BETTER than Tiguan! (Cupra Formentor 2022 review) 

Tom, do you know when the order books open?

May for the Launch Edition, June for the other variants.

@@chasingcars Thanks mate, been waiting for the Formentor since they announced it is coming to Oz.

How does the drive in the Fermentor compare to the Kodiaq RS? Sounds much more lithe in the handling department. I'm loving these new Cupras, would have brought one instead of my Skoda Octavia RS wagon if they were available last year.

Have you driven the Tiggy R yet?

True! As long as it’s backed by solid after sales as well

How have you found the infotainment and controls such as heating etc? watched other reviews and they say its not great

@@scientifik5931 screen can be a bit laggy just after starting but generally everything seems to work ok 👍

@@scientifik5931 I think it depends on your luck, I had the vz1 hybrid and had nothing but problems with the infotainment for the year I had the car, eventually got rid of it and got the vz2 ateca which I am loving so much more than the formentor

Still like it?

@@MrArjanOskam I still like it (and its quirks) however redundancy looms and lease ends in Sept 24 so It will be going back.

what mods would you do to it?

@@jspanga Intake, downpipe and tune. You'll make over 300hp at all 4 wheels then and close to 500nm of torque at the wheels.

Cupra*

I have a Golf GTD and that has a dangerous delay too: wonder if it’s a group gearbox thing? If you charge up regularly, what mpg are you seeing and what range on a tank?

@@fatfreddyscoat7564 School runs in a mix of electric and hybrid (its a 40 mile round trip here) I get anywhere between 70 - 140 mpg depending on the temperature. On long runs to London and back (400 mile round trip) I get around 50mpg as thats mostly on the petrol engine. Around town etc is all on the electric. I do a lot of long runs so Im mostly using the petrol engine/hybrid and have this car because of the tax breaks not so much fuel economy so my overall avge is about 60mpg. If you're a shorter tripper it will be much better.

its just dsg being dsg.. TCU tune and its fixed

How do you like it?

@@MrArjanOskam Objectively …. It’s a lot of fun. Great performance and very practical. I’m approaching retirement age, so don’t have any kids. So not sure how roomy it would be for a family regards luggage space. But the back seat is plenty roomy. The only gripe I have about it is that the entertainment system can play up a bit. It’s more reliable now than when I bought it 18 months ago. But it’s not the best compared to the AUdi I had before it. Also, in Sydney, it’s serviced by Alto. I swear I know more about the car than they do. But again, they get better with time. It’s a new car and a new marque after all. Anyway, it’s very much a drivers’ car. Lots of fun at the lights and through twisties. But you flick the button on the steering wheel and it reverts back to a normal everyday ride.

@@Strangybow Thanks for sharing your experience! I might buy one Out of business lease at my work if the price is right

So is the car only sold in the UK

@@qkweenkash9063 it is sold in Europe, and recently Australia, not sure about anywhere else, probably will be sold everywhere that seat sell cars.

Hi! Can you please give me an advice? It would help a lot. I am tied between the 2 cars you mentioned, as a daily, can't fully decide. I prefer the looks and character of the i30N facelift (fastback actually), but is it truly that uncomfortable on bad roads? My country has a lot of nasty pavement, so my major concern is not having to deal with bent wheels all the time, though I can sacrifice a bit of damping. Did you own the prefacelift i30N? Heard the fastback FL has better damping. I would really love to hear what you have to say and would help me a lot. Cheers!

@@Neffestuss hi mate, yes I had a pfl but I had a fastback and that is where they had softened the dampers a little, not sure if they did It even more on the face-lift, best way to describe the hardness is that in full N mode, no one in the uk could use it, in individual mode with everything on maximum except the dampers on comfort it is driveable BUT your passengers will complain more, cause you won't tell as much in the drivers seat cause it is an exciting car and you do get more pleasure driving it, also within 1 week of ownership I had hit a pot hole and blown the tire, pirrelli p zeros over here cost £189 at the time, but it is one of the most fun cars I have ever driven, test drive both cars I would say if you can, if you want excitement and can deal with a more harsh ride, I would pick the N, but you also haven't consider the amount of black plastics in the interior, after a year or so they got on my nerves and I wanted a bit more luxury, but that's just me.

@@gavinlewis3049 Thank you very much for taking your time to answer. I have a better understanding now of what differentiates the 2 vehicles. Unfortunately, I cannot find anywhere to test drive the i30N in my country as it is highly unpopular, only if I travel abroad, but I will take in consideration everything you said. Many thanks! Farewell!

