What’s in a name like Cupra and where does this car brand come from? These are among the questions that I’ve been asked in recent weeks when I took the new Cupra Formentor for a test drive around the country.
This is the third Cupra model that I’ve driven since the start of the year and the same questions keep repeating themselves.
The simple answers are that Cupra was a sub-brand of Spanish car brand SEAT and both are now part of the Volkswagen family. The name Cupra is short for ‘Cup’ and ‘Racing’, which was originally the sporty models for the SEAT range.
There is 450 litres of boot space in the Cupra Formentor and a space-saver spare wheel is included.
A few strange things are happening around the now free-standing Cupra brand. The Cupra designs are distinctive and have noticeably higher specifications and higher prices than the closely related SEAT brand.
And with this is a trend towards increased sales of the Cupra models in 2025, up 3.95% to the end of June, while SEAT sales have slipped considerably by 33.7% compared with last year.
Could this be the end of the SEAT brand, to be replaced by Cupra? That’s a question that I can’t answer, but if the sales trend continues, Cupra will overtake SEAT and the rest seems obvious.
The car that we feature this week is now one of those rare breeds called a diesel engine car. Cupra has retained a small choice of diesel engine options alongside battery electric (BEV) and petrol hybrids. The diesel choices are limited in the Cupra range and the 2.0 litre Volkswagen origin turbo-diesel engine in the Formentor model makes the car an impressive performer in almost every sense.
The Formentor is being called a sports SUV but to me it’s simply a compact hatchback that’s not a lot different to its related SEAT Leon or even Volkswagen Golf. There will be plenty of similar engineering bits under the skin of the car, while the styling of the Formentor is significantly more distinctive, modern and attractive.
The modern interior styling of the Cupra Formentor is impressive with clear layout and copper type inserts.
The Formentor has some lovely design cues that make you look at it a second time. That’s important in a car because for some people who believe the marketing messages, it reflects their personality. For me the more practical issues often outweigh the styling, while I appreciate that modern styling has its place, especially if it makes driving easier and brings practical ownership advantages as well as enhanced safety features.
That’s why this Volkswagen 2.0 litre turbo-diesel engine brings such practicality to the new Cupra Formentor. Matched to Volkswagen’s DSG automatic gearbox and the combination delivered unrivalled economy along with simply a lovely driving experience.
With over 1,000km of driving behind me, the car excelled in terms of economy almost matching the rated economy levels of 20.8km per litre of diesel. That means that you can get close to 1,000km on a full 50-litre-capacity fuel tank.
The standard wheels are 18 inch, while the test car sat higher on 19 inch rims with Goodyear tyres.
I needed some car to compare the Formentor with and the obvious one for me was the related SEAT Leon from the same family. While I appreciate that Cupra is also offering a Leon option, the Leon is the only SEAT model to record improved sales figures for 2025 over 2024.
With the same engine and gearbox, the Formentor and Leon are separated primarily by the excellence of the Cupra styling. Performance-wise the differences are small; the Leon could be marginally faster in terms of acceleration.
The Cupra is slightly longer and has a bigger boot which thankfully includes a space-saver spare wheel. Cupra has greater towing power and a five litre larger fuel tank, while the SEAT has a year longer warranty deal if you keep within the 90,000km use level. And they both have impressive, if not slightly jaded, Euro NCAP test results.
The new Cupra Formentor with a 2.0 litre turbo-diesel Volkswagen engine is a thrifty car with entry prices starting at €46,060 or £38,545 in Northern Ireland.
And finally, there’s the price. The Formentor is significantly dearer with this model starting at €46,060 or £38,545 in Northern Ireland. That’s €7,500 more expensive than the SEAT Leon, while the Leon diesel is no longer on the UK and Northern Ireland price list.
Is the price difference justified, you might ask? Personally I’m not convinced, even though I enjoyed everything about the Cupra Formentor car and how it looks, drives and feels.
Then I did a running cost exercise to try to convince myself why I should favour the Cupra, and it was becoming less clear as Cupra depreciation levels at 38% for a three-year old Formentor diesel, based on used car web prices, are not much better than those of the SEAT brand.
So, the day you buy is the day that you sell when it comes to car ownership costs too as the Formentor running costs crept up to €0.43 per kilometre over a three-year and 60,000km use level. So I’ll need something a little more in terms of Cupra value to convince me.
