Our cars
Standard equipment: 19in alloy wheels, LED headlights and taillights, keyless entry and start, electrically adjustable, folding, and heated door mirrors, rain- sensing wipers, front fog lamps with cornering function. Rear parking sensors, electronic parking brake, electronic locking differential with dynamic traction support, predictive & adaptive cruise control with speed limiter, tyre pressure monitoring, lane assist, forward collision warning with automatic braking, driver alert system. Remote central locking, three-zone air conditioning, heated seats and steering wheel, rear-view camera, digital cockpit, 12in navigation system, two front and two rear USB type C sockets, wireless Apple Carplay, wireless phone charger.
Chilly challenges
This month the Formentor’s plucky resilience has been tested by a combination of brass-monkey conditions and outside miscreants.
Pete Tullin
Last month I banged on about how quiet our long-term Formentor is compared to motors of old. Thanks to the influence of modern building tolerances the Formentor’s cabin feels almost hermetically sealed once the doors are closed but perhaps the most crucial factor influencing this hushed status is the way the Formentor cuts through the air. Now, because the Formentor sits lower than many SUVs it already has a head start on its rivals in terms of streamlining. To be honest, I couldn’t help laughing out loud when a recent press release from Toyota announced it was looking at ways of reducing battery height for its EVs, to lower cabin height, reduce frontal drag and thus improve range potential. Excuse me, but if designers hadn’t got us all hooked on SUVs and were instead compelled to lower ground clearances, then the frontal drag issue could be mitigated overnight.
In terms of effectiveness, the Formentor’s lower stance, and slinky body, which has no doubt been harmonised by exposure to wind tunnel modelling, clearly have the greatest influence on its atmospheric impact but less obvious aspects are also at play. These include the windscreen wipers, which, when unemployed, are tucked away in a trench below the bonnet line. Unfortunately, there are drawbacks to this approach. The most notable being the amount of detritus that finds its way into this dugout when parked under trees. Left unattended the arboreal build-up becomes rather compost-like, so much so, that on a recent inspection, I considered using a trowel to clear it out.
44 | February 2024 |
www.businesscar.co.uk
This revelation also led me to speculate that left much longer some furry rodent may well have sought it out as a cosy upmarket residence.
Anyway, just when I was about to embark on this report and record yet another month of flawless Formentor performance, a couple of issues popped up. Me and my big mouth.
I’m inclined to think that the first of these issues was due to the recent cold snap and the adverse influence this had on the emergency breakdown call-out button, which is located just above the interior rear-view mirror. Coinciding with one particular sub-zero morning start, a nagging synthetic voice repeatedly informed me that the emergency service was unavailable and despite my tried and trusted switch-it-off, switch-it-back-on technique, the barrage of verbal instruction refused to fall silent. It
watched anxiously as the pressure gauge and the tyres profile slowly raised in unison. With the sensors reset and driving back at a hearse-like speed, I arrived home with all four tyres still in blissful unanimity but unfortunately, as the goo is only good for a limited period, I will need to dig deep for a new rubber band in the very near future.
Cupra Formentor 1.4 TSI eHybrid 204PS DSG
P11D price £39,950 As tested £41,905 Official consumption 201.8mpg Our average consumption 39.5mpg Mileage 4,183
wasn’t until I repeatedly stroked the glossy surface of the offending button to induce some warmth and release it from its stuck- on status that the instructions abated. So much for modern haptic switch gear and the countless millions manufacturers spend on Arctic cold weather testing.
To be fair, the second issue wasn’t so much the Formentor’s fault as the knarly state of our roads. Embarking on a trip to a far-flung reservoir intent on some much-needed leg stretching the low tyre
Why we’re running it
To see how the latest Formentor Hybrid works for fleet.
warning light popped up on the dashboard. Having experienced this modern malaise on countless occasions and given that 99% of these incidents are triggered by errant sensors, rather than any loss of pressure, I was loathed to pull over, especially as it was brass monkeys outside. Despite my cynicism, I decided an unscheduled stop was in order, blithely thinking I would quickly be on my merry way in short order. Wrong!
Sure enough, the rear offside tyre was as flat as a pint of microbrewery IPA. I already knew there was no spare wheel as most of the plug-in Formentor’s underfloor boot space is taken up by its large battery. Never mind, given the palaver involved in jacking up a hefty modern vehicle, removing a 19-inch wheel weighing as much as two bags of cement and torqued to its hub tighter than a Scotsman’s grip on a fiver, I wouldn’t normally have had an issue with the goo and compressor alternative. Trouble was, I was off grid and well beyond any mobile phone signal, so if the bottle of goo and fag-lighter powered compressor didn’t get the job done I would be well and truly snookered. With everything crossed I squeezed the bottle of slimy liquid into the valve, hooked up the compressor and
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