Try Copper not Cooper 🥴

there is the VZ5 cupra?

V is an interesting option. Should be the comfiest as it wears relatively chunky tyres.

How much is the entry level V 140kw model in Australia!!!

About $55k drive away

Petrol blue matte. Pretty cool.

Not that unusual. A colleague of mine previous bought a car 25% more expensive than his manager who made 3 times as much as he did.

Let’s hope it is just as good on road!

More animated driving the Alfa Romeo Giulia veloce a beautiful car indeed

Bit of confusion here: there’s no difference between ‘derived from Golf’ and ‘derived from Tiguan’; all share the MQB platform, and MQB Evo is just a small development of MQB. Air vents and interior controls don’t come into the chassis. As for the passive rear steer; it’s suspension, as it occurs off throttle and this car doesn’t have a multi-clutch rear diff regardless.

Will need to do a comparo to find out, but my sense was that the Formentor was so good on track - steering, suspension, chassis tuning, AWD system - I wasn’t missing the Tiguan R

CUPRA are owned by VW now I'm pretty sure, probably why this car is as nice as it is

@@redstars837 Cupra is Seat, they are built in Barcelona just as the Seat cars are, to a higher specification of course.

If anything the 1.4 is actually slightly smoother than the 1.5 TSI Evo. I wouldn’t bother waiting

@@chasingcars Thank you Tom, appreciate it!

I thought the South African market received 1.5 TSI earlier than Australia.

@@acde9355 No, spoke with the local Audi and there have no clue when the change will happen. I don't know if they're just misinformed but the latest CARmag and configurator backs their take up.

the 1.5 has kangarooing issues + the ppf sounds like something that could be a headache down the track. On the flipside the 1.4 is bulletproof... it's been around for a decade with no major flaws

You're also getting more expensive paint depending on your car and paint choice. That matte paint is going to cost over 2k

In case Tom doesn't get back to you, sometimes they don't revisit the comments section, here are my thoughts. If you need extra boot space, or more boot space than the Formentor (420 litres on awd versions, less on PHEV version) , then all those you mentioned may suit your needs better. RAV4 hybrid will definitely have the fuel consumption advantage (and most likely resale) if that is a key factor for you. The reviews I have read indicate the Cupra is easily the more entertaining drive and will be more unique in Australia. Whatcar UK gave the Formentor Best Coupé SUV 2022. Another thing to consider is the delivery timeframe, RAV4 hybrid is meant to be over 12 months, Tiguan and Sportage can have large delays (depending on the version), whilst Mazda told me a month or so ago that there was no issue with CX-5 supply on any version, although this may have changed since. I ruled out the RAV4 as I couldn't wait 12+ months, the Tiguan because of higher cost and availability, the Sportage on availability of upspec models (also think diesel is the best sportage engine) and the driving experience, leaving the CX-5, nice car but didn't excite me. I don't need the extra boot space and wanted more performance (if going petrol) and excitement so have a deposit down on the Launch Edition VZx, delivery due in August. I understand orders on the normal Cupras are due to start shortly if not already. Goodluck. Edit: I should have mentioned that I rang Cupra who advised delivery of the normal Cupras may also be subject to some delays, worst case December, although they hoped otherwise. Another factor why I decide to go VZx Launch Edition.

Nearly all our videos are already in 4K.

Cupra will have a service centre here in Sydney and dedicated stores in each capital city. In more remote areas expect Volkswagen service. Wasn’t a major issue when Skoda launched as I recall.

Exotic

Prices are out - see the pinned comment. As mentioned in the video we won’t see the PHEV in Australia until Q4 2022

Roughly yes - it’s 5cm shorter and has about 20% less boot space though

Same dampers, same AWD system, but noticeably less power (that said - probably not as much of a problem when you’re not on a huge, fast circuit like SMSP). It has small wheels, so ride quality should be great on the V.

@@chasingcars cheers- thanks for that .

@@chasingcars get the base model and get it tuned ;) The 180kw FWD model seems a bit weird.

My Skoda RS has 187kW and is FWD. With that trick front diff is handles brilliantly and really pulls you out of corners. Still would prefer AWD though, but I'll take the extra 40kW plus the tunability of the turbo EA888 is amazing.

