CUPRA FORMENTOR OWNERS
Discussion
A.karim said:
Hi All,
Thinking of buying the CUPRA formentor v2 2.0
Does anyone have one or similar model
How are you getting on with it?
Would you recommend it?
Bit late to this but I do, well I have the 300BHP VZ2. Couple years old now but it is quite good. Seats are comfy, it is a good looking car, and has the engine start button on the wheel! I am changing it at Xmas though.Thinking of buying the CUPRA formentor v2 2.0
Does anyone have one or similar model
How are you getting on with it?
Would you recommend it?
Issues - nothing major - the infotainment decides to reboot very occasionally at inopportune moments - the iPhone overheats when on wireless charge - 30 something mpg oin jut under 15000 miles. Oh, and the exhaust note in the car in Cupra mode is annoyingly chavvy. Luckily you can do individual settings and bypass the exhaust sound! The infotainment issues (everything buried in the display screen) is not as bad as made out, nor is the lane departure stuff that gets a bad press... it is not an issue really. Also, the game changer was a tip on here to "two finger tap" the temp slider to switch on/off the heated seat!
I would not have another one though, and it puts me off the golf next (was keen on the Golf R) because of the similarities with the infotainment stuff. circumstances pushing me down another route.
I probably have not exploited this car as much as possible, but for a non-electric mini/semi suv thing, and considering I got this to replace a F31 335D, I still consider it to be comfy and quite quick. 7.6/10.
Would I recommend - yes. What else do you want to know?
We have owned a Cupra Formentor 310 VZ2 for the past 2 years, here are my thoughts
- The infotainment is w
k. All bar HVAC temp and volume is controlled on the infotainment screen. This wouldn't be so bad if the system was responsive and designed properly. Alas, it's slow and until you learn the UI, controls are hidden. We absolutely hate it.
- I know you aren't looking for the 310 model, if you do, don't buy one for a nice engine tone. It sounds like a sewing machine, but I'm comparing it to my M2, which sound sublime in comparison.
- Reliability has been fine. The infotainment as mentioned above is wk, and has shutdown a few times. We've had endless firmware updates done, and it's better but not great
- It's a nice car to drive and the gearbox is great
- Economy, we average 30-35mpg, but this will depend on your driving style and choice of engine
- Would we buy it again? If buttons could be installed, and the infotainment largely removed, then absolutely. It's a good car, but the infotainment is linked to nearly everything and it's god awful to use. With that in mind, we wouldn't buy it again and we're looking at replacing it this year with a less "complicated" car.
- The infotainment is w
k. All bar HVAC temp and volume is controlled on the infotainment screen. This wouldn't be so bad if the system was responsive and designed properly. Alas, it's slow and until you learn the UI, controls are hidden. We absolutely hate it. - I know you aren't looking for the 310 model, if you do, don't buy one for a nice engine tone. It sounds like a sewing machine, but I'm comparing it to my M2, which sound sublime in comparison.
- Reliability has been fine. The infotainment as mentioned above is w
k, and has shutdown a few times. We've had endless firmware updates done, and it's better but not great- It's a nice car to drive and the gearbox is great
- Economy, we average 30-35mpg, but this will depend on your driving style and choice of engine
- Would we buy it again? If buttons could be installed, and the infotainment largely removed, then absolutely. It's a good car, but the infotainment is linked to nearly everything and it's god awful to use. With that in mind, we wouldn't buy it again and we're looking at replacing it this year with a less "complicated" car.
Networkgeek said:
We have owned a Cupra Formentor 310 VZ2 for the past 2 years, here are my thoughts
- The infotainment is wk. All bar HVAC temp and volume is controlled on the infotainment screen. This wouldn't be so bad if the system was responsive and designed properly. Alas, it's slow and until you learn the UI, controls are hidden. We absolutely hate it.
