Rubbish brakes and feels slow

[RobinRizla]

My missus took delivery of her Formentor last Thursday and i noticed the brakes were a bit rubbish, you have to push them really hard to get them to bite properly. I thought this would get better once bedded in but a week later and they have not improved! I also was surprised at how slow the car felt compared to my 2020 Golf R which supposedly has the same engine? I was expecting it to be a tad slower due to the weight but it feels really sluggish and slow to pick up in comparison to my Golf and the missus' previous car, A merc A35 AMG. Is anybody else experiencing these issues?

 

[Gregums]

My missus took delivery of her Formentor last Thursday and i noticed the brakes were a bit rubbish, you have to push them really hard to get them to bite properly. I thought this would get better once bedded in but a week later and they have not improved! I also was surprised at how slow the car felt compared to my 2020 Golf R which supposedly has the same engine? I was expecting it to be a tad slower due to the weight but it feels really sluggish and slow to pick up in comparison to my Golf and the missus' previous car, A merc A35 AMG. Is anybody else experiencing these issues?

I think they may have slipped a 1.5 engine in, whilst you weren't looking? I timed mine to 60, using a mate's App and did it in 4.7s, mine has Brembo brakes and they are ridiculously keen at stopping when you need to. Not sure what's going on with your missus' car but you may want to get it back to the dealer and checked over?

 

[Syphon]

You do have a VZ model?

 

[Peyton]

I don't have experience with a Golf R, but if your missus has a VZ with 310ps it might be just that Golf R is tuned to be more responsive and "jumpy". Formentor when I test drove it felt very relaxed and comfortable until you hit the pedal to the metal.

 

[Ricknffc]

I think they may have slipped a 1.5 engine in, whilst you weren't looking? I timed mine to 60, using a mate's App and did it in 4.7s, mine has Brembo brakes and they are ridiculously keen at stopping when you need to. Not sure what's going on with your missus' car but you may want to get it back to the dealer and checked over?

Haha I'm sorry but I will laugh if it's a V1 or V2 with the 1.5 engine. But on a serious note obviously robinrizla is used to some decent performance. I'm a bit surprised that you could call the 310ps formentor sluggish mind. Can we please have confirmation as to which model it is

 

[CupraCraig]

I think it’s a bit sluggish too to be honest.
Could do with a remap to make it more urgent lower down the rev range. Will be doing that as soon as it’s available.
Once it gets going it’s fine.

My previous car was a TTRS though, which was blisteringly quick.

Brembo’s are very efficient!

 

[Agnes.Surrey]

Engine might be the same as in Golf R 2020, but software is different. I bet Golf R mk8 might feel sluggish too, comparing to previous model, due to all eco stuff. I read comments from Formentor owners complaining about delay before acceleration kicks in.

 

[Spikytim]

I test drove the car in January (Belgium). When you put your foot down it needs a second to shift back before it really starts accelerating.
Small work around was manually shifting down and putting your foot down.
I believe this could already be solved by a tune of the DSG.

 

[Mike the_cupra]

I came from a 2015 Golf R (6spd DSG) to a 2020 Ateca (7spd) and the Ateca felt quicker from the off. I think this engine was marginally more powerful, but it felt fine. I'm surprised you think different but I haven't driven a formentor. I would suggest (if possible) do some timings and see whether it's about right (0-62).

 

[RobinRizla]

Sorry guys forgot to mention its a VZ2. I'm by no means saying it's slow, i was just expecting more from it and started to worry the car maybe had an issue. Maybe it's just how the car is programmed to drive, its not a hot hatch after all. As for the brakes i think they are just plain dangerous, the amount of force needed for them to bite properly seems excessive to me! No brembos on the VZ2 obviously, should probably have gone for the VZ3.

 

[Ricknffc]

Sorry guys forgot to mention its a VZ2. I'm by no means saying it's slow, i was just expecting more from it and started to worry the car maybe had an issue. Maybe it's just how the car is programmed to drive, its not a hot hatch after all. As for the brakes i think they are just plain dangerous, the amount of force needed for them to bite properly seems excessive to me! No brembos on the VZ2 obviously, should probably have gone for the VZ3.

