In a car market overrun by electrified bore boxes, Cupra\u2019s new Formentor VZx brings welcome Barcelona brawn and bravado.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s a Spanish small SUV with serious bite.<\/p>\n
It lifts the raucous 245kW\/420Nm 2.0L four-cylinder turbo petrol engine from VW\u2019s Golf R and allies it to all-wheel-drive, helping haul this edgy-bodied VZx to 100km\/h in just 4.8-seconds.<\/p>\n
What is it? <\/p>\n
If performance and a rewarding drive\u2019s your bag, VW-owned rebel-brand Cupra could be worth a hola.<\/p>\n
There are plenty of ultra-rapid SUVs on sale these days, but most use batteries and electric motors. Our Formentor relies solely on dinosaur juice to bring the speed, which is something of a purist novelty in 2026.<\/p>\n
MORE: Wild five-cylinder Cupra on the way<\/a><\/p>\n Compromises? Oh yes. It drinks expensive 98 fuel at 8.3L\/100km even when driving sedately, and it spews out CO2 at a rate attracting hefty fines from the government\u2019s anti-emissions police.<\/p>\n But being bad can feel so good.<\/p>\n Put the shoe in and the turbo engine\u2019s urge gets busy early in the rev range, but maximum power doesn\u2019t arrive until around 6000rpm. Up here, this Cupra finally makes a decent noise, while there\u2019s monumental punch from the muscled four-cylinder.<\/p>\n The price <\/p>\n It\u2019s a little SUV ticking boxes of younger buyers, but most will be locked out by this VZx\u2019s hefty $69,990 price. It\u2019s still lots of performance for your dollars, but you\u2019re in the Audi SQ2, Lexus LBX Morizo RR and Mini Countryman JCW small SUV playground now.<\/p>\n In-house rival Volkswagen T-Roc R-Line can\u2019t touch this VZx for performance, but is decent fun for $20k less.<\/p>\n MORE: Dealer changes a \u2018lemon\u2019 for Aussie drivers<\/a><\/p>\n Cupra\u2019s offering five Formentor variants, which feels bold for a model which sold only 1490 units last year. <\/p>\n But it\u2019s Cupra\u2019s runaway bestseller, so the brand\u2019s doubling down. Entry-level \u201cS\u201d is still not cheap at $49,990: it\u2019s well-specc\u2019d, but 110kW\/250Nm means it lacks punch to back its purposeful looks.<\/p>\n A $57,490 \u201cV\u201d ups performance and style, while there\u2019s a $68,990 VZe plug-in hybrid if you must save the planet. All have merits, but rivals offer similar for less coin.<\/p>\n The VZx proves the most interesting with its standout performance. Although late this year a 287kW (!) VZ5 lands with Audi RS3 turbo five-cylinder engine, but you\u2019ll not see change from $100k there. Strong pre-launch sales suggest Aussie performance fans are jumping on board and to hell with the cost.<\/p>\n What you get <\/p>\n Regardless, the VZx offers plenty on the mad dog front, and for $30k less. <\/p>\n Sticking with its drive, there\u2019s multi-adjustable adaptive suspension (it still rides firm even on the softest setting), while there\u2019s a new electro-hydraulic torque-vectoring rear differential.<\/p>\n I won\u2019t bore you with the science there, but it brings a drift mode allowing this all-wheel-drive to perform decent tyre-burning skids, albeit nowhere near as easily as in a rear-drive funster.<\/p>\n