Review - A Couple of Weeks in (V2 150)

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I've had my Formentor a couple of weeks now, so thought I'd just post a few comments on my likes/dislikes of the car and how I'm finding it.
Spec: V2 150 DSG in Asphalt Blue.

Likes

• Looks - the car certainly looks nice, both outside and (generally) inside. Have had a good few people saying they like it.
• Engine - despite the 150 being the "poverty spec" engine, for what I want it for I actually find it more than adequate. I do a lot of town driving these days, and it's perfect for that. I came from a 260bhp diesel doing lots of motorway miles (which it was great for), so quite a difference, but certainly don't feel like it's lacking too much. Sure, it's not going to win any races, but I'm not having any races!
• Gearbox - gear changes are really smooth and whilst it can be a little slow to drop down in comfort mode, in general I find it pretty good.
• Features - Quite a lot of useful features as standard such as keyless entry, memory seats etc.
• Comfort - very comfortable car to be in, nice driving position, smooth ride etc.

Dislikes

• Touchscreen - Physical design is absolutely awful. Shiny black plastic and non-illuminated buttons. Once of the worst parts of the cabin IMO.
• Infotainment - Being on the latest software, I've not had all the "usual" bugs, but it still has a mind of its own.
  • Randomly not selecting my primary profile when I get in.
  • Random screens being flashed on and off when I get in the car.
  • "Hola hola" being far too sensitive and activating during normal speech. Disabled it now.
  • Some options don't feel "complete". For example not being able to select all all the colours in the internal lighting individual profile, only limited customisation of the three "favourite" tiles etc.
• Lane Guidance - several times has tried to sharply pull me out of a straight line when going through a junction. I know it can be turned off with OBD11, but I'm loathed to pay £100 to do that. Switching off via the button on the steering wheel is a pain as doing so drops you into a different view on the cockpit display!
• "Off" toggle switches. A few things such as the heated steering button don't "toggle" - it's a short press to switch on, and a long press to switch off. Also noticed some other things in the infotainment menus are a pain to switch off. Only very minor, but a niggle nevertheless.

So overall I do like the car, none of the dislikes are showstoppers, more just niggles that are mildly frustrating. Thankfully most of the "major" issues have been resolved in prior updates.

 

[Doogle]

I’m hoping to pick mine up within the next couple of weeks, same model (DSG 150 Poverty entry ) I come from as basic a Honda Civic as you can get, no infotainment, Sat Nav, Cruise control, manual, that said it’s been a supremely reliable and comfortable car, so I have a lot to look forward/adapt to.

 

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I really can't fault the engine. At the end of the day it's a 1.5, so you don't have expectations of it being powerful, but for what it is, in a large hatchback size car, it certainly isn't "disappointing". It never feels underpowered in normal around town driving.
If you want a fast car, there's plenty of other engine options, but if you want something which is "just fine" in terms of every day driving, then go for it.

 

[Bigtim]

Congrats on the car.

Lane assist is the most dangerous “safety feature‘ I’ve ever experienced. I turn it off via the screen before setting off following a couple of scary moments.

You have the memory seats working? Like different positions assigned to each key? Fair play. Had my manual v2 150 for over a year and tried many times with no success.

The infotainment is definitely form over function. Looks nice but I’d happily swap for some useful buttons/dials.

 

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Yeah, it's not that big a deal to switch it off, but it really pisses me off that it's required every time you get in, especially given the steering wheel controls don't do it properly.

Well... To be honest I've not tried... I have my position set in key 1, then I adjusted the seat and then pressed/held key 1 to get it back to my preset position again, which worked fine. But I've not tried setting position 2. I'll get the wife to set it and save, then see if I can restore mine.

 

[Ninjakebab]

• "Off" toggle switches. A few things such as the heated steering button don't "toggle" - it's a short press to switch on, and a long press to switch off. Also noticed some other things in the infotainment menus are a pain to switch off. Only very minor, but a niggle nevertheless.

Unless something changed, this button toggles through all 3 heat settings and off. I never even tried a long press on mine.