Ha no worries, I also have the VZ2 and can't say I share the same opinion as you regarding the brakes, obviously they aren't going to be like the brembos on the vz3 but still. Having only had it since Thursday do you not think it could be the case of bedding them in. I've only had mine for 7 days and in honesty I've not asked a huge amount of the brakes yet admittedly but have not given me any reason for concern. I guess I will discover more in the next 1000 miles or so as I start to up the ante.

 

[RobinRizla]

Ha no worries, I also have the VZ2 and can't say I share the same opinion as you regarding the brakes, obviously they aren't going to be like the brembos on the vz3 but still. Having only had it since Thursday do you not think it could be the case of bedding them in. I've only had mine for 7 days and in honesty I've not asked a huge amount of the brakes yet admittedly but have not given me any reason for concern. I guess I will discover more in the next 1000 miles or so as I start to up the ante.

Hoping they just need bedding in then... A little worried about it because i dont remember my brakes being the same when mine was new. I will give it a week or 2 and then book it in for a check if its not improved

 

[Zephyr]

VZ2 without Breembo brakes carries a 340mm front brakes (the same that came on the Golf GTI VII w/ Performance Package) so they aren't sissies... they just work.

Maybe is a lack of pad burnishing maybe disk contamination but those brakes are nice ones.

 

[jammyski]

I current have a golf R moving to a Formentor VZ3 I test drove the VZ2 and felt the same about the breaks, hopping having the Brembo’s will give me similar stopping power on a heavier car, don’t have the car yet so can’t confirm

 

[jcbmally]

Car will slacken up, mine did after 1500 miles or so. It now goes like a stabbed rat (at 2600 miles) and the Brembo on mine are phenomenal, again felt a bit weak at first but now spot on.

 

[Dovla_ktm]

Not so slow after few mods..

 

[Peyton]

About the rubbish brakes. Did you try pressing with more force? I've got the car today and I feel like the car is hesitant to slow down but mostly because my foot is used to my previous car. One time I mistakenly pressed the brake pedal with left foot (this is my first automatic), the car stopped extremely suddenly, things were flying around the car, luckily no one was behind.

It's almost as if the brake pedal has a strange pressure curve. Often times I was coming to a stop at a red light and I felt the car was not slowing well enough, but my mistake showed me that the car is capable, it's just that my foot is not calibrated.

 

[Ricknffc]

About the rubbish brakes. Did you try pressing with more force? I've got the car today and I feel like the car is hesitant to slow down but mostly because my foot is used to my previous car. One time I mistakenly pressed the brake pedal with left foot (this is my first automatic), the car stopped extremely suddenly, things were flying around the car, luckily no one was behind.

It's almost as if the brake pedal has a strange pressure curve. Often times I was coming to a stop at a red light and I felt the car was not slowing well enough, but my mistake showed me that the car is capable, it's just that my foot is not calibrated.

Does the Formentor feature regenerative braking? I've got to admit I've had to get used to the new brakes in the same kind of way. My Leon was very jerky as soon as you tickled the brake pedal it felt like it would apply maximum braking. I agree there is more travel in the Formentor's brake pedal. I've not experienced the full stopping power yet.

 

[Peyton]

Does the Formentor feature regenerative braking? I've got to admit I've had to get used to the new brakes in the same kind of way. My Leon was very jerky as soon as you tickled the brake pedal it felt like it would apply maximum braking. I agree there is more travel in the Formentor's brake pedal. I've not experienced the full stopping power yet.

I don't know, Hybrids might have regenerative braking, but I am talking about VZ editions without hybrid systems. No regeneration there. Pure old gasoline.

But the pedal is much harder or has longer travel than I was used in my Leon. I know it can stop you dead fast, my missus lost her sunglasses when I glanced my brake with my clutch foot, but when I was coming to normal stops I felt like I am not stopping fast enough.

I'm sure my foot will recalibrate. For anyone who thinks brakes are rubbish I suggest to do a full emergency stop somewhere safe. They may not be Golf R good but they can hardly be called rubbish.

 

[Yaz2010]

Does formentor have forward collision assust where it will brake itself for slow speeds and do a dead stop?