Audi five-cylinder engine Cupra Formentor VZ5 revealed as a fast South Africa no-no

Spun-off from the Seat brand just under three years ago as a dedicated in-house performance division rather than a go-faster nomenclature, Cupra has taken the covers off of its most powerful SUV to date, the Formentor VZ5.

Following on from the standard model released last year, the VZ5, in an unexpected surprise, derives motivation from Volkswagen Group stablemate Audi’s 2.5 TFSI five-cylinder Ingolstadt refused its parent to have for the new Golf R. Detuned from the 294 kW produced in the RS3 and TT RS, the five-pot punches out 287 kW with torque remaining unchanged at 480 Nm. Delivered to all four wheels via a seven-speed DSG, the VZ5 will get from 0-100 km/h in a claimed 4.2 seconds and top out at 250 km/h.

Sporting the same dimensions at the regular Formentor, the VZ5 sits 10 mm closer to the ground and differentiates itself by boasting model exclusive machined copper 20-inch alloy wheels, a matte black grille surround, restyled matte black lower air intake, matte black mirror caps, a model specific bonnet, quad exhaust outlets, a carbon fibre front splitter and rear diffuser, as well as a choice of four colours; Midnight Black, Petrol Blue Matte, Magnetic Tech Matte and the new Taiga Grey hue.

Further equipped with the Dynamic Chassis Control system offering 15 levels of damping and five modes; Comfort, Sport, Individual and Offroad, plus a six-piston 18-inch Akebono caliper setup at the front, the VZ5’s interior comes with black or Petrol Blue leather bucket seats, dark brushed aluminium and copper inserts, specific readouts within the twelve-inch digital instrument cluster and from the options list, black Dinamica graphics and perforated brown Nappa leather seats with copper detailing.

Going on sale in Europe from the final quarter of this year with production limited to 7 000 units, the VZ5, like Seat, is not being considered for South Africa at all.

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