Cupra’s best-selling model, the Formentor, is getting a mid-life update that will bring some bolder design cues.
While this prototype is wearing camouflage, we already know what the updated Formentor will look like thanks to Cupra’s teasing of the vehicle all the way back in June 2022.
Updates include a restyled front bumper and new headlights with a distinctive three-triangle LED signature that ties in with the brand’s striking logo.
The distinctive lighting graphics will also be shared with the upcoming Terramar and electric Tavascan crossovers, as well as facelifted versions of the Born and Leon.
The Formentor, like the Born, features a trapezoidal lower opening. This is flanked by a pair of triangular openings on each side and bisected by a bar upon which the number plate is mounted.
While Cupra hasn’t teased the updated Formentor’s rear, these spy photos indicate we should expect to see minor changes like new tail light graphics and a restyled bumper.
The updated model will also receive new wheel designs.
Our photographers weren’t able to snap the interior, so it’s unclear what changes may be made inside.
Updated Formentor teaser
It’s also unclear whether we will see any mechanical changes. The Formentor isn’t set to get an electric powertrain during this generation, however Cupra CEO Wayne Griffiths has confirmed the next-generation Formentor and Leon will come with electric power – and will keep their names.
The current model is offered with both petrol and plug-in hybrid powertrains. In Australia, there are three turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder variants, with either front- or all-wheel drive depending on the model; there’s also a turbo 1.4-litre four-cylinder plug-in hybrid in the VZe.
At the event Cupra held last year to preview its new models, including the facelifted Formentor, the Spanish brand said its “next generation of heroes [will] be launched by 2025”. That would suggest a 2024 launch for the updated crossover.
The current Formentor only entered production in September 2020 and arrived in Australia in mid-July 2022.
It was Cupra’s first unique model, unlike the Ateca and Leon which are available in milder SEAT guise in Europe. The fledgling brand, officially spun off from SEAT in 2018, has since received the unique Born and will gain new Tavascan and Terramar models that also won’t be shared with SEAT.
The Formentor is also far and away Cupra’s best-selling model. It accounted for 63.8 per cent of the brand’s global sales in 2022, with 97,600 units.
In Australia, Cupra sold 690 Formentors in 2022 – accounting for 62 per cent of its sales.
