for long trips. The number of physical bonds has been reduced significantly. The command center is a touch screen, but – fortunately – temperature control is done using haptic trackpads below it. So you don’t have to click through menu options to change settings quickly.

There is no lever for the 6-speed DSG automatic transmission here, but a small switch. The entire cockpit looks “clean” and transparent. And at the same time, it does not exceed its modernity.

The list price of Cupra Formentor in Poland starts from PLN 127,000. PLN 800. However, we are talking about the basic version with a 150-horsepower 1.5 TSI engine and a 6-speed manual. No matte paint or bronze rims. For a plug-in hybrid, such as the tested unit, you have to pay about PLN 100,000 more. More PLN.

Anyone who would be tempted by this more powerful 390-horsepower version, which is still in limited edition, should withdraw at least PLN 343,000 from his bank account. zlotys.

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