[mcoops]

Like several of you, I've been pondering the wisdom of having two large (5er Touring and Jag F-Pace) cars sitting on our drive doing less than 10k miles p.a. between them.

The final push I needed has been a job change this month. I won't even be driving 2 days a week to the office; rather, I will be taking the train.

With this in mind, I set myself the following brief:

- Smaller car than my 5er Touring...
- ...but big enough to accommodate the family and our German Shepherd occasionally if needed
- Hybrid or electric, since most trips will be very short/local
- Good to drive and quick enough when called upon
- Pleasing to look at and be in
- Monthlies for this + my new commute costs to be equal to or less than what I am currently paying for my 540i

In the end I ruled out electric. If we had been shopping for our main family transport, I think we would (and eventually will) chop the F-Pace in for something like a Tesla MY or Kia EV6. However these were a bit too big and out of budget for a second car. Conversely, I liked the idea of a Mini Electric or an e-208, but they are pricey for the size, and the boot is not big enough for the Shep.

So, today I have ordered a Cupra Formentor VZ2 PHEV (245hp version), having test-driven it last week.

Positives: It's very well packaged. Feels smaller and more nimble than my current big boat, but actually quite a long wheelbase so tons of rear legroom for the kids. Boot not huge but well shaped and big enough for the dog. Design is great - it's a lovely looking thing from the outside, and looks sharp inside too. Seats are excellent - nappa bucket seats. It's quick enough, especially for how I'll be using it. Electric range is fine for the same reason, nice and quiet/wafty in EV mode. Rides and handles tidily, and the driving modes make a discernible difference to damping and throttle response.

Downsides: drivetrain is effective but not inspiring. Some cheap materials mixed in with the nicer stuff. Refinement (noise) OK but not stellar. All three of those are obviously to be expected stepping out of a 6 pot 5 series.

I did have a momentary wobble, as the 310hp range-topper is basically the same price as the higher-powered of the two PHEVs. But there's really no justification for pumping more crap into the air on school and station runs, and the way I will be using it, it will get a full charge every night and rarely need to run on the ICE engine only.

Some old habits die hard mind you. It would have been possible to drop a trim level, get the same drivetrain, and sneak in under £40k. It's already very well equipped. But I am weak, and heated seats are not negotiable these days.

Now comes the long wait. My money is on March. So the kicker is that I will be selling my 5er and most likely getting a runabout on a short term lease to tide me over. I am very excited though. It will be great to try a different manufacturer after 4 BMWs in a row. And although I've decided on a hybrid for practical reasons, I would say I've been 'electro-curious' for a little while (!), so looking forward to giving it a go.

[MashinBenzin]

A lesson in decisiveness to some of us

Great choice Marc, a very good looking, practical and good value package.

I'm also looking forward to hearing about the interim option. Sounds like an old school cafe and fresh copy of Auto Trader adventure could be more fun than a lease, albeit powered by latte and laptop.

[MY340i]

Originally Posted by mcoops

I did have a momentary wobble, as the 310hp range-topper is basically the same price as the higher-powered of the two PHEVs. But there's really no justification for pumping more crap into the air on school and station runs, and the way I will be using it, it will get a full charge every night and rarely need to run on the ICE engine only.

The carbon footprint of a brand new PHEV is massive.....

[isleaiw1]

Good call Marc. Saw one when I was sat having my MacDs last week, and it made me stop and look again. And the hybrid sounds the perfect call....

I think the £40k thing is a bit of a red herring these days, stick payment to monthly and treat it as part of cost of car...

I like the idea of a short term filler as well, always good to have a bit of variety in life!

[NotGotABimmer23]

Originally Posted by isleaiw1

Good call Marc. Saw one when I was sat having my MacDs last week, and it made me stop and look again. And the hybrid sounds the perfect call....

I think the £40k thing is a bit of a red herring these days, stick payment to monthly and treat it as part of cost of car...

I like the idea of a short term filler as well, always good to have a bit of variety in life!

It's the ridiculous additional annual tax on cars over 40k isn't it. In fact aren't hybrids 0 tax if under 40k?

