Cupra Formentor VZ5 ‘too quick’ for Oz

It’s the hottest version of the Cupra Formentor, but the 287kW VZ5 is selling out fast in Europe and Volkswagen Group Australia has admitted the Spanish brand’s local launch has come a little too late for it to be considered for our market.

Speaking to carsales at a media event announcing Cupra’s launch in Australia in the second quarter of 2022 – a line-up comprising the Formentor and Ateca SUVs and the Leon hatch – Volkswagen Group’s local product planner Jeff Shafer described the VZ5 as “really important as the ultimate expression of what the Cupra DNA is in a combustion engine context”.

“Of course, we would love to have this [VZ5] in our line-up, but it’s only been engineered in left-hand drive, and actually it’s a limited production [model] which will be running out as we come to market,” said Shafer.

“I’d like to think if we were maybe 12 months further advanced we might’ve been involved in this project.”

That’s a shame because the 2021 Cupra Formentor VZ5, which is limited to 7000 units worldwide and celebrates Cupra’s third anniversary as a standalone marque, would have served as a big drawcard for the fledgling brand.

Well, under the bonnet of the Formentor VZ5 is the Volkswagen Group’s familiar 2.5-litre five-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine that in this application produces 287kW of power and 480Nm of torque, sending power to all four corners via a seven-speed DSG dual-clutch transmission.

The combo can fling the VZ5 (‘VZ’ stands for Veloz in Spanish, meaning quick or fast) from 0-100km/h in just 4.2 seconds, on its way to a 250km/h top speed.

It also comes standard with a drift mode, along with huge 20-inch copper-machined alloy wheels, flared wheel-arches (with a wider track), carbon-fibre rear diffuser, diagonal quad exhaust pipes, high-performance brakes (including six-piston Akebono front callipers), 10mm-lowered suspension, adaptive chassis control, sports seats, gear-shift lights on the dash, and more.

This is not expected to be the final time we see the five-pot turbo – a version of which is used in the Audi RS 3 and won’t be retired in the short-term – so Australia will be pushing for any future incarnations to be offered in right-hand drive.

For the time being, the top-shelf version of the Aussie-spec 2022 Cupra Formentor mid-size coupe-style SUV will feature a 228kW/400Nm 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo with seven-speed DSG and AWD – and a still-rapid 4.9sec 0-100km/h time.