What is it?
Here we have the brand new facelift, CUPRA Formentor. This is the latest model for 2025. As you can see, the front is vastly different from the previous model. This is due to the new “shark nose” design inspired by the sleek and aggressive ocean predator it is named after.
The new Formentor has several upgrades, including a power hike, new seats, new brakes and upgraded cabin quality.
This particular model here is the top-spec VZ3 model. And it costs £55,475.
Are the upgrades worth your attention? Read on to find out.
Verdict
CUPRA gives the popular Formentor a series of upgrades in power, looks and kit. An already great model becomes even more desirable.
What we liked
- New design
- Matrix Lights
- Huge brakes
- Extra power
What we didn’t like
- Pricey
- Fake engine sound too loud
Exterior
The colour of the test car is Century Bronze Matte. This option costs you, wait for it, £2,055.
That’s a lot of money for paint. Now, some of you love matte paint, but some of you who may be interested in it need to know that it comes with some maintenance issues to be aware of, and that’s worth looking into if it’s your first time. But I think the colour does look striking. It’s undoubtedly been a head turner on the road.
You can see how the new front gets its “shark nose” name. It’s got a snout appearance like a shark. This design has been applied across CUPRA’s new range, including the new CUPRA Leon and Terramar.
The CUPRA badge has now been moved up to the bonnet.
There is a much more open grill, again like a shark’s open mouth,
The lights fitted to this model are the amazing matrix headlights. With the three triangle design we are now seeing across the all the new CUPRA range. This includes the back lights, and we’ll talk about the back of the car a little bit later.
But the front, I think, looks really mean, really aggressive. Some people on our forum have said it seems a bit generic, and they prefer the pre-facelift model. I like both to be honest, but I think the new design edges it for me, especially the lights.
The wheels are 19 inches. If you look at the picture, what stands out for you the most? The huge calipers. These are Akebono brakes branded with CUPRA, obviously in copper, and they are massive. You can see it has drilled discs as well.
This is what you get when you pay for the top-spec model. The lower down models, you get Brembo brakes that aren’t quite as big, but it does stop really well. And I think those calipers just look amazing. I love the wheel design, the two-tone with the copper and the black. The wheels are matte black, so hopefully will be less prone to scratching as if they were gloss black.
So the big visual changes really at the front and the side are the wheels and the shark nose design. Now one of the coolest features of the car is a setting you can turn on where the car detects the key as you get closer and the light animations come on without you pressing any buttons.
I know it’s gimmicky, but I just think it’s really cool. I’m really disappointed though my Leon doesn’t have this option, even though it’s a VZ3 as well. It’s a real shame.
Coming round to the back of the car. The big change to the rear is the CUPRA logo is no longer a badge. It’s actually illuminated as part of the light strip. This is what CUPRA call the coast-to-coast light that goes right across. So you’ve got the illuminated logo, you’ve got the three triangle design carried over from the front, still on the back of the car, and it’s got a cool 3D effect if you look closely at the light cluster.
I think they look really smart. The same as all CUPRA models now, you see the model name “Formentor” in the light unit, so you won’t see the model name anywhere else in the car, it’s just shown in the light itself.
Other than that, the back of the car hasn’t changed, you’ve still got the quad exhaust, you’ve got the CUPRA lettering, you’ve got the VZ badge that is short for “Veloz” Spanish which means “fast”.
Interior
The materials’ quality, fit, and finish have been further improved from the pre-facelift model, elevating the already impressive interior. You’ll be hard-pressed to find any hard plastic, and even the few instances I could find are surprisingly soft to the touch.
The new facelift has the option for the Sennheiser speaker system if you choose the VZ3, and the speakers sound great. There are 10 speakers, including a subwoofer.
As you enter the car, we’ve got the illuminated door sill and very inviting seats, which are probably my favourite part of the car. I know I say this in every single review that has these seats in. They’re so comfortable. And they look really smart.
One of the things I was hoping would be on this car, that if you’ve watched the review I did of the CUPRA Born VZ, was it has a clever feature that when you open the door, the seat moves into position to make it easy for you to get in.
When you shut the door, the seat returns to your correct driving position. Unfortunately, I’ve looked through all the menus on the car and my Leon, and that option is not there. It seems to be just for the CUPRA Born and Terramar at the moment.
The steering wheel is the same as before. Luckily, we haven’t gone backwards with haptic buttons. We’ve got physical buttons.
On the wheel you’ve got the volume for your infotainment system, cruise control, the CUPRA satellite button to change your drive mode, the stop-start button, steering wheel heating and more. I love the steering wheel in CUPRA cars and appreciate they continue to come with a flat bottom and nice grips at the top.
Moving up to the virtual dash, you’ve got a number of view modes available. Some of the views seem very daunting upon first glance with almost too much information, but you get used to what is where quite quickly.
Taking a look now at the the infotainment screen. The interface has been improved. It’s a bit simpler to use. Before I get on to that, worthy of note is the sliders here are now illuminated. Even though they looked illuminated on the previous one, come darkness, you couldn’t actually see where the sliders were.
