CUPRA Formentor VZ5 (2025 – ) review

You don’t buy a high-performance crossover with a powerful, non-hybrid 2.5-litre engine and expect great fuel economy and so it is with the Formentor VZ5. Nor is it cheap to buy or tax, given the exclusivity and emissions classifications. If these dictate your buying decisions there are better options in the Formentor range but for the passionate few attracted by the performance and rarity these will be prices worth paying. The fact it’s rather more unusual and quirky than the Audi RS3 on which it is based should also keep values strong, the if-you-know-you-know factor another point in its favour on that score. But, any way you cut it, the VZ5 is a very expensive indulgence!

Although the Cupra Formentor is built on parts used elsewhere in the wider Volkswagen family it’s not immune to problems. Owners have reported issues with the onboard electronics, specifically the infotainment system fitted to early examples, but also the hybrid system. Thought that of course doesn’t apply here. At least Cupra’s five-year warranty is better than that offered by other brands within the wider VW group.

The VZ5 is based on the updated version of the Formentor, bringing with it various upgrades to the safety tech to meet the latest rules and regulations. Some of them welcome, some of them not so much. While the fat tyres, stiff suspension and noisy engine mitigate against the worst intrusions of the driver ‘aids’ the lane-keeping is especially heavy-handed and over-sensitive, the swipe-down shortcuts menu on the touch-screen at least meaning you can disable this and the (frequently wrong) speed limit alerts quickly enough. We scored more than our fair share of false alarms from the forward collision system as well, the instrument cluster screaming in panic when innocently squeezing past parked cars on urban roads. It’s a common frustration in modern cars but a shame when it spoils what is an otherwise rewarding driving experience.

If you want a comfortable, family-friendly Formentor we’d say save your money and go for one of the more regular versions. For the fact this VZ5’s priorities are more towards carving the corners at speed than mooching about town or the school run. Keen drivers will therefore appreciate the stiff ride, sharp steering, powerful brakes and responsive throttle pedal more than most passengers, though the clever suspension does have a nifty range of adjustment via a sliding scale on the touch-screen. Even set to the softer end the VZ5 still feels on the harsh side on its snazzy 20-inch wheels around town, the fat tyres these wear sometimes noisy on rougher surfaces, too. When you have the road – and, perhaps the car – to yourself and have the space to let the Cupra off the leash you’ll appreciate what these upgrades bring to the party, the sportier driving modes selecting the stiffer suspension, sharper throttle and heavier steering calibrations to really do justice to the extra power while the grippy sports seats hold you in place through the bends. In this guise the Formentor VZ5 is a genuinely potent and exciting car to drive, with the added amusement it goes as hard as the RS3 on which it based but is somewhat less obvious. We’d say on that basis it has the potential to fly under the radar, but we wouldn’t test that theory in a literal sense!

The VZ5’s flagship status means it has a generous standard specification including lots of items that would otherwise be expensive optional extras, including the branded Sabelt sports seats, carbon fibre trimmings and bespoke bodykit. Other goodies include big alloy wheels, an uprated Sennheiser sound system, Matrix LED headlights, three-zone climate control and upgraded brakes. None of which comes cheap, the asking price for the VZ5 nearly double that of the base Formentor!

We’ve always like the Cupra Formentor’s looks and sporty manners, this VZ5 version simply taking it to new extremes on all counts. It looks meaner, goes harder and has enough grunt to humble serious sports cars all with the added bonus most people won’t even realise what it is until it blasts past them. It’s no one-trick-pony either, and everything from brakes to steering and suspension has been upgraded to match the formidable power of the Audi-supplied five-cylinder engine. True, this has been symbolically detuned a fraction to spare the blushes of the related RS3 but 390 horsepower is still plenty to be going on with and the VZ5 is that rarest of things these days in its combination of old-school turbocharged thrust and modern crossover style. And if those are your tastes this makes it a literal rare treat!