Cupra Formentor revealed as the performance SUV South Africa will never get

Having taken the covers off of the hot Leon last month, Seat’s performance Cupra division has revealed the all-new coupe-styled Formentor SUV that will go on sale in Europe from the final quarter of this year.

Developed as a Cupra bespoke model, the Formentor derives its name from the Cap de Formentor peninsula of the Spanish island Mallorca, and measures 4 450 mm in overall length with a wheelbase of 2 680  mm, height of 1 511 mm and width of 1 839 mm.

Riding on 19-inch alloy wheels optionally available with a copper finish, and sporting upgraded Brembo brakes, the Formentor mirrors the Leon in being offered with a choice of two engines; a 228kW/400Nm 2.0 TSI taken from the Sportstourer and the plug-in hybrid that marries the 150 kW 1.4 TSI engine from the Volkswagen Golf GTE and Skoda Octavia vRS iV with a 13.1 kW lithium-ion battery for a total system output of 180kW/400Nm.

Able to travel 50 km on a single charge, the hybrid employs a six-speed DSG as opposed to the petrol’s seven-speed with the latter also sporting the 4Drive four-wheel-drive system. Both are however outfitted with the Dynamic Chassis Control system as standard that comes with four modes; Comfort, Sport, Individual and Cupra.

Inside, the interior comes resplendent in black or Petrol Blue leather interior, bolstered by a wraparound ambient lighting system, the 12-inch Seat Digital instrument cluster, brushed copper and aluminium inserts, plus a full suite of safety and driver assistance system including   Predictive Adaptive Cruise Control, Traffic Sign Recognition, Exit Assist and Blind Spot Detection.

Offered in a choice of nine colours; Candy White, Urban Silver, Magnetic Black and Magnetic Tech, two matte hues; Magnetic Tech and Petrol Blue, plus three speciality colours; Dark Camouflage, Graphene Grey and Desire Red, the Formentor, like the rest of the Seat and Cupra line-ups, is unlikely to become available in South Africa at any stage.

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