A6 3.0 TDI replacement: Is the Formentor the right move?

[CJRamze]

I’m in a bit of a dilemma and would appreciate some input from people with real-world Formentor / Ateca experience.

I currently have a 2014 Audi A6 Avant 3.0 TDI quattro, mapped to around 300hp / 600Nm. It has been meticulously maintained and is genuinely a brilliant car, but it has developed timing chain rattle. Realistically, chain work is around £3,000, and while the engine is out it makes sense to consider turbo/other preventative work, so the bill could easily push towards £5,000+.

The problem is that due to two minor accidents in recent years, both professionally repaired, the car’s trade-in value is only around £3,000. So I’m stuck between repairing a car I know and love, or putting that money towards something newer rather than spending more than the car is worth.

My commute is the big factor. I do roughly 38 miles each way, 4 days a week, so around 76–78 miles per workday. About 32 miles each way is motorway at 70mph, and my A6 reliably returns around 40–45mpg on this journey.

I also have two kids, so I need two child seats and a usable boot, but I don’t necessarily need A6 Avant levels of boot space.

I’ve been looking at:

- CUPRA Formentor 2.0 TSI 190 4Drive
- CUPRA Formentor 1.4 e-Hybrid 204
- CUPRA Formentor 1.4 e-Hybrid 245 / VZ
- SEAT Ateca 2.0 TDI 150 / 190
- I’ve also considered the CUPRA Born and CUPRA Ateca, but I keep coming back to the Formentor because I really like the look of it.

I’ve been checking real-world economy data on Spritmonitor.de. From the figures I pulled:

- Formentor 2.0 TSI 190 4Drive: 15 data points, average around 8.56 L/100km, roughly 33mpg UK
- Formentor 1.4 e-Hybrid 204: 15 data points, average around 4.91 L/100km, roughly 58mpg UK
- Formentor 1.4 e-Hybrid 245: 10 cleaned hybrid data points, average around 5.78 L/100km, roughly 49mpg UK
- My current A6 3.0 TDI: real-world average around 40mpg, sometimes 40–45mpg on my commute

I understand the e-Hybrid figures depend heavily on charging, which is where I’m unsure.

At the moment I have access to both home charging and work charging, so in theory I could charge before leaving home and again at work before driving back. That makes the e-Hybrid look very attractive, especially for school runs and short local journeys.

However, my home/work situation may change in the future, and I could potentially lose reliable charging access. That makes me nervous about buying a plug-in hybrid and then ending up with a heavier petrol car that isn’t being used properly.

My main questions are:

1. For those running a Formentor e-Hybrid, what economy do you get once the battery is depleted?
2. On longer motorway trips, does the e-Hybrid still make sense, or does it become thirsty once the battery is low?
3. Is the 245 e-Hybrid worth it over the 204, or is the 204 the better real-world choice?
4. For those with the 2.0 TSI 190 4Drive, is low/mid-30s mpg realistic on motorway use?
5. Should I stop overthinking this and just look at an Ateca 2.0 TDI 150/190 instead?

I’ve owned VAG cars before, including an Ibiza Mk4 Cupra and a Mk1 Leon Cupra R, and I’ve wanted another CUPRA for a long time. I’m just trying to balance the want for something interesting with the reality of a long motorway commute, two kids, fuel costs, and possible charging uncertainty.

Any real-world experience would be appreciated, especially from people doing regular motorway miles in the Formentor e-Hybrid or 2.0 TSI.
My budget at the moment is about £20,000 - £24,000

 

[Rob66]

We had a Formentor V2 Facelift, a 1.5 204bhp Plug in Hybrid

From memory an 80% charge was showing 65-70miles of range and I would say that’s fairly accurate. We went from Sussex to near Middlesbrough so about 330miles, charged to 80% before we left and I was careful to try to retain some EV power for when we got there we averaged 60mpg ish. Coming back was just the 1.5 engine, no EV at all and even then as around 40mpg which I thought was okay for a heavy car on a motorway run.

I did enjoy driving it, but personally I didn’t find the seat base that comfortable so get a decent test drive. It certainly had enough power even when EV was depleted (it retains a bit of EV ‘boost’ should you need it). When we got back though we had a whole list of issues with the drive train which Cupra couldn’t resolve despite their best efforts so the car went back after 3 months. While they were endeavouring to sort out ours we had an identical 25 plate (ours was a 24 plate).

Again drove great for the few weeks we had it and this time we had no drive train issues but had constant messages on every start re updating the Software, which continues no matter what option you choose on every start-up, annoying after a while, there were other faults with the lights and hands free boot release which seemed random. We had the car a second time 3 weeks later and the faults remained even though it was the dealers Demo!!

So we are still looking for a replacement, I would probably try a Formentor again but my other half is not keen. The Skoda Karoq (SEAT Ateca really) is a nice place to be and slight less tech to go wrong so may be an option, we did test drive a VW Taigo but its just a Polo on stilts.

 

[CJRamze]

We had a Formentor V2 Facelift, a 1.5 204bhp Plug in Hybrid

From memory an 80% charge was showing 65-70miles of range and I would say that’s fairly accurate. We went from Sussex to near Middlesbrough so about 330miles, charged to 80% before we left and I was careful to try to retain some EV power for when we got there we averaged 60mpg ish. Coming back was just the 1.5 engine, no EV at all and even then as around 40mpg which I thought was okay for a heavy car on a motorway run.

I did enjoy driving it, but personally I didn’t find the seat base that comfortable so get a decent test drive. It certainly had enough power even when EV was depleted (it retains a bit of EV ‘boost’ should you need it). When we got back though we had a whole list of issues with the drive train which Cupra couldn’t resolve despite their best efforts so the car went back after 3 months. While they were endeavouring to sort out ours we had an identical 25 plate (ours was a 24 plate).

Again drove great for the few weeks we had it and this time we had no drive train issues but had constant messages on every start re updating the Software, which continues no matter what option you choose on every start-up, annoying after a while, there were other faults with the lights and hands free boot release which seemed random. We had the car a second time 3 weeks later and the faults remained even though it was the dealers Demo!!

So we are still looking for a replacement, I would probably try a Formentor again but my other half is not keen. The Skoda Karoq (SEAT Ateca really) is a nice place to be and slight less tech to go wrong so may be an option, we did test drive a VW Taigo but its just a Polo on stilts.

Hi Rob!
Thanks for the response, The economy is really great then.
Even in the worst case scenario (When you consider the cost of diesel) even If I drove it everywhere without charge it would still be cheaper than what I have now.

Its a shame that you had so many issues with the drivetrain, And across two different cars is rather concerning!
Have you found this to be a common problem, the thing that concerns me the most is the DCC suspension and the knocking the people have reported but its good to be informed before I commit myself to 5 years of debt!