Used Cupra Formentor cars for sale

The headline Formentor is the high-performance 310hp petrol version, but there are a range of less powerful petrol engines that still provide driving thrills without the higher costs associated with the range-topper. There are even plug-in hybrid options, meaning that you can have the racy styling and strong performance while cutting back on your petrol costs.

Cupra Formentor buying guide

What Cupra Formentor trim levels are there?

Cupra’s trim levels look mystifying at first glance but they’re easy to decode. The range is split into ‘V’ and ‘VZ’ trim levels, with ‘V’ for the lower-powered engines and ‘VZ’ for the punchiest performers (the Spanish word for fast is “veloz”, fact fans). Then, you have numbered trim levels that offer more equipment as you go up the range.

So, V1 is first. Considering it’s the cheapest model, the features you get are generous. There’s wireless phone charging, LED lights all-round, rain-sensing wipers, digital dials, a 12-inch touchscreen with sat nav and wireless Apple CarPlay, adaptive cruise control and keyless entry, among other things. Automatic cars also get a fancy heated steering wheel.

V2 gets 19-inch alloy wheels – an inch bigger than the ones fitted to the V1 – and heated leather bucket seats. They’ll keep your bum in place through fast corners, not to mention nice and toasty. Additionally, the driver’s seat is electrically adjustable, and reversing is easier thanks to a reversing camera.

The VZ1 gets some of the same features as V2 models, but also comes with blind-spot monitoring, high-beam assist headlights, Cupra’s adaptive suspension (called Dynamic Chassis Control, or DCC), a powered bootlid and a diffuser panel between the exhaust finishers.

On top of that, the VZ2 comes with the heated bucket seats from the V2, plus even more active driver assistance such as lane-change assist and road sign recognition. VZ3, meanwhile, is only available with the most powerful petrol engine and adds upgraded brakes courtesy of Brembo, along with a different wheel design and Matrix LED headlights that give full-beam brightness without blinding other drivers. Snazzy indeed.

Cupra Formentor interior and technology

If you like sportiness and the latest technology, Cupra has you covered. All models have the same setup, with a dazzlingly crisp digital instrument cluster that can be configured to your preference and a mega 12-inch touchscreen that’s chock-full of features. There are driving modes to choose from, with Comfort being good for motorway cruising and Sport becoming more lively.

Material quality is generally as good as you’d expect, if not better, and you might even mistake it for an Audi interior if you taped over the X badge and the copper accents. Speaking of which, those copper touches help to lift the interior and make it feel sportier than an equivalent Volkswagen. It’s just a nice place to be.

There are useful buttons on the steering wheel, but Cupra should’ve stuck with buttons and knobs for the air conditioning functions. You either have to prod your way through the touchscreen or adjust the temperature with the sliders underneath the screen. These sliders aren’t very easy to use on the move and become even harder to use at night, because they aren’t backlit so you can’t see them. The user interface is more intuitive than a VW Golf, however.

Looking at the swoopy roofline of the Formentor, you can expect to sacrifice a little practicality compared to the bigger Cupra Ateca. Front-wheel-drive petrol cars get a 450-litre boot – 70 litres more than a Leon or Golf – while the mechanicals of four-wheel-drive Formentors take up 30 litres of boot space. Hybrid models offer 345 litres of boot space, but all Formentors have folding rear seats to allow you to carry bigger items when the need arises.

Cupra Formentor engine range explained

Cupra Formentor 1.5 TSI 150 petrol

The Formentor’s entry-level engine is one of the more powerful offerings in the SEAT Leon and VW Golf, so it’ll be more than sufficient for many drivers. It’s a clever engine that includes cylinder deactivation (half the engine shuts down when you’re cruising to save fuel), with the upshot being upwards of 40mpg. Accelerating from 0-62mph takes under nine seconds – that isn’t very fast compared to other Cupra models but it’ll still feel nippy on the open road. A six-speed manual or a seven-speed automatic gearbox are offered.

Cupra Formentor 2.0 TSI 190 petrol

Next up is a 2.0-litre petrol engine with 190hp. With Cupra’s 4Drive four-wheel-drive system on-board, this engine can accelerate from 0-62mph in a brisk seven seconds and boasts a higher top speed than the 150 engine. It returns up to 38mpg and comes with an automatic gearbox as standard.

Cupra Formentor 2.0 TSI 245 petrol

It may have more power than the 190 engine, but the 245hp version of the 2.0-litre engine isn’t really any quicker off the line. That’s because it doesn’t get the four-wheel-drive system, so only has two wheels scrabbling for grip when you give it the beans. It’s not noticeably less economical, either, with 37mpg achievable. Again, it’s auto-only. The main difference between these engines is that the 190 is limited to the V1 and V2 trim levels, while the 245 is offered in VZ1 or VZ2 guises.

Cupra Formentor 2.0 TSI 310 petrol

The beefy 310hp petrol is the most powerful and fastest engine in the lineup. With 4Drive fitted as standard, it’ll scorch down the street a lot quicker than any other Formentor (0-62mph takes just 4.9 seconds), onto a 155mph top speed. Drive it like your grandma would and you’ll see MPG in the low-30s – but get too enthusiastic with the accelerator and you might halve that.

Cupra Formentor 1.4 eHybrid PHEV

If you’d like performance balanced with lower fuel costs and some electric-only driving, the eHybrid engines are the ones to look at. There are 204hp and 245hp versions, straddling the trim level range just like the mid-range petrols, and both hybrids offer strong straight-line performance. The extra weight of the battery is only a little noticeable through the corners, and the flip side of the coin is that these engines will do circa 200mpg – provided you tend to drive around town and drive on electric power as often as possible.