I don’t know how on earth that got through testing. It’s been talked about in numerous reviews. It’s not just CUPRA, it was on the VW cars as well that share the platform. Let’s blame VW because they would have given CUPRA this unit to play with. Anyway. It’s now illuminated, which is good news.
On the road
The first thing you probably want to know about the car on the road is, “is it fast?” In the pre-facelift version of this, the standard horsepower was 310. It’s now been upped to 333. The torque as standard was 400, and now it’s been upped to 420. Does it feel much faster? Possibly. I haven’t driven one previous facelift for a while.
Is it fast enough? Absolutely. Obviously, with 4WD, you’ve got that launch off the line that you don’t have with front wheel drive cars, which is just fun if you’re more used to front wheel drive cars like I am.
When the car starts up, it starts in comfort mode.
The engine noise is muted, or the fake engine sound is muted. Suspension is softer, the steering feel is softer. Everything’s a bit softer. And, for day-to-day driving, it’s fine. But, you obviously have the different drive modes available to you.
I tend to spend most of the time in CUPRA mode when I am in a car with different drive modes available because, fundamentally, you don’t buy cars like this to just pootle around. You obviously have the comfort modes for long cruises on the motorway, which I do tend to do switch to sometimes if I’m on a long drive which softens everything, quietens the car and is just great for cruising along.
However my one complaint on this car, having driven my new Leon, (did I mention I’ve got a new Leon?! – review coming soon) is that for some reason on the Formentor, it’s significantly louder in CUPRA mode than it is on my Leon. I don’t know why. I would have thought they would have been set the same. But for some reason, CUPRA have chosen to set the volume much higher on the Formentor. The only reason I can think of the exhaust note on the Leon hatch, is significantly better than the Formentor’s having driven them back to back. So maybe CUPRA are trying to hide that by turning the volume up.
It’s worth mentioning changes to the DSG box here. Previously on the pre facelift, and in generations before it on the Mk3 Leon, when you put the car into Cupra mode, the gearbox changed into Sport, so you’d get the S on the dash. Now for me, the gearing and the revs were a bit too high for that, it was just a bit too lairy, so I would quite often have to put it into Cupra mode than put it into Drive mode.
Now, this time around, you don’t get the drive mode. When you put it into Cupra mode, you get S+ and switching down goes to S mode. No D mode (unless you are in a different drive profile).
I think by doing this they’ve actually got the balance better. Because for me, for the previous generation, drive mode was a bit too soft for being in CUPRA mode, and SPORT mode was a bit too full on. I felt I always wanted something in between, and I would find myself manually changing gears more than I thought I should.
So I think CUPRA must have discovered that themselves, taken on that feedback. So we’ve got this new S mode and S plus mode, which is one of the big differences, the only real differences in terms of the gearing for me. So I think it works.
Now, in terms of comfort and driving position, bucket seats…
Did I mention I love the seats? Yes, I know I always mention I love the seats because these seats are amazing. They are the best seats I’ve ever sat in a car. And, as you’d expect, they are really hugging, really supportive. I think one of the mainstream media reviewers said they felt the seats were a bit high. I think the seating position is fine for me.
Taking the car on the motorway is where CUPRA mode becomes an issue for me. In CUPRA mode, I think it gets a little bit too loud, too droney. (check out the video review above to hear it for yourself).
Summary
The new visual design of the CUPRA Formentor is very striking. The shark nose design and triangular lights are improvements over the previous model (although the earlier model still looks great).
With more power, it’s hard to complain, although higher insurance might be an issue for some. The car remains very drivable, offering excellent performance with its four-wheel drive and new torque vectoring magic.
Interior quality has improved, though I wish they’d add soft fabric to the door bins. The Sennheiser sound system is exceptional, the best I’ve heard in a car. And yes (yawn, I know I keep going on about them), the seats are fantastic too!
The colour options are nice if a little muted, but if you’re considering matte paint, research its care requirements. CUPRA provides three matte shades with the facelift.
The 2025 CUPRA Formentor boasts new styling, paint options, power and interior upgrades. It’s a worthy upgrade over its pre-facelift predecessor. It’s a great package—although a bit pricey, but we know there are good deals to be found.
Let me know what you think in the comments. We’ve got some new owners already on the forum, so please share your views.
Car Spec as Tested
- Trim: VZ3
- Exterior colour: Century Bronze Matte
- Interior: Textile TURBINE CUP bucket seats with sides in PVC Enceladus Grey
- Engine: 2.0 TSI Transmission: 7-speed DSG Max.
- Power: PS @ rpm: 333 @ 5.600-6,500
- Max. Torque:Nm @ rpm: 420 @ 2,100-5,500
- Fuel economy (mpg) WLTP: 30.7-32.5 CO2 (WLTP) g/km: 198g/km Euro standard: RDE2
- 0-62 mph: 4.8 seconds
- Top speed: 155mph
- Price as tested: £55,475
What do you think of the new Formentor? Let us know in the comments below.