[mcoops]

Originally Posted by MY340i

The carbon footprint of a brand new PHEV is massive.....

Plenty of other threads debating the whole life environmental impact of different cars, so not really interested in playing that game here. And the carbon footprint of any new car is presumably huge. But if I run the PHEV mostly on electric, which I will, it is demonstrably not polluting my neighbourhood.

[JD6]

It is a really striking car, particularly in the launch grey colour. I toyed with the idea of one as a second car instead of the Mini, but I could do with at least one smaller car for the roads up here in the Lakes. Cupra as a brand looks to be what Seat should have been - interesting and different.

Congrats - I'll be very interested to hear how you find it.

[dopper99]

Not your car but the 310bhp version, Rory Reid posted up the other day about their long term loaner had a lot of good things to say about it. Solid, no rattles and no faults at all.

Looks a great car (although I'm personally not keen on all the copper bits of trim on this model).

[Bryans69]

I was in the same situation over the summer, purchase of the camper meant the 540 was really surplus to requirements, and was a good time to sell.

Thinking about a second car now, and whist we don't have a dog, sounds like our requirements are similar. I can't justify a new one for the low mileage it will do, and fancied a Golf R. However, also like you, doesn't make sense to have something that quick when basically doing the shops / kids parties runs, and we can also charge overnight, so I think I'm going Golf GTE. I recon we should be able to run it pretty much electric the whole time, apart from the occasional long trip in it.

Formentor is definitely one of the better looking medium sized SUVs. What are the deals like at the moment ? (he asks, not being tempted into a new car again )

[isleaiw1]

Originally Posted by Bryans69

I was in the same situation over the summer, purchase of the camper meant the 540 was really surplus to requirements, and was a good time to sell.

Thinking about a second car now, and whist we don't have a dog, sounds like our requirements are similar. I can't justify a new one for the low mileage it will do, and fancied a Golf R. However, also like you, doesn't make sense to have something that quick when basically doing the shops / kids parties runs, and we can also charge overnight, so I think I'm going Golf GTE. I recon we should be able to run it pretty much electric the whole time, apart from the occasional long trip in it.

Formentor is definitely one of the better looking medium sized SUVs. What are the deals like at the moment ? (he asks, not being tempted into a new car again )

Drive the Deal is the place to look...

[mcoops]

Originally Posted by isleaiw1

Drive the Deal is the place to look...

^ This. DtD doing about 4K / 10% which includes 1500 finance contribution if you go PCP.

Bryans69, the Formentor is pretty much the Golf GTE in drag, so worth comparing if you did go new.

[Blacktemplar]

I saw one of these the other week in the dark (Graphene?) grey and thought it looked really sharp. There are some decent deals on these days as well, and even the top spec VZ3 310bhp model comes in at almost £100 pm less than my M40i.

Like you, my car sits on the driveway 80% of the time and the majority of the miles I do are local and could be purely in electric mode.

With 2nd hand values at an all-time high, I have significant equity in the X3 so it definitely makes me think....

My only bugbear is the shambolic VW interface and lack of buttons. I don't think a single reviewer has anything good to say about it.

[dopper99]

Originally Posted by isleaiw1

Drive the Deal is the place to look...

Originally Posted by mcoops

^ This. DtD doing about 4K / 10% which includes 1500 finance contribution if you go PCP.

Bryans69, the Formentor is pretty much the Golf GTE in drag, so worth comparing if you did go new.

Yes Drive the Deal for VAG cars. Ordered my Golf through them.
I think the Cupra is on about 3.8% APR as well if you go PCP.

[mcoops]

Originally Posted by dopper99

Yes Drive the Deal for VAG cars. Ordered my Golf through them.
I think the Cupra is on about 3.8% APR as well if you go PCP.

Yep, 3.9 for the 310 petrol, and 2.9 for the PHEV.

[mcoops]

Originally Posted by Blacktemplar

I saw one of these the other week in the dark (Graphene?) grey and thought it looked really sharp. There are some decent deals on these days as well, and even the top spec VZ3 310bhp model comes in at almost £100 pm less than my M40i.

