Cupra Formentor VZ5 with Audi RS3 power is coming to the UK
Cupra’s Formentor is getting the Audi RS3’s five-pot once again and it’s going to be available in right-hand drive.
The five-cylinder turbocharged engine most commonly associated with the Audi RS3 may not be long for this world, but it’s finding an unlikely home in the final chapter of its life: the new Cupra Formentor VZ5. The best news? This time it’ll be available in right-hand drive.
Yes, a family-friendly crossover available in the UK is getting a 385bhp, 354lb ft warbling five-pot – in this economy, with the UK’s legislative and taxation pressures. Though it sounds like a total novelty, this is actually the facelift of a car that’s already seen wide-scale service in Europe.
As such, even though no performance figures have been released for the new car, the fact that the old version had the same outputs means we can infer the 0-62mph time of 4.2sec and the limited 155mph top speed won’t have changed too much.
Technical specs other than what powers it aren’t yet confirmed, including, for instance, whether it’ll get the latest RS3’s torque-splitter rear differential. The VZ5 will likely retain the six-piston Akebono brakes the previous version came fitted with, and run a version of the DCC 15-way adjustable adaptive dampers the Golf R-powered VZ3 is suspended on. We can also expect it to retain that car’s AWD system and DSG transmission.
It’s an ‘if you know, you know’ car, the Cupra Formentor VZ5. It displays diagonally stacked copper-tipped exhausts (like an Aston Martin DBX S or a Lexus RC F) and is subtly wider than the Formentor VZ3 at the wheelarches. There are special 20-inch alloy wheels and carbonfibre trimmings on the front and rear bumpers.
On the inside the changes are even more subtle, though the Cup bucket seats are standard. The upgraded infotainment and user interface systems of the new Formentor will carry over, as will the revised exterior design with Cupra’s new corporate face, albeit with the aforementioned carbonfibre trim and broader stance.
The first Formentor VZ5 was a limited-run car and so too is this new one. Just 4000 will be made available globally and it's unknown how many of these will be right-hand drive. Production of the previous LHD-only version was limited to 7000 units, of which just 10 came to the UK. We’ve no steer yet on pricing but, for reference, the current Formentor 333 (denoting fitment of the GEA888 2-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine) VZ1 starts from £48,605, while the current base-spec Audi RS3 costs from £62,400.
We wouldn’t be surprised to see the new Formentor VZ5’s price breach the £60k mark. That’s before the cost of first registration, which with CO2 figures like the RS3’s, will be in the region of £3300 to £4680…
