2023 Cupra Formentor VZx review

Australia has an insatiable appetite for SUVs of all sizes, especially if they look like a bit of a bargain. While there are plenty of options at the budget end of the spectrum, fewer offer some premium touches, high-performance credentials and an affordable price.

This is exactly the niche that Cupra identified and launched a pair of SUVs into the local market in 2021. With the Ateca looking after the larger portion of the range, that left the Formentor to offer something in the small-to-medium segment.

With underpinnings from the Volkswagen Group family, the Cupra Formentor promises German engineering and quality fused with Cupra’s trademark handling and roadholding unique proposition – without breaking the bank.

At the pointy end of the Formentor range there’s this – the VZx. It gets the most powerful engine and all-wheel drive, packaged up in the unique Cupra styling, and for a price that appears hard to beat.

There are four core variants on offer in Australia starting with the base V, which costs $49,990 before on-road costs and gets a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine with 140kW and all-wheel drive.

Above that, the $54,990 Formentor VZ gets a power boost to 180kW and larger 19-inch wheels, but front-wheel drive in place of the V’s 4Drive transmission. Both have a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.

Arriving later was the VZe, which introduced the first plug-in hybrid for the brand priced from $62,990, and combines a 12.8kWh battery with a 1.4-litre turbo petrol engine for a combined output of 180kW and 400Nm. It shares almost identical specification with the VZ.

At the top of the pack is this, the VZx, which costs $63,990 before on-road costs, or drive-away pricing of $70,790.

It gets the most powerful version of the 2.0-litre turbo four-cylinder petrol engine with 228kW and 400Nm sent to all four wheels via a seven-speed dual-clutch auto.

As standard, it also gets lovely bucket seats that feel as good as they look in stylish dark Petrol blue leather, heated steering wheel and front seats, Beats nine-speaker sound system, LED headlights, LED interior ambient lighting, hands-free power tailgate and 19-inch alloy wheels with Bridgestone Turanza tyres.

Options include a panoramic glass sunroof, premium paint and a Brembo brake package. Other Formentors have a leather and power seats package available, but the VZx has this specification included.

Prices listed throughout this review reference existing Model Year 2023 stock, for the 2024 Model Year Cupra has raised prices and adjusted equipment.

There’s a small price to pay for the Formentor’s decidedly un-SUV proportions and elegant looks, and that’s in interior space. In the front row of seating there’s plenty of space and good visibility, but the second row has a low roofline that makes taller passengers feel a little claustrophobic, although knee and toe room are surprisingly good.

At the back, there is a 420-litre boot that is slightly smaller than the small SUV average, but is a practical shape and has 60/40-split folding rear seats to increase load space if the full five-seat capacity isn’t required.

There are a good number of cubbies and small cupholders dotted about the cabin, there’s wireless device charging in the front row with two USB-C ports, while the rear occupants get their own pair too.

Generally, the Formentor’s cabin is a stylish and well-executed place to be with good ergonomics, pleasant dash upholstery to match the blue seats, and lovely ambient lighting at night.

Our example had been specced at the more conservative (or perhaps understated) end of the Cupra spectrum, with none of the cool copper interior touches that can be had, along with simple white exterior paint instead of the company’s trademark satin or gloss blue shades.

That said, this particular Formentor is a good example of what you get without getting excited in the options lists, and the result is still a handsome and desirable car.

At the heart of the Formentor’s information and entertainment suite is a 12-inch central touchscreen that provides easy access to a comprehensive selection of applications and features.

Navigation is included, as are a number of performance-focused screens in keeping with Cupra’s driving enthusiast target audience.

Wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are both supported and, as this is the range-topping VZx, there’s inductive charging for devices as well, enabling completely cordless device convenience.

While the central screen is very attractive with sharp graphics and a unique look, navigating the various menus takes a bit of getting used to. With very few physical buttons, almost all functions are accessed with either virtual controls or the steering wheel buttons.

After a few weeks with the Formentor it would be second nature, but it can be a little confusing to begin with regardless of the brand of vehicle you might be coming from.

The driver’s instrument cluster is also fully digital, this time measuring 10.25 inches. It too has a lot of options and information, but take time to set up the almost limitless display configurations, and the Formentor offers one of the most customisable and versatile instrument clusters of them all.

After choosing the style of display, a wide range of information can be selected for permanent display in the instruments or hidden in a sub-screen if deemed not as critical. You can even decide where in the cluster the windows are positioned and create the perfect bespoke set-up.

Like the Volkswagen Golf, the Formentor has the minimalist and tidy cabin temperature control slide bars, but we would prefer a solid switch or button to change cabin conditions.

A notable omission from the list of equipment regardless of the Formentor variant is a head-up display, which is featuring more commonly as standard in many small and mid-sized SUVs.

The Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) tested the Formentor range in 2021, awarding the model the full five-star rating. Unsurprising, maybe, since the range shares many of parent Volkswagen’s comprehensive safety features.

The rating applies to all variants sold in Australia from July 2022, with a particularly high score of 93 per cent in the area of adult occupant protection, while child occupant protection was rated as 88 per cent.

While the Formentor does have autonomous emergency braking (AEB), the system doesn’t feature pedestrian back-over protection. A lower than average score for upper leg and head impacts resulted in a 68 per cent score for vulnerable road user protection. Safety assist systems scored 80 per cent.

Highlights of the standard safety systems include autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assistance, traffic-jam assist, rear cross-traffic alert, blind-spot warning, rain-sensing wipers, dusk-sensing headlights, door exit warning that cleverly changes the colour of the ambient interior lighting to red, and front and rear parking sensors.

A relatively new addition to new cars is a central airbag that prevents contact between the heads of front occupants in a crash. In the Formentor, the addition of this airbag takes the number to eight.

While the Formentor is equipped with a rear-view camera that is perfectly functional, its resolution is a little sub par and doesn’t offer a view angle as wide as some others.

Full comprehensive insurance for a Cupra Formentor VZx costs $1527 per year based on a comparative quote for a 35-year-old male driver living in Chatswood, NSW. Insurance estimates will vary based on your location, driving history, and personal circumstances.

A capped-price servicing deal is available, with a three-year deal costing $990 or five years of routine maintenance for $1990.

Finally, as the VZx has a fairly highly tuned engine, it requires high-quality fuel, and the manufacturer’s recommended 98RON will increase running costs compared with a vehicle that’s happy drinking 95 or 91.

It’s at this point we should mention that you rarely get something for nothing when it comes to performance cars, and the Formentor’s above-average power output combined with sticky all-wheel drive and large wheels comes at a cost.

While its maker claims an average combined figure of 7.7 litres per 100 kilometres, our experience of driving the VZx returned a figure of 9.4L/100km. While some of our time at the wheel was certainly in a spirited manner, enthusiastic driving definitely wasn’t the lion’s share of motoring.

We’re confident a better economy figure is possible, but the cost of the Formentor VZx’s notable capability in power and roadholding comes at the pump.

With so much competition in the premium SUV market, Cupra set about establishing its unique position in the market with a driving proposition that’s more involving than some more pedestrian competitors.

Subsequently, the entire range has been engineered with a focus on sharp steering, a lively chassis and rewarding handling. Unusually, the same positive handling characteristics extend throughout the entire Formentor family, not just the halo variant.

Steering is a particular highlight with perfectly weighted feedback that doesn’t sacrifice feel, despite being relatively light in the hands. There’s a pleasant urgency to the turn-in, and the Formentor has a beautifully obedient nose at all speeds.

The enjoyment is added to by the Formentor’s long bonnet that sits high and prominent without obscuring the view, and is a pleasure to point into corners like barrels of a shotgun swinging to chase a clay pigeon.

In faster corners, the steering gains weight and enhances communication with the front axle but never becomes cumbersome or exhausting. Body roll is notably absent, but not without attitude, and the Formentor allows just enough weight transfer to avoid understeer out of corners as well as sharpening the feel and feedback for the driver.

With all-wheel drive, the VZx isn’t as surprisingly tail-happy as the entry front-drive versions, but what it lacks in lay-off oversteer it makes up for with outright traction and confidence.

It’s possible to lean hard on the Formentor’s grip and capability without the sense it will bite unpredictably when the limits approach.

The strong 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine with 228kW/400Nm doesn’t have much of a notable or charismatic exhaust note, but the power delivery is urgent and responsive, with a decent balance of mid-range torque or top-end power if the driver feels like revving out.

There’s also a good pairing with the seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission, which manages gear changes very fast but smoothly as well. There is an occasional lagginess when the driver asks for a lower gear with kick-down, which can be frustrating when in a hurry, but there’s little else to bemoan an otherwise slick and powerful drivetrain.

As a driving enthusiast’s high-performance car, the Formentor VZx is up there with the best, and the only way it could get any better is with the introduction of the mighty VZ5 variant that is available in overseas markets with a turbocharged five-cylinder engine. Sadly, it’s only produced in left-hand drive and not destined for Australia.

Despite its playful side, the Formentor also offers a pleasant ride quality when driving with a more sedate approach. The suspension is firm and sporty, but it has a good suppleness and compliance to treat all occupants on longer drives.

The driver will also appreciate that almost infinitely customisable instrument cluster, thanks to its all-digital display and lots of information and design options.

On initial inspection, the range-topping Cupra Formentor might appear to be a pricey proposition for a small-to-mid-sized SUV, especially when you look at what some of Australia’s most popular models sell for.

However, you don’t need to spend much time in any Formentor variant to realise that it’s competing in a class above the mainstream brands.

Its design is strikingly attractive and quite unique, the quality and design of the interior follow the same mould-breaking theme, and its performance and dynamic capability place the entire range in a decidedly more premium territory.

In the case of the Formentor’s steering and handling, it’s just about as good as it gets in the class.

Taking all these aspects into consideration, the Formentor VZx goes from being an apparently rather expensive option, into one of the most affordable options in the high-performance small SUV market.

For example, Volkswagen’s Tiguan R and Audi’s much smaller SQ2 and (which share a good chunk of mechanicals and performance with the Formentor) cost $5000 and $3200 more respectively than the VZx, while BMW’s X2 M35i Pure gets close to the Formentor’s potential but costs about $11,000 more.

Certainly, there are practical considerations regarding space and packaging. But when viewed in the right context, not only is the Formentor VZx just about the most affordable vehicle in the high-performance SUV class, it also manages to be one of the best options for driving enthusiasts at any price.

If you’re interested in finding out what models are available in Australia, Cupra points you in the direction of its stock locator, which is a simple system for identifying models and their location.

At the time of writing, however, Cupra was reporting healthy Formentor stock and a wait time of just four weeks on orders, while all Cupra models were expecting more inbound stock and immediate delivery to dealers.

While we’ve focused on the VZx flagship of the range, if you like the looks and general premise of the Formentor, the rest of the range is well worth a look.

If fuel consumption is a priority, then the VZe hybrid version is a great option, as it preserves much of the Formentor’s dynamics and fun at the wheel but with significantly improved economy.

We’re also big fans of the VZ, which has a bit of a Volkswagen Golf GTI feel about it with a playful front-drive personality and plenty of power.

As always, the best advice is to never buy a car based on a brochure or review (no matter how comprehensive or trustworthy) alone, and a test drive at your nearest Cupra dealership is essential before making a final decision. You can also search for Cupra vehicles for sale at Drive.com.au/cars-for-sale.

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