The new Cup Racing Edition of the Cupra Formentor is part special-edition, part showcase of what you could do with any Formentor VZ when you go wild with the options list.
You can see what they’ve done with the name, right? Because the Cupra name dates back to a time when it was a sub-brand for sporty Seats and it’s a contraction of “Cup racer”.
Anyway, this is a New Zealand-only thing cooked up by the local Cupra team. They’ve taken the top Formentor VZ and added the Akrapovic exhaust system, Akebono front brakes, Matrix LED headlights and panoramic sunroof.
That’s all stuff you can add ex-factory, but the Cup Racing Edition also has carbon fibre mirror caps, blacked-out badging and the Hailstorm 19-inch alloys (usually highlighted in silver or copper) completely blacked-out as well.
Bearing in mind this is Cupra’s most compact SUV, a price tag of $110,125 seems pretty steep. That’s slightly more expensive than even the forthcoming Tavascan VZ EV, which is pretty much the fanciest thing Cupra will have in its local lineup.
The Cup Racing Edition is part special-edition, part showcase of what you could do with any Formentor VZ when you go wild with the options list.
But it all adds up. The Formentor VZ is $87,500 to start with. There’s some pretty high-end stuff in the Cup Racing pack, including those brakes ($4500) and exhaust ($7400). All-up the extras would cost $27,500 to add individually, but for this limited-edition model the premium is $22,500. So it’s a… bargain?
If the pricetag doesn’t cause a sharp pain in your right temple, the Formentor VZ wears this stuff well. It’s the most high-performance and driver-focused model in the Cupra range, remembering that it boasts 50kW more than the larger/heavier Terramar VZ, has a special gearbox calibration with super-aggressive S+ mode that’s pretty much tailored for track use, adaptive suspension with 15 different levels of firmness and a torque splitter on the rear axle with selectable Drift Mode.
The Akrapovic exhaust system not only looks the part, it reintroduces the addictive pop-and-bang that Cupra models used to have.
The blacked-out look is a matter of personal taste; we like the way Cupra usually has fun with colour, and there are some awesome hues available for Formentor.
But the Cup Racing Edition package is good stuff. The brakes might seem over-the-top if you’re not doing track days, but they’re a cool conversation piece and there’s no denying that stronger braking is better.
Cupra NZ says the Cup Racing Edition is being offered in a 'very limited number', without saying what that number might be.
The exhaust is a hoot. The Akrapovic system not only looks the part, it adds the addictive pop-and-bang that Cupra models used to have. The only slightly odd thing is that the enhanced sound of the Formentor in the sportier drive modes potentially diminishes the very real sound coming from the Akrapovic hardware. It’s those outside the car that are getting the pure experience.
Cupra NZ says the Cup Racing Edition is being offered in a “very limited number” of units, without saying what that number might be. But if you’re among the first 10 customers it’ll set you up with a “CUP VZ” black number plate and the number of your particular car. Note our test car is the OG example.
Otherwise, an Akrapovic exhaust for your standard Formentor VZ is still money well spent. A lot of money, but worth it.