Living with a Cupra Formentor: my honest first impressions of this £60k SUV

This is my daily driver: a Cupra Formentor VZ with the 333hp engine from a Volkswagen Golf R. I wanted to see if this fast SUV has an edge over a traditional hot hatchback, and so far I’m finding it to be a mixed bag.

It’s ballistically fast, and I reckon it looks great as well. But is it really worth almost £60,000?

First impressions of my Cupra Formentor

Let’s start with the things I like about this car, because there’s a lot to go over.

First off, I love the way the Formentor looks. I reckon it’s way more stylish than a Volkswagen Golf R, and this matte bronze paint helps it stand out even more. If you’re after a hot family car which looks good, this is it.

I also like the way it drives. I was worried that a stiff, sporty car like this with carbon bucket seats would be tiring to drive day-to-day, but with the suspension in its softest setting it does a good job of soaking up the bumps.

But on a twisty road, with the suspension in sports mode, the Formentor handles like no other SUV out there. It’s way more agile and playful than a Ford Puma ST, if not quite as poised as the lower Golf R hatchback.

No amount of fun is enough to distract me from the annoying touch sliders though. You use them to control the temperature and stereo volume, and they’re a right faff to use.

And I keep going back and thinking about the price. As tested, this car costs £58,140, you can check out the full spec in the previous report, but in short it’s around £11,000 more than a Volkswagen Golf R.

And that got me thinking: what other performance cars could you buy for £60,000? Here are three alternatives which spring to mind.

1. Audi RS3

The Audi RS3 starts from just over £60,000, although you can get one for £58,300 through Carwow at the time of writing. It has a glorious five-cylinder engine with 400hp and a great engine note, and it’s incredibly fun to drive on a twisty road.

2. Hyundai Ioniq 5 N

The Cupra Formentor looks good, but the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N looks totally bonkers. It’s also very fast, with 650hp on tap and a 0-60mph time of 3.4 seconds, and it’s also the most fun you can have in an electric car. Prices start from around £65,000, but with Carwow savings it dips below the £60,000 mark.

3. Used BMW X3 M

If you’re looking for the ultimate performance SUV, £60,000 can buy you a 2023 BMW X3 M with just 25,000 miles on the clock. It has a lovely 3.0-litre twin-turbocharged straight-six under the bonnet putting out 510hp, and you can put it in rear-wheel drive mode for some tyre-shredding drifts if the mood takes you.

That said, my Formentor also has a drift mode, and, as Mat Watson demonstrated in a recent video, it works very well. The Cupra’s price tag may sting a little at first, but as time goes on I’m starting to realise that it really can compete with the more established performance brands.

I still have five months to go with the Cupra Formentor, so keep an eye out for updates on what it’s like to live with.

Report#1: Why am I living with a Cupra Formentor?

The Cupra Formentor is available with a wide range of engines, starting with a 150hp 1.5-litre petrol and working all the way up to the car I have.

Under the bonnet of this Formentor is the same engine as you’ll find in a Volkswagen Golf R. It’s a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine with 333hp, and it sends power to all four wheels via a seven-speed automatic gearbox.

It’ll do 0-60mph in just 4.8 seconds, which is almost exactly the same as a Golf R, but should you really buy a sporty SUV over a traditional hot hatch? This is what I want to find out over the next six months.

I’ll be seeing how the Formentor fares as a daily driver, with regular commutes from London to Oxfordshire for video shoots and the odd cross-country road trip. In and around the sensible stuff, I want to see if this jacked-up performance car can really deliver the same thrills as a hot hatchback.

Our own Mat Watson has already tested out the Cupra’s drift mode on a drag race shoot in my absence, and it looks like it can be pretty lairy when it wants to be. Hopefully he’s saved me some tyres so I can have a go.

Living with a Cupra Formentor: price and options

My car only has two options fitted to it. The Century Bronze Matte paintwork costs just over £2,000, and the panoramic glass roof adds £995 to the price tag.

This brings the total to an eye-watering £58,140, £11,000 more than a Volkswagen Golf R and nearly £5,000 dearer than a Cupra Leon hatchback with the same engine and options.

So what does your near-£60,000 get you? Well you get 19-inch alloy wheels, a 12.9-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a surround-view camera and adaptive cruise control.

You also get upgraded Akebono brakes for better stopping power, as well as some rather lovely carbon-back heated bucket seats.

Those seats make the cabin feel even more special, and the Formentor’s interior was already more interesting than a Golf R’s thanks to the copper accents and layered dashboard. I also reckon this car looks more aggressive and sporty than the slightly conservative Golf.

Car change? Carwow!

Looking for a new set of wheels? With Carwow you can sell your car quickly and for a fair price – as well as find great offers on your next one. Whether you’re looking to buy a car brand new, are after something used or you want to explore car leasing options, Carwow is your one stop shop for new car deals.

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