Cupra Formentor hybrid go or no go?

[khazar]

Hello,

It's been a while since I've been on this forum, but I'm thinking to go back to Seat/Cupra.
Currently I'm driving Golf 1.5 R-line as a personal car and I'm super happy about it.

However I have been thinking to get Cupra Hybrid VZ 245 as a company car since it bring a lot of tax initiatives in Greece.

Hence is my question should I go or not for Formentor Hybrid.

Before you guys start I'd like to tell you few facts.
1st is that I don't have home charger , I have to use public grid , yet this might change in a year or two.

2nd and most important to me is , since I drive long distance in one go (1100km 6 times a year, 230km 6 times a year), would hybrid be of any benefit?
I heard that some VW models (like Touareg R) have travel assistance where it automatically switches on and of hybrid per maps , yet I'm not sure if Cupra has it.
If it doesn't have, what l/100km or mpg I would be able to achieve driving on highway 130kph in hybrid mode?

Looking forward for some interesting insights.

 

[koush]

Hi,

I have a hybrid and I do alot of miles, 0ver 10k in 4 months. I am averaging 60mpg over the 10k miles. I do charge it up before I set off and use the charge hold feature. When i am driving through traffic, road works, towns and villages I swith to electric mode and when I am back to 50+mph switch back to hybrid charge hold mode.

Koush

 

[dashnine]

Depending what you mean by " don't have home charger", I don't have a home charger but plug the car into a domestic (3-pin) socket and charge overnight on a low cost electricity tariff.

Or do you not have any access to your domestic power for the car?

On the hybrid use, if you are doing over 90kph the battery is emptied very quickly, and on a motorway there's little chance to regenerate any power. If you are driving at lower speeds, uphill, downhill, corners, towns, etc.then you'll get more hybriod regenaertion once the battery is emptied - there the hybrid makes more sense, at constand high speed on motorways less so.

 

[CupForm]

Think of it this way:
- you'll have a 1.4 TSI 150HP engine for the long/highway drive, plus some occasional (short time) electric boost when (if) needed
- you'll have a hybrid for urban or winding roads
If you won't charge at all (home or public network), then it doesn't make much sense to carry the 12 kWh battery all the time - a simple hybrid (non-PHEV) makes a bit more sense. But on the other hand, the looks of the Formentor are hard to top by other full-hybrids...

 

[Wyld Stallyn]

I took a Terraco 245 PHEV for a test drive and within 15 mins the battery was empty. You could feel the weight of it and the rest of the chubby electric gubbins, especially around the hairpins between Bedales and The Trooper Inn but it did pull well - till the battery was flat.

My Solution: 310 VZ3 Formentor

Other more economic less fun solutions are available.

 

[Karbonfaiba]

Disclaimer that I literally know nothing about the Hybrid Formentor.

But I would never recommend any PHEV in principle because I personally believe it to be useless stop-gap technology between ICE and full EV; fueling the car twice in a vague attempt to hide your MPG in your electricity bill is not efficient in the final analysis.

Saying that, if you want a Hybrid I fully recommend you support Honda because I achieved 60mpg in their HR-V easily, no plug-in "cheat" involved, electric motor for town, direct drive ICE powered on the motorway, literally best of both. Yet this technology platform is going to be unfairly penalized by the climate regime in the future for not being full EV.

 

[flatbone]

I have the 204 hybrid and for a ~2000km trip I managed around 6.5l/100km, with 85 percent highway and maintaining the speed to top limit + VAT.

For long trips I usually set the hybrid mode to keep battery at 50%. This way, it uses more or less from battery, depending on the driving, but also charges it, within a few percents. Then, if hitting a traffic jam I can rely on EV mode for HVAC and slow crawling.

My long trip average is around 5.5l/100km, without charging daily, but rather occasionally and partially.

In my experience, going at 140kmph on highway, in battery-charging mode, instant consumption shows around 9.5l/100km, while in normal hybrid mode, shows around 5.5l/100km.
In battery charging mode, other factors are relevant as well, like the limit set and current soc, but these numbers should give you an idea of what to expect.

If you also drive a lot through the city, especially for short trips, the phev is ideal. Then the occasional long trip, shouldn't be an issue.

 

[CupForm]

fueling the car twice in a vague attempt to hide your MPG in your electricity bill is not efficient in the final analysis

That's one way to look at it... but some of us are capable to compute themselves the real cost-per-mile, without looking at the numbers on the dashboard.

I personally think that if daily trips (urban in my case) are short-enough to be covered by EV-mode only, than I've managed to move the pollution outside the city. And for the longer trips I won't have to stop eating, shopping or going to the toilet each time the car needs a charge.
That's why I chose a PHEV; and it's a Formentor 'cause of it's looks.

 

[bounderboy]

In the UK - the company car tax seems so advantageous for the Hybrid compared to Petrol/Diesel that the hybrid fuel saving doesn't really need to come into it.. Assume same consumption and see how much tax you are saving.. if that is anything then it is probably worth it.. Then you can look at ways of maximising fuel economy cost..

 

[Tripletrouble]

Depending what you mean by " don't have home charger", I don't have a home charger but plug the car into a domestic (3-pin) socket and charge overnight on a low cost electricity tariff.

Or do you not have any access to your domestic power for the car?

On the hybrid use, if you are doing over 90kph the battery is emptied very quickly, and on a motorway there's little chance to regenerate any power. If you are driving at lower speeds, uphill, downhill, corners, towns, etc.then you'll get more hybriod regenaertion once the battery is emptied - there the hybrid makes more sense, at constand high speed on motorways less so.

Does the car come with a lead with a 3 pin plug?

 

[CupForm]

It does come with 2 charging cables:
- Mode 3 type 2 (16A max)
- Mode 2 type 2 (10A max)
Have a look at some online reviews - you'll spot them:

Cupra Formentor e-Hybrid review (2024): Better than BMW X2? - TotallyEV

TotallyEV puts the Cupra Formentor e-Hybrid through its paces. Find out how it compares to the BMW X2 PHEV by reading the review.

totallyev.net

 

[Karbonfaiba]

In the UK - the company car tax seems so advantageous for the Hybrid compared to Petrol/Diesel that the hybrid fuel saving doesn't really need to come into it.. Assume same consumption and see how much tax you are saving.. if that is anything then it is probably worth it.. Then you can look at ways of maximising fuel economy cost..

I have no idea the savings for companies - but the incentive for private owners going hybrid is £10 off the standard rate, which is a joke.

If I'm paying £180 annual for petrol with GPF exhaust getting 30mpg then I would expect to pay £90 for Hybrids getting 60mpg. But then I would be applying logic and reason when discussing arbitrary tax policy.

 

[dashnine]

Disclaimer that I literally know nothing about the Hybrid Formentor.

But I would never recommend any PHEV in principle because I personally believe it to be useless stop-gap technology between ICE and full EV; fueling the car twice in a vague attempt to hide your MPG in your electricity bill is not efficient in the final analysis.

Saying that, if you want a Hybrid I fully recommend you support Honda because I achieved 60mpg in their HR-V easily, no plug-in "cheat" involved, electric motor for town, direct drive ICE powered on the motorway, literally best of both. Yet this technology platform is going to be unfairly penalized by the climate regime in the future for not being full EV.

Strange comment - agreed the overall consumption figure is just a consequence of how often you plug the Formentor in to charge, but the actual petrol economy when in hybrid mode (regenerating / deploying the battrey as per your Honda) is still better than none PHEV (I think you need to explain what’s different about the Honda, is that indeed a FHEV, it doesn’t plug in?).

One of the pains of a PHEV if you want to do a lot on electric only town / commuting trips is the small battery (in comparison to a ‘full’ EV) meaning frequent plug-ins, bring on (efficient) wireless charging embedded in the drive). But running a PHEV on electricity is a damn site cheaper (with overnight cheap rate charging via Intelligent Octopus) than petrol, and even cheaper with free charging at work.

Maybe your use case for a FHEV (if that’s what it is) is different, but I get much cheaper motoring charging the car and using electric only mode frequently.

 

[dashnine]

I have no idea the savings for companies - but the incentive for private owners going hybrid is £10 off the standard rate, which is a joke.

If I'm paying £180 annual for petrol with GPF exhaust getting 30mpg then I would expect to pay £90 for Hybrids getting 60mpg. But then I would be applying logic and reason when discussing arbitrary tax policy.

And that saving pales into insignificance when you buy a Formentor a tad over £40K when it suddenly becomes a ‘luxury’ car and hence the higher tax rate.

 

[LetsForment]

Phev is the only viable tech while we wait out for better options. Hydrogen maybe(?). Full ev is a non starter for many. And non viable of more than a small fraction of the population.

Anyone telling you otherwise is trying to sell you something.

 

[James1967]

G'day there, I just picked up my Cupra Formentor VZe, the local PHEV version, I believe it's the 180kw one, not sure what you call it in your country, I'm in Australia.
Similar situation with the OP, I got mine for the tax incentives here, sold my AUD$45k Hyundai i30N and jumped into a AUD$72k Cupra and my monthly after-tax outlay has remained the exact same. To me, I traded flat out speed with something a lot more comfortable. Yes it's not as fast as my i30N but it also doesn't give me a sore back after long trips.
I installed an outdoor 240v power socket and charge the car at night. Takes about 4 hours, who cares, I'm asleep anyway. So far, I've done 300kms in 3 days and I'm averaging 6.1 litres per 100kms - I'll let you guys convert this to miles per gallon, I have no idea. In comparison, my i30N was about 12L / 100kms
I drive in Hybrid / Cupra mode all the time. It's a bit annoying that I have to change it to this every time I get in the car, I wish it would "remember" my last settings or at least give me a shortcut. It is what it is.
To the OP, from a fellow Greek, buy it, it's a fun car, looks amazing, drives and handles really well. The 245 will probably perform much better than mine as well. You will save heaps on your long trips, just charge it overnight wherever you stay using an extension cord or something. Good luck

 

[dashnine]

G'day there, I just picked up my Cupra Formentor VZe, the local PHEV version, I believe it's the 180kw one, not sure what you call it in your country, I'm in Australia.
Similar situation with the OP, I got mine for the tax incentives here, sold my AUD$45k Hyundai i30N and jumped into a AUD$72k Cupra and my monthly after-tax outlay has remained the exact same. To me, I traded flat out speed with something a lot more comfortable. Yes it's not as fast as my i30N but it also doesn't give me a sore back after long trips.
I installed an outdoor 240v power socket and charge the car at night. Takes about 4 hours, who cares, I'm asleep anyway. So far, I've done 300kms in 3 days and I'm averaging 6.1 litres per 100kms - I'll let you guys convert this to miles per gallon, I have no idea. In comparison, my i30N was about 12L / 100kms
I drive in Hybrid / Cupra mode all the time. It's a bit annoying that I have to change it to this every time I get in the car, I wish it would "remember" my last settings or at least give me a shortcut. It is what it is.
To the OP, from a fellow Greek, buy it, it's a fun car, looks amazing, drives and handles really well. The 245 will probably perform much better than mine as well. You will save heaps on your long trips, just charge it overnight wherever you stay using an extension cord or something. Good luck

I think, or at least Alexa / Google tells me 180Kw is 245bhp... And you've gone from 19.6mpg with the i30N to 38.6mpg with the Formentor, in terms for us over here! Finally 4 hours to charge is, er, 4 hours...

 

[LetsForment]

That's one thing I wish the car had as well, to start in the mode it was left in. Hybrid or e-mode. I can manage the battery use by setting limits etc, great. Just don't make me work through menus of things to get moving.

 

[James1967]

I think, or at least Alexa / Google tells me 180Kw is 245bhp... And you've gone from 19.6mpg with the i30N to 38.6mpg with the Formentor, in terms for us over here! Finally 4 hours to charge is, er, 4 hours...

Thanks, good to know I have the fastest PHEV formentor then.

That's one thing I wish the car had as well, to start in the mode it was left in. Hybrid or e-mode. I can manage the battery use by setting limits etc, great. Just don't make me work through menus of things to get moving.

Right? I wish I could change stuff on mine, even the "Sport" setting that's set by flicking the drive toggle down, I wish that activated the "Cupra" mode instead. Maybe it's the 40 years as a software engineer that's coming out in me

 

[khazar]

Guys thanks a lot for all the great comments!

One of the issues is that I won't be able to charge it at all at home. I will try to see if there is a chance to change that.

As it seems PHEV is only as its possible to charge it and amount of Tax benefits you can get. Overall I would be happy with consumption below 6l/100km as I get with Golf 6.5 or so.

I totally agree, Formentor is perhaps the only reasonably priced car who gets all attention on the road