New Cupra Formentor VZ5 is coming to the UK with Audi RS 3 power

The Cupra Formentor is one of our favourite small SUVs, and among its attributes is a wide range of excellent engines. Now there’s even more choice, because Cupra has added the potent five-cylinder engine from the Audi RS 3 to the mix, in the VZ5 edition. 

While the Formentor VZ5 has been offered in left-hand-drive markets for several years, Cupra has just announced it’ll now bring the hottest variant to the UK. The turbocharged 2.5-litre engine produces 384bhp and 480Nm of torque – a significant jump over the 328bhp and 420Nm offered by the current VZ3’s 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder motor.  

The VZ5’s straight-line performance is much stronger as a result. A 0-62mph time of 4.2 seconds is over half a second faster than the VZ3, and the VZ5 tops out at 155mph. Just like the Audi RS 3, the Formentor gets an all-wheel drive system including torque-splitting technology to provide each wheel with an even distribution of power, which goes through a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox.

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The Formentor is the second car within the VW Group stable to use this five-cylinder turbocharged engine, after the Audi RS 3. There could potentially be another joining the party soon in the shape of a range-topping Volkswagen Golf R - which we’ve caught testing around the Nurburgring already. 

Pricing for the Formentor VZ5 hasn’t been announced yet, but it’ll certainly cost a fair bit more than the £54,645 VZ3 333. Just 4,000 VZ5s will be built for the UK and Cupra says production will start in early 2026, but if you can’t wait that long, you can check out the Auto Express Buy a Car service for used examples of the Audi RS 3 in both hatchback and saloon forms. 

As you’d expect, given its monstrous powerplant, the VZ5 stands out from the rest of the Formentor line-up with a series of cosmetic tweaks. There’s a reshaped front bumper, a new front splitter with VZ5 engraved, wheelarch extensions, a new rear bumper and distinctive diagonal twin exhaust tips finished in copper. Inside, there are bespoke bucket seats with extra side bolstering. 

The VZ5 also gets unique copper-coloured 20-inch alloy wheels, and there’s additional VZ5 badging and a selection of metallic or matt paint finishes, including ‘Midnight Black’, ‘Dark Void’, ‘Magnetic Tech Matt’, ‘Century Bronze Matt’ and ‘Enceladus Grey Matt’.

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