You can buy a 635hp Formentor from a Cupra dealer
Just when you thought we'd seen it all for the Audi 2.5, along comes Abt with water-ethanol injection...
While Cupra largely busies itself with the future of electromobility for people who have a favourite tote bag, it does sometimes still let its hair down. Remember the Formentor VZ5, the forbidden fruit of the Cupra range for so long, is coming to the UK this year. Pretty soon, in fact. Last year’s launch suggested that there was cause to be very enthusiastic about the prospect of a five-cylinder Formentor, so let’s hope it’s equally impressive over here.
To whet the appetite further, here’s what Abt can achieve with that fabulous engine in a Formentor. On the face of it, this looks like little more than another Abt special edition, with its aerokit and badges. But look a little closer and it’s clear that this is a rather more serious Cupra, as it’s wearing Trofeo RS tyres (the most extreme road legal rubber Pirelli does) and the embroidered floor mats say ‘VZ5 635’ on them…
So, yep, this is a 635hp small SUV. Madness. Yet quite subtle for Abt as well: those are standard pipes and wheels by the looks of it. And while most of the engine upgrades for the Formentor are unsurprising - Abt’s own turbo, intercooler and software - there’s also the small matter of IWI, or Indirect Water/Ethanol Injection. Once more it’s Abt’s own creation; those with very good recall might remember that it has previously used this technology to create huge power from an Audi engine, with the 1,000hp RS7 Legacy Edition.
By drastically cooling the temperature of the intake air, more can be crammed into the combustion chamber; more air can be mixed with more fuel for (much) more power. The fluid required for IWI can be displayed on the app, which must be the best use for a car app yet. Abt suggests that its technology makes for ‘a drivetrain without equal in an SUV of this class’
Check out the stance, too. This hasn’t just been dropped on some lowering springs, instead kitted out with two-way adjustable coilovers. Apparently the suspension is ‘consistently sport-oriented’, whatever fiddling is done - probably sensible with almost 250hp over stock - and has a ‘particular focus on the demands of the Nordschleife.’ Surely many a happy tourist lap could be spent annoying Porsches with one of these.
Daniel Abt said: "The Formentor is already a strong car straight from the factory. That's exactly why it was the right base for us. What our team in Kempten has created from it makes me genuinely proud. In terms of driving dynamics, the VZ5 635 is in a class of its own.” This isn’t just some crazy one-off commission though, as Abt will actually build 30 of these 635hp Cupras; this year marks 130 years of the company, remember, and there’s absolutely no danger of that anniversary going uncelebrated. For now, the cars are only being sold in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, but there is an official Cupra-Abt relationship these days. In the UK we’re extremely fond of the five-cylinder and a Cupra hot hatch in all its forms, so there must be some hope yet. We’re not greedy, either - 500hp would be just fine…
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