The advantages of being part of a global automotive conglomerate are numerous, but being able to drop one of the only remaining five-cylinder powerplants into an otherwise ordinary crossover must rank close to the top. At least, that’s how we suspect the folks at Seat—the Volkswagen Group’s Spanish subsidiary—are feeling as the properly bonkers Cupra Formentor VZ5 arrives for the 2026 model year.
Technically, Cupra is an off-shoot brand of Seat that was previously used for performance versions of its hatchbacks and SUVs. The Cupra Formentor is a compact crossover with no direct Seat equivalent, and this latest VZ5 packs one of the most charismatic drivetrains available for under $100,000 these days. Audi’s turbocharged 2.5-liter inline-five serves as the core of this hot crossover, having been borrowed from the Audi RS3 (and, previously, the Audi RS Q3 SUV, which was never sold in the U.S.).
Cupra says the Formentor VZ5 makes 384 hp and 354 lb-ft of torque, only slightly down on power compared to Audi’s smallest sport sedan. The seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission from Volkswagen remains, though Cupra says it is using its own all-wheel-drive system. (Even so, the torque-splitting rear differential present in the Formentor VZ5 sure sounds similar to the hardware available in the Audi.)
The Formentor VZ5 receives a visual makeover too. Model-specific front and rear bumpers as well as a front splitter and rear diffuser come standard on the upscale VZ5 model. Other sporty-looking visual design elements include copper exhaust tips and wider wheel arches. 20-inch copper wheels round out the look. Cupra will offer the Formentor VZ5 in five different hues: Midnight Black, Dark Void, Magnetic Tech Matt, Century Bronze Matt and Enceladus Grey Matt, the latter three of which we assume are non-reflective paints and not odd nicknames of guys in the accounting department.
