Model Year 23/24 New to CUPRA - picking up our Formentor V2 next weekend

[Lankan]

Hello,

Joined recently, and this is my first post...

Please excuse if these are some very basic questions, but we are new to all things CUPRA. However, we will be joining the club next Saturday (16th) when we pick up our first - a 2024 Formenor V2 1.5 6-speed manual in Graphene Grey, with a build date in February 2024. Love the design language adopted and the how space has been maximised even thought it is far from a full-sized SUV.

Why, a manual you may ask? That certainly is our preference. My wife will be its main driver, as it will be her daily driver. I too prefer smallish cars with a manual gearbox and RWD. As such, it would be great to hear from those who have Formentors with a manual gearbox - what do you think of the Formenor and the way it drives, with a 1.5 (circa 148bhp) engine that needs to shift its 1,400 kg -1,500 kg weight? I have searched high and low, but haven't managed to find a single review that really provides an opinion on Formentors with a manual gearbox.

What I am really after is any information/opinion on how you rate the manual gear shift. Of course, rather selfishly what I am also after are the following: Does one need to allow the gearbox oil to heat up (sufficiently) before any stiffness disappears, any feedback related to gear ratios, and how those gear ratios are suited to spirited driving (i.e. do you have to keep shifting up/down depending on the speed of travel, say, when you are navigating a tight, twisty road with hairpin bends and/or traveling uphill?), what is the optimum rev range to use, etc.

 

[KJA]

It's a FWD car and not RWD.
Even in it's AWD form it's mostly FWD.
With regards to questions on manual someone will surely shed some light.

 

[Lankan]

It's a FWD car and not RWD.
Even in it's AWD form it's mostly FWD.
With regards to questions on manual someone will surely shed some light.

Thanks. Indeed, we are aware that this variant is FWD, but went for it due to the manual gearbox, which was a key requirement, especially since my wife is not too concerned with drive configurations, only that it is a manual.

Given that this was a pre-built V2,, and offered at a good price, we took the plunge without a test drive, only based on reviews and ownership experiences on here. As such, the only real unknown are the points raised in my first post, which is of intetest when I happen to drive the Formentor.

 

[Syphon]

Welcome to the community.

Cheers,

Scott

 

[Lankan]

Welcome to the community.

Cheers,

Scott

Thanks - just had the drive-away insurance certificate come through, so look forward to the ownership experience.

 

[Lankan]

Today, I received details related to the various software modules installed in our Formentor - do the versions noted below look as if they are the latest/current versions?

 

[Dave W.]

Hello Lankan.
I am on week 2 of our new 1.5 Formentor V2 manual. The car is lovely and I'm really pleased with it. The manual gear change is fine. Sometimes it's a little clunky when it's cold but superb once it's warmed up. Clutch is very light. The only negative, and it's a small one, is the tyre noise. I'm getting used to it now but it is louder than my previous cars. Brilliant value for money car.

 

[Lankan]

Hello Lankan.
I am on week 2 of our new 1.5 Formentor V2 manual. The car is lovely and I'm really pleased with it. The manual gear change is fine. Sometimes it's a little clunky when it's cold but superb once it's warmed up. Clutch is very light. The only negative, and it's a small one, is the tyre noise. I'm getting used to it now but it is louder than my previous cars. Brilliant value for money car.

Thanks, Dave for your feedback. Great to hear that you are happy with your choice of Formentor.

A light clutch appears to be a familiar characteristic of modern cars. I too have noticed this, so will not be a surprise, but that is okay as long as the gear shift is precise. A slightly notchy gear change until the fluids warm up, especially on cold mornings, is to be expected. My pet hate is imprecise, 'chocolate box' gear changes where you are not sure which gear engages is a major issue though.

Having experienced this in other vehicles, tyre noise is largely down to the brand and construction of the tyres installed. As such, the issue of tyre noise may be addressed with a tyre change. What brand of tyre does the Formentor have when it leaves the factory? I have read that these can be either Bridgestone Turanza or Pirelli (PZero?). Their performance aside, wonder what the difference is concerning 'tyre noise' between the two brands.

 

[Dave W.]

The gears are very positive. No doubt about what gear you are in. Very nice gearbox imo.
I've got Pirelli P Zeros on my car. To be fair I don't give it any thought now. You will be very pleased with the car. I'm looking forward to getting 1000 miles on it to be able to open it up a bit. Great all round car.

