With seven new electric and plug in hybrid models in 2021, the CUPRA brand have plenty to offer Irish customers. In Ireland there will be four CUPRA retailers, with two in Dublin, one in Cork and another in Limerick. CUPRA’s intention is to double the network and to enhance the brands awareness. CUPRA specialists have been appointed to be the single point of contact for CUPRA sales in Ireland,maintaining the relationship throughout the ownership of the CUPRA vehicle. Tech savvy specialists will be handling the queries from early adopters and knowledgeable consumers alike.
Historically CUPRA was reserved for sports performance versions within SEAT. CUPRA feels that there is enough demand to warrant a standalone CUPRA brand.
Now with the Formentor adding to the CUPRA lineup, it mixes high performance in the CUV (crossover utility vehicle) segment. Pricing is competitive in its segment starting at €64,425 in Ireland. The e-Hybrid with 245 BHP from a 1.4 litre engine starts at €39,895 with deliveries starting in March 2021. Diesel will also be offered and prices start at €39,135.
CUPRA lines will consist of the Ateca, Leon, Formentor and Born supporting the range in Ireland. The CUPRA Born EV will launch here in 2022, with pricing announced later this year.
Mechanically the Formentor features the same 2.0-litre turbo petrol engine that appears in most of the petrol-engined SEATs and CUPRAs. Producing an incredible 306bhp and 400Nm the 2.0 litre is connected to VW’s slick seven-speed DSG gearbox, albeit with bespoke software.
This is good enough to fire the 1,644kg Formentor from 0-100km/h in 4.9 seconds and to a top speed of 250 kp/h. It will return 31.4mpg on the combined cycle with emissions of 193g/km.
The €64k Formentor isn’t going to be cheap to run, its the price you pay for a fun and dynamic, surprisingly practical and well specified vehicle. It features as much new safety tech you could wish for with most of it fitted as standard. There are also some smart touches inside to emphasise the Cupra design theme; neat bronze lines adorn parts of the dash, smart bronze stitching on the leather seats front and rear and a leather steering wheel, also with bronze stitching. And the TFT instruments feature several different displays.
Available from launch, the CUPRA Formentor VZ 2.0 TSI 310PS DSG 4Drive delivers extreme performance. It will be available with a wide range of up to seven different powertrains, including two high-performance plug-in hybrid versions. CUPRA will expand the range by adding a VZ1 model with a 150bhp 1.5 TSi petrol engine and a six-speed manual gearbox, alongside a 1.4 eHybrid model, tuned to deliver either 201bhp or 242bhp, both with an e-only range of over 50 kilometres.