Like you, my car sits on the driveway 80% of the time and the majority of the miles I do are local and could be purely in electric mode.

With 2nd hand values at an all-time high, I have significant equity in the X3 so it definitely makes me think....

My only bugbear is the shambolic VW interface and lack of buttons. I don't think a single reviewer has anything good to say about it.

Agree about the interface, I will miss iDrive.

There are actually some useful shortcuts some of the reviewers don't mention, like a double tap on the climate touch controls which switches on the seat heating without having to delve into the main screen. I think over time you'd get used to it.

I reckon the bigger miss is that the climate controls are not backlit at night, which is really stupid.

[Scoobyd]

The Cupra Formentor looks to be a great package from all you see and read and pretty good value too. Will look forward to hearing how you get on with it when it eventually turns up!

[Watsey]

Originally Posted by dopper99

Not your car but the 310bhp version, Rory Reid posted up the other day about their long term loaner had a lot of good things to say about it. Solid, no rattles and no faults at all.

Looks a great car (although I'm personally not keen on all the copper bits of trim on this model).

Good review. Rory comes across much better - more himself rather than the overly exuberant 'excited kid' on Top Gear.

[JNW1]

Originally Posted by dopper99

Not your car but the 310bhp version, Rory Reid posted up the other day about their long term loaner had a lot of good things to say about it. Solid, no rattles and no faults at all.

Looks a great car (although I'm personally not keen on all the copper bits of trim on this model).

As a dog owner one of the things I wouldn't be keen on is what looks like a relatively high sill for the hatchback; fine for big dogs that are relatively young but potentially a bit of a problem for older dogs to jump up into! That seems to be a common theme with a lot of the SUV-type vehicles and it's one area where a conventional estate is often much better IMO.

Generally I think a Seat is a very good call though; like Skodas they're fundamentally VW's underneath but invariably cost rather less for a like for like vehicle and spec....

[Bryans69]

Just spent lunchtime playing on the configurator, then compared to the Golf GTE and Scode VRs iV, which are the same platform. Similar spec they are all about the same price, give or take, but drive the deal has the golf and skoda 2k less after discount, although PCP is higher.

Given it's usage though, and the idea of 'proper' controls means probably a 3-4 year old Golf makes most sense, but I can certainly see the appeal of this....

VZ1 spec seems a sweet spot, and just under £40k

[DaveA]

I looked at the Formentor when I was swapping out of the Golf… In the end, I went with the 135 as is fitted what I was looking for better, in my opinion… But the Cupra has a heck of a lot going for it and, like you say, you can even get one with all the bells and whistles under the £40k tax threshold… Some good colour choices, also…

However, I wobbled on the 40k when I got the 135 and decided to just spec it like I wanted it…

I never got around to driving a Formentor (we were locked down at the time) but I could not imagine they’d mess up the drive enough to have put me off, particularly coming from the Golf… I was looking at the 310 DSG VZ2 that you wobbled on… and when I looked, as far as I can recall, you could get that under the 40k threshold (as long as you didn't want a special Matte colour)... but I see, now, you cannot do that…

By the time we were out of lockdown, I had decided I was more leaning to the 135 and the BMW dealer made me a pretty good deal… So I never took the Cupra further...

I had a current Seat Leon rental after I sold the Golf, waiting for the BMW… The infotainment, once I got used to working it efficiently, was pretty comprehensive and I did not feel there was anything missing from it… I am assuming the infotainment inn the Cupra is basically the same infotainment…

The current infotainment was not half as bad as I imagined it might be, having read some of the feedback on the interwebby… A couple of things were a little annoying, like having to go in a with off some of the “safety” features every trip (because it does not remember the last settings for them)… But that was just something to get used to… Like all cars…

Lots of car for your money in a smart, modern design… Look forwards to hearing your thoughts when it arrives...

[skipraider]

Very nice looking car. Something I was doing a bit of research on recently.

Joe achiles gave the 310 a great review, which was good as he's a bit of a BMW fan boy. Most reviews have the main negative being the infotainment, although the forums suggest the later updates make it better. I didn't know about double tapping for heated seats etc - but some physical buttons would still be much much better.