- I know you aren't looking for the 310 model, if you do, don't buy one for a nice engine tone. It sounds like a sewing machine, but I'm comparing it to my M2, which sound sublime in comparison.
- Reliability has been fine. The infotainment as mentioned above is wk, and has shutdown a few times. We've had endless firmware updates done, and it's better but not great
- It's a nice car to drive and the gearbox is great
- Economy, we average 30-35mpg, but this will depend on your driving style and choice of engine
- Would we buy it again? If buttons could be installed, and the infotainment largely removed, then absolutely. It's a good car, but the infotainment is linked to nearly everything and it's god awful to use. With that in mind, we wouldn't buy it again and we're looking at replacing it this year with a less "complicated" car.
So many people are saying about the infotainment I think it seems to be a real issue, I don’t really use car play or the media much and I use my Google maps on my phone so really just need a car that looks good and has a good engine that doesn’t breakdown which sounds like the CUPRA wouldn’t, is yours still under warranty? Please let me know if you want to sell it soon 😁- The infotainment is w
k. All bar HVAC temp and volume is controlled on the infotainment screen. This wouldn't be so bad if the system was responsive and designed properly. Alas, it's slow and until you learn the UI, controls are hidden. We absolutely hate it. - I know you aren't looking for the 310 model, if you do, don't buy one for a nice engine tone. It sounds like a sewing machine, but I'm comparing it to my M2, which sound sublime in comparison.
- Reliability has been fine. The infotainment as mentioned above is w
k, and has shutdown a few times. We've had endless firmware updates done, and it's better but not great- It's a nice car to drive and the gearbox is great
- Economy, we average 30-35mpg, but this will depend on your driving style and choice of engine
- Would we buy it again? If buttons could be installed, and the infotainment largely removed, then absolutely. It's a good car, but the infotainment is linked to nearly everything and it's god awful to use. With that in mind, we wouldn't buy it again and we're looking at replacing it this year with a less "complicated" car.
A.karim said:
So many people are saying about the infotainment I think it seems to be a real issue, I don’t really use car play or the media much and I use my Google maps on my phone so really just need a car that looks good and has a good engine that doesn’t breakdown which sounds like the CUPRA wouldn’t, is yours still under warranty? Please let me know if you want to sell it soon ??
It's not just the media and maps that the infotainment system is controlling. It controls things which used to be simple buttons and dials on older cars. So your heated seats, heated steering wheel etc are all controlled with the infotainment system. Jayho said:
It's not just the media and maps that the infotainment system is controlling. It controls things which used to be simple buttons and dials on older cars. So your heated seats, heated steering wheel etc are all controlled with the infotainment system.
To be fair, in addition, the heated wheel has a button on the wheel, and the seats are controlled by the two finger tap on the temp slider.Mine today... the sat nav voice just stopped talking. radio was fine and would mute when the sat nav should be talking, but noticed the sat nav volume was fully up, and not adjustable. Suddenly, she came through and was very very loud! I was using Car Play mind and Apple Maps if that has anything to do with it!
mattyn1 said:
To be fair, in addition, the heated wheel has a button on the wheel, and the seats are controlled by the two finger tap on the temp slider.
Mine today... the sat nav voice just stopped talking. radio was fine and would mute when the sat nav should be talking, but noticed the sat nav volume was fully up, and not adjustable. Suddenly, she came through and was very very loud! I was using Car Play mind and Apple Maps if that has anything to do with it!
Does this happy a lot?Mine today... the sat nav voice just stopped talking. radio was fine and would mute when the sat nav should be talking, but noticed the sat nav volume was fully up, and not adjustable. Suddenly, she came through and was very very loud! I was using Car Play mind and Apple Maps if that has anything to do with it!
mattyn1 said:
I would not say a lot… but in this day and age I would not expect it to happen at all.
I have just done a software update so whether that’s anything to do with it I don’t know!
Of course, it could be a carplay thing … maybe!
Yes not ideal, oh man I don’t know whether to buy it now and if the gla is a better option 🙈 you haven’t had any engine issues etc? I have just done a software update so whether that’s anything to do with it I don’t know!
Of course, it could be a carplay thing … maybe!
We have a 2024 vz1 hybrid, so pre facelift (which look loads better).
The infotainment is crap, but you can live with it. Just. I tried to change the sound settings last week and gave up.
Not the one you are looking at is a hybrid, but other annoyances of ours is that:
1) it doesn’t unlock the charging cable about 1/2 the time
2) you have to pay £60 a year for the app after the first year. I probably wouldn’t bother if I didn’t want it for the pre conditioning
Other than that it’s actually ok to drive and looks good
The infotainment is crap, but you can live with it. Just. I tried to change the sound settings last week and gave up.
Not the one you are looking at is a hybrid, but other annoyances of ours is that:
1) it doesn’t unlock the charging cable about 1/2 the time
2) you have to pay £60 a year for the app after the first year. I probably wouldn’t bother if I didn’t want it for the pre conditioning
Other than that it’s actually ok to drive and looks good
A.karim said:
Yes not ideal, oh man I don’t know whether to buy it now and if the gla is a better option ?? you haven’t had any engine issues etc?
None... the engine is fantastic. Like I said the manufactured exhaust noise is arse but you can cancel that out while keeping the performance - at least on my VZ2 you can.Did anyone’s infotainment randomly just got blank? Mine did that while I was reversing just went off and wouldn’t come back on so I had no access to the reversing camera which isn’t the end of the world but I hope it doesn’t keep doing this going blank especially if I’m on a motorway and need my nav! It didn’t come back on for a good 10 mins !!
Has anyone mentioned the handbrake release issue? This was never resolved on my 2021 VZ2 model in 2.5yrs of ownership, despite 3 repeat visits to the dealer, including the associated recall work to do with the brake module/modulator. In our case, the vehicle would frequently stall when trying to pull away from a standstill because the electronic handbrake wouldn't release quick enough, in response to throttle application. This got REALLY frustrating, borderline dangerous, as an engine restart procedure simply isn't a turn of the key in a modern auto. (I'd like to think this has been resolved by subsequent updates...?)
As mentioned above, the infotainment system was very poor. Not just poor usability, but freezing, crashing and randomly rebooting. Again, despite 3 dealer visits, new SOS module and everything that goes with that....it continued to 'play up' until the day it got collected by BCA at the end of the lease. Lots of gremlins related to misreading road signage and adjacent vehicle positions on the motorway, but these got ironed out by the second infotainment update.
The gearbox was great when launching and pressing on - in fact, absolutely fantastic....but round town it was quite hard to live with. It would always be trying to select too high a gear (For economy/emissions I assume) and hence when coming to a junction or roundabout where you wanted to make a sharpish 'getaway' without stopping, you'd find yourself in a huge lul, waiting for it to drop down 2/3 gears to give you anything vaguely resembling forward propulsion. Of course, the answer to this would be manually knocking it down on the paddles in preparation for such events, but that got boring and completely undermines having an auto box.
On the plus side, it went really (really) well, looked striking and handled well and had a good spec in standard VZ2 trim. It even did well on tyre wear considering the power, but I just couldn't go back to this year/generation of VW product with that infotainment/UI or indeed gearbox mapping/set up.
Yes my post sounds like doom and gloom, but its pure reflection of 2.5 years / 26k miles at the helm. May I STRONGLY SUGGEST you go for an extended test drive.
EDIT: looks like I was a little late with my post. Oh well.
As mentioned above, the infotainment system was very poor. Not just poor usability, but freezing, crashing and randomly rebooting. Again, despite 3 dealer visits, new SOS module and everything that goes with that....it continued to 'play up' until the day it got collected by BCA at the end of the lease. Lots of gremlins related to misreading road signage and adjacent vehicle positions on the motorway, but these got ironed out by the second infotainment update.
The gearbox was great when launching and pressing on - in fact, absolutely fantastic....but round town it was quite hard to live with. It would always be trying to select too high a gear (For economy/emissions I assume) and hence when coming to a junction or roundabout where you wanted to make a sharpish 'getaway' without stopping, you'd find yourself in a huge lul, waiting for it to drop down 2/3 gears to give you anything vaguely resembling forward propulsion. Of course, the answer to this would be manually knocking it down on the paddles in preparation for such events, but that got boring and completely undermines having an auto box.
On the plus side, it went really (really) well, looked striking and handled well and had a good spec in standard VZ2 trim. It even did well on tyre wear considering the power, but I just couldn't go back to this year/generation of VW product with that infotainment/UI or indeed gearbox mapping/set up.
Yes my post sounds like doom and gloom, but its pure reflection of 2.5 years / 26k miles at the helm. May I STRONGLY SUGGEST you go for an extended test drive.
EDIT: looks like I was a little late with my post. Oh well.
Edited by MattyD803 on Thursday 15th May 09:15
A.karim said:
Did anyone’s infotainment randomly just got blank? Mine did that while I was reversing just went off and wouldn’t come back on so I had no access to the reversing camera which isn’t the end of the world but I hope it doesn’t keep doing this going blank especially if I’m on a motorway and need my nav! It didn’t come back on for a good 10 mins !!
Does this mean you bought one?A.karim said:
Did anyone’s infotainment randomly just got blank? Mine did that while I was reversing just went off and wouldn’t come back on so I had no access to the reversing camera which isn’t the end of the world but I hope it doesn’t keep doing this going blank especially if I’m on a motorway and need my nav! It didn’t come back on for a good 10 mins !!
Yep. Software update this year and seems to have stopped doing it… maybe check that?
mattyn1 said:
A.karim said:
Did anyone’s infotainment randomly just got blank? Mine did that while I was reversing just went off and wouldn’t come back on so I had no access to the reversing camera which isn’t the end of the world but I hope it doesn’t keep doing this going blank especially if I’m on a motorway and need my nav! It didn’t come back on for a good 10 mins !!
Yep. Software update this year and seems to have stopped doing it… maybe check that?
macron said:
A.karim said:
Did anyone’s infotainment randomly just got blank? Mine did that while I was reversing just went off and wouldn’t come back on so I had no access to the reversing camera which isn’t the end of the world but I hope it doesn’t keep doing this going blank especially if I’m on a motorway and need my nav! It didn’t come back on for a good 10 mins !!
Does this mean you bought one?MattyD803 said:
Has anyone mentioned the handbrake release issue? This was never resolved on my 2021 VZ2 model in 2.5yrs of ownership, despite 3 repeat visits to the dealer, including the associated recall work to do with the brake module/modulator. In our case, the vehicle would frequently stall when trying to pull away from a standstill because the electronic handbrake wouldn't release quick enough, in response to throttle application. This got REALLY frustrating, borderline dangerous, as an engine restart procedure simply isn't a turn of the key in a modern auto. (I'd like to think this has been resolved by subsequent updates...?)
As mentioned above, the infotainment system was very poor. Not just poor usability, but freezing, crashing and randomly rebooting. Again, despite 3 dealer visits, new SOS module and everything that goes with that....it continued to 'play up' until the day it got collected by BCA at the end of the lease. Lots of gremlins related to misreading road signage and adjacent vehicle positions on the motorway, but these got ironed out by the second infotainment update.
The gearbox was great when launching and pressing on - in fact, absolutely fantastic....but round town it was quite hard to live with. It would always be trying to select too high a gear (For economy/emissions I assume) and hence when coming to a junction or roundabout where you wanted to make a sharpish 'getaway' without stopping, you'd find yourself in a huge lul, waiting for it to drop down 2/3 gears to give you anything vaguely resembling forward propulsion. Of course, the answer to this would be manually knocking it down on the paddles in preparation for such events, but that got boring and completely undermines having an auto box.
On the plus side, it went really (really) well, looked striking and handled well and had a good spec in standard VZ2 trim. It even did well on tyre wear considering the power, but I just couldn't go back to this year/generation of VW product with that infotainment/UI or indeed gearbox mapping/set up.
Yes my post sounds like doom and gloom, but its pure reflection of 2.5 years / 26k miles at the helm. May I STRONGLY SUGGEST you go for an extended test drive.
EDIT: looks like I was a little late with my post. Oh well.
Oh dear none of this sounds good! I take it you didn’t keep it in the end?As mentioned above, the infotainment system was very poor. Not just poor usability, but freezing, crashing and randomly rebooting. Again, despite 3 dealer visits, new SOS module and everything that goes with that....it continued to 'play up' until the day it got collected by BCA at the end of the lease. Lots of gremlins related to misreading road signage and adjacent vehicle positions on the motorway, but these got ironed out by the second infotainment update.
The gearbox was great when launching and pressing on - in fact, absolutely fantastic....but round town it was quite hard to live with. It would always be trying to select too high a gear (For economy/emissions I assume) and hence when coming to a junction or roundabout where you wanted to make a sharpish 'getaway' without stopping, you'd find yourself in a huge lul, waiting for it to drop down 2/3 gears to give you anything vaguely resembling forward propulsion. Of course, the answer to this would be manually knocking it down on the paddles in preparation for such events, but that got boring and completely undermines having an auto box.
On the plus side, it went really (really) well, looked striking and handled well and had a good spec in standard VZ2 trim. It even did well on tyre wear considering the power, but I just couldn't go back to this year/generation of VW product with that infotainment/UI or indeed gearbox mapping/set up.
Yes my post sounds like doom and gloom, but its pure reflection of 2.5 years / 26k miles at the helm. May I STRONGLY SUGGEST you go for an extended test drive.
EDIT: looks like I was a little late with my post. Oh well.
Edited by MattyD803 on Thursday 15th May 09:15
We had a 2.0 TSI V2 4drive.
Let’s go with the positive.
It’s a good looking car.
Now the negatives.
The infotainment is as everyone else has said pure crap - everything is controlled through the touchscreen including lane keeping assist, stop/start which are the first things to switch off but require 3 separate key depressions - infuriating!
Yes there’s a voice command but that’s pretty crap too.
The leather seats at first look good but don’t stand the test of time - Cupra replaced the seat cushions under warranty but they’ve had that many claims they are starting to refuse to change them - they won’t stand the test of time. Cupra have actually scrubbed the leather in latest updated version.
Fuel economy is pretty poor - my 718 Boxster is better!
Worth joining the Cupra Formentor Facebook page to see what other issues people are having - there are loads and they seem even worse on the latest updated version including gearbox failure with cars out of action for weeks.
Needless to say we sold my wife’s 2023 car before any issues crept up and now have a Macan.
Let’s go with the positive.
It’s a good looking car.
Now the negatives.
The infotainment is as everyone else has said pure crap - everything is controlled through the touchscreen including lane keeping assist, stop/start which are the first things to switch off but require 3 separate key depressions - infuriating!
Yes there’s a voice command but that’s pretty crap too.
The leather seats at first look good but don’t stand the test of time - Cupra replaced the seat cushions under warranty but they’ve had that many claims they are starting to refuse to change them - they won’t stand the test of time. Cupra have actually scrubbed the leather in latest updated version.
Fuel economy is pretty poor - my 718 Boxster is better!
Worth joining the Cupra Formentor Facebook page to see what other issues people are having - there are loads and they seem even worse on the latest updated version including gearbox failure with cars out of action for weeks.
Needless to say we sold my wife’s 2023 car before any issues crept up and now have a Macan.
Gassing Station | Car Buying | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff