Previewed
by the Formentor Concept earlier this year, Cupra’s first stand-alone model has
entered the testing phase, ahead of its public premiere next year. This early-production prototype tried
hiding its silhouette underneath lots of vinyl stickers, but it’s pretty
obvious that it stays true to the show car, as Seat’s performance brand
promised.
The
front and rear ends, complete with the grille, bumpers and lights, look
identical, and so does the muscular bonnet and wide rear fenders. Even the
wheels, roof rails and quad exhaust pipes carry over, although the diffuser is
different, presuming that it will keep looking this way on the production
model.
The
cabin managed to hide itself from the camera lenses, but it shouldn’t be too
different to the concept, which came with a production-ready dashboard,
featuring a free-standing infotainment system with a 10-inch display and
digital instrument cluster. The model-specific steering wheel, front sports
seats and a generous selection of high-quality materials, including leather,
high-gloss, dark chrome and copper accents were found inside, and so was carbon
fiber.
Although
longer and wider than the Seat Ateca, the Formentor builds on the same
underpinnings, namely the Volkswagen Group’s versatile MQB platform. Powering
it is probably the 2.0-liter turbo-four from the Cupra Ateca, where it produces
300 PS. The show car, however, came with a PHEV combining the
1.5-liter TSI petrol with an electric motor for a total output of 245 PS. The
hybrid powertrain is also expected to carry over to the production model, but
if reports are accurate, expect to find a five-cylinder option as well; it’s
the same engine found in the new Audi RS3 Sportback and the RS Q3 and RS Q3
Sportback, where it produces 400 PS.
