Cupra Formentor 310

How the Formentor is ploughing its own crossover furrow

WHAT HAVE A DOUBLE-GLAZING salesman, a guy in my local chip shop, a petrol station cashier, and three lads in a Corsa got in common? Answer: they all wanted to know more about our Formentor this month – all within the space of just a few days, in fact.

When I nabbed our Cupra from its regular keeper, Aston Parrott, I hadn’t expected this level of attention. I was curious to try the Formentor, mainly to get a feel for what these newfangled NON-SEAT Cupras are all about, but my own disinterest in crossovers had blinded me to just how much other people admire them. The feedback for this one was all positive, too. Well, except when it came to its Cupra badge, which was likened to the logos associated with Transformers, Spectre and the Predator range of gaming PCS. It seems most people can’t see that it’s actually a pair of interlocking Cs. (That is what it’s supposed to be, right?)

For me, it was the Formentor’s interior that made the strongest first impression. Where so many cabins make you feel like you’re sitting inside a black box, this one’s Petrol Blue leather, copper trim, matching stitching and colourful pinstripe lighting lift the ambiance significantly.

To drive, I could really do without the Lane Assist switching itself back on every time you start the car, even if you’ve only, say, stopped for petrol. The gearbox’s reluctance to drop a gear to aid acceleration when in D is a drag in general driving, too, and inevitably if you switch to S it cruises through 30mph zones with the engine revving away in too low a gear.

I’ve got nothing but respect for the reach of the adaptive dampers, though, which offer 15 (fifteen!) levels, starting three notches softer than Comfort and ending three firmer than Cupra. Set it somewhere in the upper half of this range and the Formentor controls its mass well. You’re always aware of the extra height and weight, and, unsurprisingly, it lacks the ultimate agility and particularly the eagerness to turn in that you’d get with a good hot hatch, but it’ll romp along a B-road at a remarkable lick, and doesn’t feel out of its comfort zone while doing so.

However, call me old fashioned, but I still prefer my performance cars to sit a little closer to the asphalt, and to benefit from the inherent advantages that come with that, so I’d still plump for a hot hatch over something like the Formentor. But if crossovers are your thing, there’s plenty to appreciate here. Ian Eveleigh

Date acquired January 2021 Total mileage 5090 Mileage this month 1883 Costs this month £0 mpg this month 28.6