Fleet World Fleet: Cupra Formentor VZ2 eHybrid AFV 245
As the Formentor returns back to base, Luke Wikner reflects on six months of life with a plug-in hybrid Cupra.
Our Formentor PHEV has now returned to its maker with 5,000+ faultless miles under its rather striking wheels
P11d (BiK) £40,585 (11%) MPG/CO2 56.8mpg/33g/km Test MPG 300+mpg
Report 3
Having mentioned in a previous report about being on commission for Cupra – persuading a local company car driver to opt for the Formentor PHEV – their car has now arrived.
Later than planned, admittedly, but then that’s a function of the current global supply chain sitaution we all find ourselves in.
I won’t pretend it’s not slightly bittersweet, however, because, like ships in the night, our Magnetic Tech Grey (as opposed to the newbie’s Midnight Black) model has now returned to its maker with 5,000+ faultless miles under its rather striking wheels.
And that is 5k miles throughout six months, run almost exclusively under electric power. Or, to put it another way, a much lower carbon footprint than I was expecting, and a great deal fewer compromises in the process too.
There were some compromises of course – an electric-only range of 35-40 miles won’t work for everyone, and charging discipline comes into it as well. Reports of company car drivers not charging their PHEVs often enough have been around since plug-in hybrids first hit the market, but there is a strong sense that drivers these days – guided by fleet operators – are adapting and plugging-in more often.
As to the Formentor PHEV, it’s a great example of a compromise – there’s that word again – for current drivers in the transition to full BEV vehicles in the future.
The Cupra itself replaced our previous long-term SEAT Leon PHEV and managed to raise the bar even higher. Impressive stuff.
The Formentor’s average fuel consumption has risen from 252mpg to 300+mpg
Report 2
While my honeymoon period is definitely not over with the Cupra Formentor, there are a couple of minor niggles that have crept in as it nears the 4,000-mile mark.
Firstly, in the most first-world problem sense, the electronic tailgate sometimes only half locks into position when closing, which you invariably only find out about when you’re sat back in the driver’s seat. No doubt there’s a simple fix as it always locks in fully the second time around but is a little baffling.
Secondly, the infotainment system which is ordinarily so user-friendly has been somewhat reluctant to react to the touchscreen of late. When things like your cabin heating, set to demist wintery windows, is stuck temporarily on ‘max’ due to the touchscreen not responding, it can be rather frustrating. Not least because, running predominantly on electric power, the cabin heater air-conditioning takes a fair chunk of battery power to do its thing – 5% of charge can be lost here – and requires longer to clear the air compared to an ICE vehicle.
That said, life is full of compromises, however small, and it hasn’t stopped the otherwise excellent Formentor’s average fuel consumption rising from 252mpg to 300+mpg. This of course is a function of charging availability and journey-type, but as more offices get charging points installed, vehicles like this will swallow up a short daily round-commute. I even had a fellow non-PHEV Formentor driver (who had one as a company car) stop and ask me if he’d made the right choice.
Our long-term plug-in hybrid Cupra
Report 1
More than 1,500 miles have already rolled under our new Cupra Formentor’s striking alloy wheels, and our FW Fleet star in its Magnetic Grey paintwork (an extra £565 according to Cupra’s excellent online fleet configurator) still looks super-sharp.
It really is a triumph of styling and, as Cupras like this will likely become more commonplace on UK roads, I’m enjoying the “what is it? I really like it…” that appears to be a weekly occurence both from people I know and plenty more I’ve never met before. When I mention that it’s a plug-in hybrid, it gets even more attention.
The 11% BiK rating is admittedly not as appealing as our previous Leon’s 6% BiK, or the current 1% of BEVs, but it’s still pretty appealing, given the potential 245hp performance on offer (when summoning both the electric motor and the 1.4-litre petrol unit). The tiny drop-off in electric range vs the Leon is a price worth paying, and 250mpg+ speaks for itself.
Luke Wikner
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