► Cupra Formentor facelift reveals
► Hybrids and 328bhp engines available
► Fresh interior and new looks
Meet the new Cupra Formentor – a substantially revised edition of the great success story from SEAT’s sports division. The Formentor has only ever been a product of the Cupra wing, a sub-brand determined to establish itself as a formidable design force on the world stage. For this 2024 update, the design team was given a loose rein to demonstrate its capabilities, manifested in the myriad tweaks made as part of the facelift.
Cupra is going all in on a new brand vision that centres around the value of design, signing sporting partnerships and devising clothing ranges to maximise its reach. The new Formentor is going to play a big part in the company’s development for the remainder of this decade, not least to achieve its goal of having a presence in the U.S. by 2030.
But back to the Formentor because we’ve got plenty to talk about here. The 2024 facelift package includes a new exterior design, an updated interior and fresh engine choices with engineering borrowed from elsewhere in the Volkswagen Group family. Read on to find out everything you need to know about the 2024 Cupra Formentor.
Has the styling changed?
Cupra’s kept to its home colours of dark greys and that distinctive copper, but there have been some major changes made in the way the Formentor looks.
Let’s start with the front end – the Formentor has received a shark-nose-like redesign, along with new triangular LED headlights and revised intake slots. The whole affair is all angles and sharp edges for an overall air of uninhibition, complete with a bigger grille that rounds off the whole picture.
Around the back, the Formentor now presents ‘coast-to-coast’ headlights – connected by a single light bar that now includes an illuminated Cupra badge. In keeping with the design language of the headlights, the taillights also comprise of three triangular elements, along with an illumination of the car’s name within the lights themselves.
Has the interior been revisited?
Yes, though perhaps not quite as evidently as the exterior. Much of the dashboard has been amended, including the centre console which has been streamlined in much the same style as in the latest compact and hatchback offerings from Audi and Volkswagen.
Pushing an agenda of sustainability for the brand, the Formentor’s cabin now features fresh interior materials including 73% microfibre cloths around the doors and dashboard along with cow-friendly leathers. To round off the updated cockpit, a new and pretty enormous 12.9” infotainment screen is also available long with a 12-speaker Sennheiser sound system. Believe us, the Formentor feels every bit as technologically well-endowed as it sounds on the inside.
What about engines?
The updated Formentor is sticking with at least some form of internal combustion across the board, though it will be available with a new generation of mild and plug-in hybrid engines. The petrols kick off with a 147bhp TSI from VW’s arsenal, paired with a six-speed manual. A mid-range 2.0-litre option is also available that produces 201hp while the top-end models get 328bhp along with torque splitting technology for the benefit of agility and cornering through promoted oversteer. There’s even a drift mode…
The mild-hybrid engines mate a 48V lithium-ion battery with the 1.5-litre TSI – DSG ‘box only – while the plug-in hybrid options offer two power outputs – 201bhp or 268bhp. According to Cupra, these plug-in hybrids, which are also mated to the 1.5-litre TSI, can run for up to 62 miles on electric power only.
But don’t forget the chassis.
It’s been enhanced to match the uprated powertrain performance and sportier looks, with freshly tuned spring and damper rates for a relaxed feel when needs be but also the dynamics when you turn things up when you want. They’re complemented by MacPherson struts and a rear multilink system, while all-wheel drive variants are also on offer. These models feature technology that can straighten the car out by sending additional power to the appropriate wheel if you get out of shape – clever stuff.
We’ll likely receive UK prices by mid-June, which we’ll report back here then. Customer cars are expected to arrive by late summer, though stay tuned for our full CAR review before then.