What’s in a name like Cupra and where does this car brand come from? These are among the questions that I’ve been asked in recent weeks when I took the new Cupra Formentor for a test drive around the country.
This is the third Cupra model that I’ve driven since the start of the year and the same questions keep repeating themselves.
The simple answers are that Cupra was a sub-brand of Spanish car brand SEAT and both are now part of the Volkswagen family. The name Cupra is short for ‘Cup’ and ‘Racing’, which was originally the sporty models for the SEAT range.
There is 450 litres of boot space in the Cupra Formentor and a space-saver spare wheel is included.
A few strange things are happening around the now free-standing Cupra brand. The Cupra designs are distinctive and have noticeably higher specifications and higher prices than the closely related SEAT brand.
And with this is a trend towards increased sales of the Cupra models in 2025, up 3.95% to the end of June, while SEAT sales have slipped considerably by 33.7% compared with last year.
Could this be the end of the SEAT brand, to be replaced by Cupra? That’s a question that I can’t answer, but if the sales trend continues, Cupra will overtake SEAT and the rest seems obvious.
The car that we feature this week is now one of those rare breeds called a diesel engine car. Cupra has retained a small choice of diesel engine options alongside battery electric (BEV) and petrol hybrids. The diesel choices are limited in the Cupra range and the 2.0 litre Volkswagen origin turbo-diesel engine in the Formentor model makes the car an impressive performer in almost every sense.
The Formentor is being called a sports SUV but to me it’s simply a compact hatchback that’s not a lot different to its related SEAT Leon or even Volkswagen Golf. There will be plenty of similar engineering bits under the skin of the car, while the styling of the Formentor is significantly more distinctive, modern and attractive.
The modern interior styling of the Cupra Formentor is impressive with clear layout and copper type inserts.
The Formentor has some lovely design cues that make you look at it a second time. That’s important in a car because for some people who believe the marketing messages, it reflects their personality. For me the more practical issues often outweigh the styling, while I appreciate that modern styling has its place, especially if it makes driving easier and brings practical ownership advantages as well as enhanced safety features.
That’s why this Volkswagen 2.0 litre turbo-diesel engine brings such practicality to the new Cupra Formentor. Matched to Volkswagen’s DSG automatic gearbox and the combination delivered unrivalled economy along with simply a lovely driving experience.
With over 1,000km of driving behind me, the car excelled in terms of economy almost matching the rated economy levels of 20.8km per litre of diesel. That means that you can get close to 1,000km on a full 50-litre-capacity fuel tank.
The standard wheels are 18 inch, while the test car sat higher on 19 inch rims with Goodyear tyres.
I needed some car to compare the Formentor with and the obvious one for me was the related SEAT Leon from the same family. While I appreciate that Cupra is also offering a Leon option, the Leon is the only SEAT model to record improved sales figures for 2025 over 2024.
With the same engine and gearbox, the Formentor and Leon are separated primarily by the excellence of the Cupra styling. Performance-wise the differences are small; the Leon could be marginally faster in terms of acceleration.
The Cupra is slightly longer and has a bigger boot which thankfully includes a space-saver spare wheel. Cupra has greater towing power and a five litre larger fuel tank, while the SEAT has a year longer warranty deal if you keep within the 90,000km use level. And they both have impressive, if not slightly jaded, Euro NCAP test results.
The new Cupra Formentor with a 2.0 litre turbo-diesel Volkswagen engine is a thrifty car with entry prices starting at €46,060 or £38,545 in Northern Ireland.
And finally, there’s the price. The Formentor is significantly dearer with this model starting at €46,060 or £38,545 in Northern Ireland. That’s €7,500 more expensive than the SEAT Leon, while the Leon diesel is no longer on the UK and Northern Ireland price list.
Is the price difference justified, you might ask? Personally I’m not convinced, even though I enjoyed everything about the Cupra Formentor car and how it looks, drives and feels.
Then I did a running cost exercise to try to convince myself why I should favour the Cupra, and it was becoming less clear as Cupra depreciation levels at 38% for a three-year old Formentor diesel, based on used car web prices, are not much better than those of the SEAT brand.
So, the day you buy is the day that you sell when it comes to car ownership costs too as the Formentor running costs crept up to €0.43 per kilometre over a three-year and 60,000km use level. So I’ll need something a little more in terms of Cupra value to convince me.
SHARING OPTIONS