The Cupra Formentor definitely isn't a Seat

Geneva isn’t happening, but all the cars still are. Cars like the Cupra Formentor – the first Cupra that isn’t also a Seat, if that makes sense…

No? The Formentor is the first car designed specifically to be a Cupra. The brand’s other models – the Cupra Ateca and Leon, are both fast versions of existing Seats, while the Formentor is supposed to be bespoke to the VW’s sub-brand’s sub-brand. It is not a Seat, and probably never will be.

And if the Formentor (as in the Majorcan peninsula) looks ever so slightly familiar, it’s because Cupra showed us the concept early last year. A concept that was basically ready for production, or so it seemed, so the news production is imminent is hardly surprising.

Cupra says the Formentor “combines the benefits of a performance car with the qualities of an SUV”. Hmm. At 4,450mm long, 1,839mm wide and 1,511mm tall, this “coupe crossover” is longer and lower than an Ateca, but shorter and taller than the new Leon Estate.

Power, meanwhile, comes either from the new Leon’s 242bhp plug-in hybrid powertrain (which pairs 1.4-litre petrol with an electric motor, giving 31 miles of e-range), or the ubiquitous 306bhp turbocharged 2.0-litre. Both engines use seven-speed DSG gearboxes, and the 2.0-litre car gets all-wheel drive.  

The interior looks as though it shares much with the new Leon, with its 12-inch touchscreen and mode switch on the steering wheel. Technologically the two cars are the same, by the looks of it, with the same tech and systems.

Deliveries are supposed to begin late this year. Would you have one over a Leon Estate?