@@dimsoneill thx buddy, I get it and love it in hot hatch segment, and hell yeah your car is a cracking good car but the VZ is the real head scratcher ! they trying for a new niche hot hatch suv ? im just trying to see an ounce of logic with that VZ format, but if the format = fun, then why the hell not

Thanks!

Yeah, see these with some snow tyres would be pretty mean. As for chains, a quick search revealed a couple of Australian options for 20” wheels.

Same! Maybe in the future if the first drop of models goes well.

It actually does have a LUT on it, but perhaps a bit mild

@@chasingcars Rough aussie sun maybe!

Yeah, it is in that kind of category - if VW did a Golf Alltrack GTI or R, and gave it highly entertaining handling

Mazdas can handle like this but you have to push them pretty hard to make them do it. The Cupra (and admittedly many Volkswagen and Skoda models) will dance at lower speeds

If you’re shopping in that space, consider the updated Macan S (my pick) or GTS (if you want stiff suspension). Also consider the F-Pace SVR, which is actually a major performance bargain. And don’t forget X3 M40i and SQ5 TDI, which are both well rounded.

Next time I’ll see one I’ll have a think about this - but I reckon you’ll get away with it. What breed?

@@chasingcars Cheers - Border Collie/Poodle cross - about size of an average golden retriever/labrador

When you’re closer to Springwood than the CBD…

This is pretty much midsize at 4450mm long; the SQ2 and T-Roc R are small SUVs, 20cm shorter. They’ll go up against the Cupra Ateca VZx

Really liked it. On track, it’s so playful. Let’s see how it goes on road, where it will do 99% of its driving.

@@chasingcars I know it will be slower, but any chance of throwing a Kodiaq RS in that comparison?

No headroom issues for me at 6’

Both pretty awesome cars, while they are in warranty anyway!

The Formentor is more of a Coupe style crossover, so it will be noticeably smaller, but mostly so in the cargo area. Passenger space should be similar.

It’s almost certain to be Cupra New Zealand’s demonstrator… and then it’ll be sold to a customer. That’s what happens to press cars, most of the time It says VZ because that’s what NZ calls VZx I think

No space in MQB unfortunately.

Keep in mind you have to option premium audio on the Tiguan, and that the Formentor for has three years of free servicing. And 49kW more power. Narrows the gap a fair bit.

@@chasingcars It only 5 seat, if so is there a 7 seat?

We don’t get the CX-30 turbo here in Australia.

I like the idea, but it's very difficult to do without collecting a lot of customer data so your sample size is sufficiently big. A proper survey costs a lot of money - especially when we do 5-7 reviews per week. You can research customer service online, but of course most people who experience 'fine' service aren't going to post about it online, so you read a lot of negative reviews from people with something to complain about - across all brands. This normally isn't a representative sample. I'm open to solving the problem, but we need crowdsourced data that includes people who are happy, or 'fine', not just angry.

@@chasingcars I hear this argument a lot that car reviewers need to comment on a company's reliability or customer service. Or that the VW Golf should not have won that comparison because it will maybe break at some point in the future and the dealer may be rude. Like you said, the reality is these are subjective experiences and it is really expensive and difficult to form a reliable objective assessment of these factors across a whole nation or world. Consumer Reports is a big organisation dedicated to this and even their results are not perfect. For example, in determining a car's reliability, a car that goes to the dealer to get its stereo reset is ranked just as poor as a car that needs a transmission replacement. Such a project would likely rely heavily on self-reporting and if you look at online reviews for anything you'll notice a pattern. Everything is either "perfect 5 stars!" or "worse than Hitler 1 star!" If I were producing such a review, I may not give Toyota a "5" because the last Toyota I owned needed a new engine at only 140,000kms. Of course, that was a fluke, but still a subjective experience that leads me to believe that Toyotas are not as perfect as they are made out.

They are ventilated

Kona N is pricey, but well engineered for its purpose.

I definitely see it at the front.

Just don't call it a Formentador

The Ateca is a smaller car. It’s considerably shorter (by 70mm) and narrower. It’s just taller than the Formentor.

@@chasingcars the only thing is bigger on the Formentor is the length. Nothing else

Right, so the width is identical and the Formentor is a not-insignificant 7cm longer. Formentor is therefore what we would regard as the bigger car. It has a larger footprint on the road, which is the measure of a car’s size.

PHEV coming in Q4; electric Cupra Born hatch coming Q1 2023