The stylish Formentor crossover is a hit in the Czech environment. However, the VZ5 label marking the iconic five-cylinder takes it to a completely different level.
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The Formentor is the first stand-alone Cupra car to offer only fast rebranded seats. And at least in the Czech environment, he is doing very, very well. In the first five months of this year alone, seven electric births, thirteen leons, seventeen atecs and… 854 formentors were registered, according to the Association of Automobile Importers!
New motorization VZ5 does not further boost in the description of the sales work. It will be a marginal issue, after all, Cupra itself has confirmed the production of only 7,000 copies. The first batch arrived in the Czech Republic some time ago and we were given the opportunity for an introductory ride before the traditional weekly test. Sit comfortably, it will be nimble!
On the way to Nymburkring
The half-day program with the new Vet-Five starts on the outskirts of Prague, from where we drive about an hour to Nymburk. Here, Cupra has prepared a technical file for time at a small private airport, followed by a return to the capital. At the first touch of the Formentor VZ5, we have three watches everywhere.
And so we don’t delay. Because a sharper ride awaits me at Nymburkring, as we named the skittle alley with my colleagues, I start in a comfortable mode. Here, too, depressing the accelerator pedal to the floor can pin you to the seat, but the reactions to the instructions with the right foot are not so quick, the technician recalculates and takes a moment. On the contrary, the chassis is a pleasant surprise. Compared to the four-cylinder VZ, it is reduced by a millimeter, has adaptive shock absorbers and twenty-inch wheels. Although such a combination should automatically mean some compromises in terms of comfort, I do not feel that way. The car is comfortable even on city retarders and cubes. You know about them, but you will definitely not climb with a sore back after a few kilometers.
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I’m getting out of town and the first pretty district opens up in front of me. Then switch to Cupra mode and press the throttle to the floor again. The reaction is suddenly more agile, the hand travels through the tachometer as frantic, so that the seven-stage two-clutch just above the very edge kicks another quality… the experience is many times more intense in sports mode, which is underlined by the compacted acoustics of the powertrain.
You will get to a pace very quickly, for which the patrol hidden behind the bus stop in Sadská would probably not praise you. But as I said, the technical exercises are still waiting for me, so I calm down and enjoy the ride to the airport at a fairly normal pace. In that case, the Formentor VZ5 says about ten liters of fuel for every hundred kilometers and really drives like a fairly ordinary car. Remember the famous versatility of Golf R? I would say that this crossover is not far from her…
Launch control, slalom and full!
We “land” on Nymburkring in less than an hour. Here we will try launch control, slalom between skittles, turn and another slalom as part of the timed test. The whole thing is then completed once again, but instead of the final slalom we have to go straight ahead at the highest pace. And finally, don’t forget the full brakes!
Here, in addition to the lowered chassis, sports mode and Akebono brake system, the jewel under the hood will also come in handy. You’re right, the 2.5-liter five-cylinder to 7,000 formentors is lent by Audi engineers, who have collected countless laurels for it in recent years across engine polls. The unit has 287 kW (390 hp) and 480 newton meters of torque from 2250 to 5700 rpm. So it’s 10 horsepower weaker than the same technology in the Audi RS Q3, but honestly? One hundred in 4.2 seconds and a maximum speed of 250 km / h are strong arguments why you don’t have to stress because of it.
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Starting with active launch control is an experience in any at least a little angry car, let alone in a five-cylinder crossover. Formentor is really a crossover, but when weaving through the skittles, it lets its construction be forgotten relatively quickly. Not only can you put the seat very low and get closer to the classic hatchback – it actually drives the whole car. It is extremely agile, the body does not tilt and, despite the engine room under the hood, it looks light-duty.
The sophisticated all-wheel drive with the Torque Splitter system (see video below), which we already know from the Audi RS3 or Golf R, certainly helps. torque on each wheel. In practice, this should suppress understeer and, conversely, increase maneuverability and agility. And obviously it works! I must not forget the brakes either. They react immediately to a few sharp instructions to stop, and even during the final one, they don’t seem to be more tired.
Conclusion
Are you asking for time? I completed the measured insert with a time of 1:24 and some small ones. So far, all participants were a few tenths or seconds worse. Only one drove 1:21, but earned a five-second penalty. My joy of the championship so far did not last long. Right after me, my colleague Bart Běhal took the start and dusted them all out with a time of 1:19. Congratulation!
But back to Formentor VZ5. Take today’s ride as such a first tasting. What we can’t see is the traditional weekly test, in which it’s time for all things not mentioned today – for example, drift mode! I had high expectations from the five-cylinder style and after the first ride it seems that it will be possible to fulfill them. Great engine, solid driving characteristics and a lot, a lot of fun. It’s just going to cost something. Cupra charges CZK 1,869,900 for the Formentor VZ5, CZK 410,000 more than the 310-horsepower four-cylinder. Even so, I assume that the pieces reserved for the Czech market are just dusty. There won’t be many such cars anymore.
| Cupra Formentor VZ5: technical data and Czech price | |
| VZ5 | |
| Cylinders / valves | 5/4 |
| Displacement [cm3] | 2480 |
| Max. power [kW/min] | 287/5700-7000 |
| Torque [Nm/min] | 480/2250-5700 |
| Acceleration 0-100 km / h [s] | 4,2 |
| Maximal speed [km/h] | 250 |
| Combined consumption [l/100 km] | 9,3 |
| Combined CO2 emissions [g/km] | 212 |
| Fuel tank capacity [l] | 55 |
| Standby weight [kg] | 1685 |
| price from [Kč] | 1.869.900 |
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