Photo: S.Baldauf/SB-Medien
Previewed by the namesake concept car unveiled at the 2019 Geneva Motor Show, the upcoming 2021 Cupra Formentor in production guise has finally started testing.
Judging by the camouflaged pre-production prototype in the adjacent spy photos, the new Cupra model will be quasi identical-looking with the concept that previewed it, something that's not exactly a trademark for European carmakers.
Unlike the Cupra Ateca, which is simply a re-badged and sportier version of the SEAT Ateca, the new Formentor will be a standalone model in the future Cupra range.
Not only that, but the sports SUV was designed from the start to represent a halo car for the newly created sub-brand, with no corresponding SEAT model when it goes on sale in the second half of 2020.
That said, Formentor will have a similar-looking equivalent in the SEAT range but later on in the product's cycle and with a range of a lot less powerful engine.
Speaking of which, the Cupra Formentor is expected to be available with just two engines according to internal leaks. The base version will feature the same turbocharged, 2.0-liter four-cylinder from the Cupra Ateca, developing 300 horsepower sent to all four wheels through a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission.
The top of the range version is said to get the turbocharged, 2.5-liter inline-five from other VAG models like the Audi RS3 and RS Q3. In fact, the entire car is basically an Audi with SEAT styling, something that isn't exactly unusual since it has happened before with the Audi A4 re-styled as the SEAT Exeo.
Ironically, the camouflage only adds to the car's similarity in overall shape with the sexy Aston Martin DBX, so we don't hold the Audi underpinnings against it.
The pre-production prototype caught during its first road testing session seems to be the four-cylinder model, our spies tell us. We would have guessed it ourselves, without their input, since the exhaust system seems to feature the same amount of rust as other SEATs fitted with the VAG 2.0-liter engine. For some reason, it has become a sort of trademark for the Spanish carmaker not using any rust-prevention on its final exhausts found on its sportier models.
Unlike the Cupra Ateca, which is simply a re-badged and sportier version of the SEAT Ateca, the new Formentor will be a standalone model in the future Cupra range.
Not only that, but the sports SUV was designed from the start to represent a halo car for the newly created sub-brand, with no corresponding SEAT model when it goes on sale in the second half of 2020.
That said, Formentor will have a similar-looking equivalent in the SEAT range but later on in the product's cycle and with a range of a lot less powerful engine.
Speaking of which, the Cupra Formentor is expected to be available with just two engines according to internal leaks. The base version will feature the same turbocharged, 2.0-liter four-cylinder from the Cupra Ateca, developing 300 horsepower sent to all four wheels through a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission.
The top of the range version is said to get the turbocharged, 2.5-liter inline-five from other VAG models like the Audi RS3 and RS Q3. In fact, the entire car is basically an Audi with SEAT styling, something that isn't exactly unusual since it has happened before with the Audi A4 re-styled as the SEAT Exeo.
Ironically, the camouflage only adds to the car's similarity in overall shape with the sexy Aston Martin DBX, so we don't hold the Audi underpinnings against it.
The pre-production prototype caught during its first road testing session seems to be the four-cylinder model, our spies tell us. We would have guessed it ourselves, without their input, since the exhaust system seems to feature the same amount of rust as other SEATs fitted with the VAG 2.0-liter engine. For some reason, it has become a sort of trademark for the Spanish carmaker not using any rust-prevention on its final exhausts found on its sportier models.
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