 

[Lankan]

Fantastic, just what I wanted to hear - not long to go now...thanks again.

 

[Dave W.]

Let us know how you get on with it.

 

[Dave W.]

How is the new car.

 

[Lankan]

How is the new car.

We picked Formentor V2 up today. Given that these are pre-built vehicles, from the colours available, Graphene Grey was certainly the right choice, which was also a good match for its Petrol Blue interior.

So far, so good - it had 17 miles on the odometer when we collected it, and we covered 84 miles today. Waze picked some fantastic B roads on the way back home from Bromley.

First impressions:

• Not a bad drive. The steering feels a bit numb at first, but appears to gain some 'weight' the quicker you turn the wheel - is this configurable?
• On occasion, I found 1st gear to be rather sticky and refused to slot in at times. Needed to go into 2nd and then back to 1st - is this considered normal?
• The Auto Start/Stop and Lane Assist are the worst features of the car and every new car I have bought since 2015! I think Lane Assist can be switched off via a button on the steering wheel, but can you do the same with the Start/Stop? If not, can the menu options be added to the home screen so that they are readily visible?
• Will be disabling KESSY, which was active by default. Is it correct that one needs to press the unlock button twice to unlock the car?
• Noted that radio stations are listed in alphabetical order, where you are supposed to add those you listen to a list of favourites. Did not see a means to search for radio stations. Is this correct?

Now it is a case of going through the various options and setting the two Driver Profiles. I guess once this is done one does not have to remember every single setting/preference every time one starts the engine since it asks to pick the driver profile for that journey?

 

[Dave W.]

1st gear has never been sticky on mine.
The stop start comes on the screen when radio and other functions are switched off. I just switch the radio off every time I get out of the car and then it is there when I start up.
I don't mind the lane assist personally.
I wish I could switch off the automatic door locking. I can't find the function to disable it on the system.
I have 700 miles on now and I'm just starting to push the engine to 4000rpm when fully warm. It feels nippy.

 

[Lankan]

1st gear has never been sticky on mine.
The stop start comes on the screen when radio and other functions are switched off. I just switch the radio off every time I get out of the car and then it is there when I start up.
I don't mind the lane assist personally.
I wish I could switch off the automatic door locking. I can't find the function to disable it on the system.
I have 700 miles on now and I'm just starting to push the engine to 4000rpm when fully warm. It feels nippy.

I experienced the stickiness of 1st gear soon after driving off the forecourt, stopping at a traffic light, and getting going again, so I put that down to the shift being 'sticky until warmed up', which is fine.

I need to disable both Stop/Start and Lane Assist before setting off so it looks like I have no option but to access the Smart Settings menu, unless it can be surfaced as a pane to the home screen - added to my to-do list, along with permanent disabling Keyless Access.

Is there a comprehensive list of what one can and cannot do via the MyCUPRA app as it appears quite sparse, asking me to go to access/set options via the Infotainment system? For example, after everything was active after I parked up last night, I found that 'Maximum privacy mode' has been enabled, cutting off telematics data from appearing in the app. I am not sure how I managed that if indeed it was a result of my fiddling with the app, but it appears the only way to remedy this is to set/reset Privacy and Services settings via the infotainment system.

Another real plus is that ours came with Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 5 tyres (manufactured in Jan 2024), which I am very pleased about.
How long do tyres on FWD Formentors last, especially the fronts?

 

[Dave W.]

Yes I have a small list of things to do when it goes for it's service. Mainly what you have mentioned.
I'm not in to technology at all so for me the infotainment screen is only used for the most basic of things.
Heater controls, phone, radio and stop start. If these are working properly then I'm happy.

 

[Lankan]

So, two weeks into ownership, nothing has changed, except that dealing with the MyCUPRA app is infuriating. One of its key features that we like is the remote lock/unlock facility. However, having done the needful to verify my identity (by ubmitting my driver's licence, etc) I still get the "WE'RE VERIFYING YOUR IDENTITY" message!

Any tips on how to address the above issue?

On the positive side, the entire car is now fully ceramic coated, which took 3 visits due to the inclement weather; exterior bodywork, all glass surfaces (found that there is a scratch on the rear passenger window, where the location sticker was glued to the window!), entire interior, including carpets, boot, and wheels, and we do like the look of Graphene Grey (we never thought much of or owned a grey or silver car, but this shade is very different). Here is one I snapped this morning: