Cupra Formentor set to earn 400hp option

Abt is moving from aftermarket to showroom; family-friendly SUVs will likely lead the way

By Matt Bird / Friday, 12 September 2025 / Loading comments

You might remember earlier in the year that Abt and Cupra confirmed a formal partnership, whereby cars fettled by the former could be directly ordered through the latter. All made sense, what with the two having teamed up for Formula E and the Abt upgrades already proving popular aftermarket. Why not make it easier (and potentially more profitable) to give the people the 400hp SUVs they’re so keen on?

That partnership will kick off properly next year; expect cars like these two to feature as part of the new Cupra-Abt joint venture. The Terramar is a new one for Abt to get their hands on, Cupra’s most family-friendly of combustion SUVs with its big boot and entirely conventional silhouette. Given it shares a 2.0-litre turbo with the VW Golf GTI (and about 10 million other cars on the road), power gains are easy to come by: the standard 265hp becomes 325hp with nothing more than an ECU tickle. And it wouldn’t be an Abt Cupra Terramar VZ without a few ‘striking visual accents that convey its additional power to the outside world’, so the upgrade package includes a set of 21s, spoilers front and rear, plus a smattering of Abt badges. You’ll be the talk of the toddler group.

The new Abt Cupra Formentor VZ is a little more interesting, for the simple fact that it boasts 400hp. And that’s quite a lot, even with 333hp to start with. Alongside 347lb ft as well, even those pesky EVs might be in trouble at the traffic light GP outside softplay. As well as being the most potent of the 2.0-litre Cupra SUVs as standard, the Formentor is arguably the most visually striking of the bunch as well, which Abt has fully embraced with its changes. It now boasts ‘muscular’ spoilers as well as 21-inch wheels, which there seems little danger of missing.

For now, these Abt kits are only being offered in Germany; they cost €6,190 (£5,350) for the Formentor VZ, or €6,420 (£5,550) for the Terramar; the go-faster bits are warranted for five years, and it can all be ordered through the Cupra dealer network over there. Come next year though, the Abt special editions will be available through the Cupra configurator, an exciting development that you can expect to roll out elsewhere in the fullness of time - including option-mad Britain. If you can't wait, this Formentor has 370hp already, and there’s not a muscular bumper in sight…