2023 Cupra Formentor: How it almost won our Car of the Year

COTY winner debate, Wheels HQ. Spent coffee cups litter the table and with the final vote looming large, the mood amongst the seven judges is intense.

We’ve been here for hours already and, after some fierce back-and-forth, our group of finalists has been narrowed down to two potential winners: the Cupra Formentor or the Ford Everest.

This is rarefied air for Cupra. For a brand to rock up to Car of the Year and snag the trophy in its very first attempt is a feat that’s only been achieved once, when Lexus turned out the landmark LS 400 way back in 1990.

By now, of course, you’ll have deduced that the Cupra has ultimately fallen short – but it was a close thing. In the final ballot, the Formentor secured a number of votes from the judges; there just weren’t quite enough to secure a majority.

WHEELS CAR OF THE YEAR 2023

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So how did a brand-new and relatively unknown Spanish crossover get within cooee of our top honour? Well, we liked it almost immediately.

The Formentor is the first bespoke Cupra that isn’t a rebadged and uprated Seat, and at Lang Lang its striking design, surprisingly roomy back seat and silkily calibrated dynamics earned it instant praise.

“A very pleasant surprise; feels composed, alert and fun,” is the first note in Editor Enright’s judging book. Alex Affat was equally impressed and, just before he zoomed off for another lap of the ride and handling track, he managed to nail why the Cupra had gotten under our skin so quickly: “It feels like it’s been built by people who care about driving!”

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Cupra isn’t an entirely new brand, of course. Before splintering off on its own in Europe in 2018, Cupra had a long history as the go-fast division of Seat. Think Polestar’s trajectory with Volvo and you’ll have a fairly good grasp on Cupra’s journey. And although it’s a fresh brand to the Aussie market, having launched here last year, Cupra is backed by the might of the sprawling Volkswagen Group.

“A triumph of calibration, beautiful to drive in almost any situation” – Dylan Campbell

Underneath that distinctive bodywork, the Formentor is built on the same tried and proven underpinnings as the iconic VW Golf. Same MQB Evo platform, same engines, same gearboxes. In fact, of the three Cupras we had at COTY – the VZ, the hybrid VZe and the flagship VZx – it was hard not to think of them as “This one is the Golf GTi tune and that one is the Golf R”.

But before you get dismissive of those shared underpinnings – “It’s just a Golf with a different body isn’t it?” is a common and shortsighted comment – Cupra’s engineers have worked hard to carve out a unique personality for the Formentor.

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One key distinction is its size. Compared with a Golf, the Formentor is 166mm longer, 50mm wider and 54mm taller. It also rolls on a wheelbase that’s 44mm longer and the result of this additional size is an appreciable boost in cabin room. The front seats are cosseting and comfortable, there’s decent cabin storage and the space in the back is generous, despite the Formentor’s rakish rear-end styling.

Rear passengers benefit from useful kneeroom and toe room and there are also dedicated air vents, central cup holders and twin USB-C outlets. The 450L boot (the hybrid VZe has 420L) is larger than you might expect, too, and doesn’t only offer a useful increase over a Golf (374L) but easily gazumps the load-lugging ability of an Audi Q2.

A style-driven crossover that doesn’t forgo rear-seat room or skimp on family utility? That’s a masterstroke of packaging.

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The cabin design also feels unique, despite the familiar mix of VW-derived screens and other switchgear. The lashings of bronze detailing add a sense of flair and the mix of materials and sense of solidity certainly aren’t shamed by the Audi A3 we also had at COTY.

Better yet, Cupra’s Aussie product planning team has done a fine job of positioning the Formentor for price and performance. Tit-for-tat, the Formentor VZ undercuts a Golf GTi by $1200 while the flagship, all-wheel drive VZx is $4000 less than a Golf R.

And the hybrid VZe, which combines a 1.4-litre turbo-petrol with a 13kWh battery pack, offers a fuel-efficient, electrified alternative that’s currently missing from the model ranges of VW, Skoda and Audi. Three years’ free servicing is a further sweetener to the Formentor’s scorecard against our Value criteria.

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The real genius with the Formentor, however, is in how it drives.

Around Lang Lang’s challenging ride and handling course, all three variants scored highly for their crisp steering, punchy powertrains and a ride/handling compromise that strikes an almost ideal balance between comfort and control.

“A dynamic delight,” enthused Campbell. “Feels like a Golf GTI or Golf R but with a dash of body roll like a Mazda MX-5.”

“Very little handling compromise imposed by taller crossover body,” added Enright. “You have to keep reminding yourself that you’re not in a hot hatch.”

Excellent dry braking distances and sharp acceleration figures courtesy of proven VW powertrains (all three Cupras on test actually beat their official 0-100km/h claims) only cemented the Formentor’s position as one of the tidiest handlers of the entire COTY field, with the all-wheel drive VZx easily the pick for outright driver appeal.

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While it lacks the torque vectoring clutch packs and Drift Mode functionality of the Golf R, the VZx’s punchy EA888 2.0-litre, quick steering and adjustable and engaging chassis combine to deliver dynamics that aren’t only engaging and fun but also feel uniquely like a Cupra. John Law went one further, noting the Formentor as: “The most differentiated MQB-based Volkswagen product available.”

The weak link in the range, dynamically at least, is the VZe. While it offers GTi-like levels of performance (outputs are 180kW/400Nm) and an EV-only range of 50km, the extra heft of its battery and e-motor spoiled the sweet ride/handling balance evident in the VZ and VZx. “I found the brake pedal inconsistent and drivetrain calibration clumsy,” added Law.

Some other criticisms started to surface, too. Only the top-spec VZx is available as standard with an electric tailgate (it’s part of an optional ‘power pack’ on other models), which took the shine off its family friendliness a little.

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None of the three versions we had on test had electric adjustment for the front passenger seat, which some judges felt was a touch stingy, especially on the $61,990 flagship VZx.

Another niggle was burying key functions inside the central touchscreen, with some judges taking multiple laps of our course to discover where the VZ’s drive mode selector was hidden. Only the VZx has a drive mode button on the steering wheel; elsewhere the modes are tucked away in the convoluted central menu.

Still, with strong marks against our criteria for Value, Cabin Execution and How it Drives, the Formentor was a shoo-in as a finalist. And on our country and urban road loops, it continued to excel.

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With greater seat time, the judging panel further appreciated the fast and accurate steering (2.1 turns-lock-to-lock) which, compared to our other finalists, merely required a roll of the wrists to navigate our twisty country-road sections.

But it was the deft chassis tuning that really stood out. Every Cupra bar the $50,640 entry-level V variant rolls on 19-inch alloys as standard and while the ride can err on the firm side, it nails the ‘small sporty SUV’ brief for compliance and control.

There was a recurring issue, though – the usability of the infotainment screen. Like many modern VW products, the Formentor’s cabin has very few physical buttons and instead forces you to prod and swipe at the (impressively large) 12.0-inch central screen and touch-sensitive sliders.

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“It’s fussy and takes the driver’s eyes off the road,” lamented Affat.

“Basic functions like climate and stereo volume are also adjusted via the central screen or feedback-less touchpads below. Really hard to use while driving.”

Campbell also took issue with the Formentor’s unintuitive ergonomics. “I hate tapping on inanimate bits of trim to adjust the temperature,” he said. “Volkswagen, your HVAC dials are good. Bring them back!”

But annoying functionality issues aside, it was obvious that the Formentor stood a chance of winning as we headed into our final round of judging. It was the clear ‘driver’s pick’ of our finalists and a small SUV that, despite its familiar VW ingredients, felt much more than the sum of its parts.

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So, why didn’t the Formentor secure more votes in the final reckoning for a winner?

The infotainment and cabin ergonomic fumbles were a sticking point for some judges. “Would almost not buy it, on the infotainment alone,” muttered Campbell, but ultimately it was a case of our winner offering slightly more against the criteria, rather than the Cupra scuppering its own chances.

Call it a situation akin to the career of Aussie cricketer Stuart MacGill; a brilliant talent robbed of top billing by the timing of a rival, in his case one S K Warne.

So while it couldn’t quite replicate the debut feat of the Lexus LS 400, Cupra’s first tilt at COTY remains deeply impressive. The Formentor’s easily our favourite Cupra yet and also our pick over established rivals like the BMW X2, Audi Q2 and Mini Countryman.

We even might encourage friends to buy one over a fast Golf if they’re looking for something with a dash more personality and compliance. That’s how good it is.

MORE READING

Now that you're done reading about this COTY 2023 contender, you should go back to catch up on anything you might've missed. Check out the links below, or find it all at our COTY page.