Whenever I compare the Aston Martin DBX and the Cupra Formentor VZ5, it reminds me of a match between England and Spain in a certain finals match where one point will determine the winner, minus the post-game you-know-what.
England and Spain are itching for a rematch, this time as crossovers at Horizon Mexico. The Aston Martin DBX and the Cupra Formentor are ready to play ball and determine which crossover is the winner. But first, some introductions...
The DBX is Aston Martin's first-ever sports utility vehicle that competes with the Porsche Cayenne and the Lamborghini Urus. With styling heavily inspired by the Vantage sports car, this luxury five-seater SUV is powered by an AMG-derived 4.0L V8 BiTurbo engine mated to a 9-speed automatic gearbox. With a power output of 542BHP and 700Nm of torque, it goes 0-60mph in 4.3 seconds and a top speed of 181mph. The DBX was produced in Aston Martin's Wales plant.
The Cupra Formentor VZ5 is a limited-edition model, limited to 7000 units worldwide. Under the hood, the VZ5 is powered by a 2.5L 5-cylinder turbocharged engine with a power output of 390PS. Mated to a seven-speed dual-clutch DSG and 4Drive all-wheel-drive, the Formentor VZ5 goes 0-100kph in 4.2 seconds and has an electronically limited top speed of 250kph.
Shucks, the DBX is Welsh-made, and England and Wales are different even though they're part of the UK. But anyway, with their quick introduction done, both the DBX and the Formentor VZ5 are ready for a one-lap duel worthy of being called a rematch between England and Spain.
This should be interesting because, like the teams themselves, the DBX takes pride in its raw power while the lightness of the Formentor VZ5 is its trump card. Yes, the DBX is more powerful than the Formentor VZ5 but the latter is lighter and easy to get through than the bulky British crossover. Anyway, no time for jibber-jabber because as the whistle blows, the action begins.
Roll the tape.
And now the results...
DBX - 1m09.002s
Formentor - 1m08.018s
Like the finals, it's a point victory for Spain against England. I guess the Formentor VZ5 proved its worth against the more powerful DBX by a razor-thin margin.
There you have it. England vs. Spain but crossovers. The Formentor VZ5 defeats the V8-powered DBX just like Spain beats England by a point. It's a victory for Spain minus the you-know-what. The folks from Cupra should really be proud of their instant classic that pushed the Formentor to ascension. Those 7000 drivers who drove the Formentor VZ5 weren't wrong about its all-around performance that won the day in style and comfort, no doubt.
Still, having respect to these two crossovers, it's time for a little epilogue to spice things up.
With a little "mirror in", the DBX crossover is getting its Horoscope vibes because, you guessed it, it's festooned with Q-Pit respect all over the bodywork. Thanks, Q-Pit. Hope I can look forward to today's horoscope.
The Formentor VZ5, meanwhile, has 765 million reasons to be idolized because the face of Million Live's Kaori Sakuramori took center stage in my latest makeover for Cupra's instant classic.
With their crossovers becoming "people's idols" for the day, it's time for their moment of fame with these two crossovers as the DBX tackles a somewhat re-enactment of a sprint race from a certain 90s racing game while the Formentor VZ5 takes on a near re-enactment of Sydney Motorsport Park envisioned by a certain game master. That's the magic of EventLab to you. Roll the tapes.
Who says crossovers can't race?
Having enjoyed our little epilogue with the DBX and the Formentor VZ5, these crossovers proved to me that they've proven to be as much as enjoyable as sports cars, like it or not. I know, most people don't agree, but this is the new normal. In the new normal, crossovers and SUVs are like Hollywood superheroes. The more heroic they are, the more sales will generate and that's how crossovers rule the motoring world by a firestorm.
With the whole England v Spain behind me, it's time to do some more Horizon stuff as the adventure continues...
Last December, Forza Horizon 5 welcomed players to the world of Cupra by letting them sample the racing version of the UrbanRebel concept. With Cupra gaining exclusivity to the world of Forza, the partnership continues with the arrival of two Cupra crossovers in the game.
Those who logged in before the end of the Explore the Horizon series update will receive not one but two Cupra crossovers in the game. These Cupra crossovers are the Formentor VZ5 and the Tavascan Concept.
Let's begin with the Formentor, the Cupra original crossover that blends practicality and performance at its pace. With the design inspired by the 2019 concept car, the Formentor boasts a diverse choice of powertrains ranging from the 1.5L TSi engine mated to either a 6-speed manual or a 7-speed DSG with 150PS of power, a 1.4L e-HYBRID PHEV with up to 245PS of power while mated to a 6-speed DSG, and the range-topping VZ 2.0L TSi with 310PS of power. Following the Formentor's success, a special-edition VZ5 was launched. Limited to 7,000 units, it features an upgraded 2.5L 5-cylinder turbocharged engine with 390PS of power.
Next up, the Tavascan Concept, and don't worry, it's not the 2019 concept car. It's the pre-production prototype that spawned the real deal that is set to go on sale next year. Running on the same MEB platform as its Volkswagen ID.5 equivalent, the Tavascan will feature two different variants to choose from such as the rear-wheel-drive Endurance variant with up to 547km of driving range and the flagship VZ variant with a four-wheel-drive system that produces 250kw of power output and 517km of driving range. Both variants are fitted with a 77kWh battery pack.
With the Cupra crossovers' introduction done, it's time for me to give these two Cupra crossovers a one-lap time attack to find out which Cupra crossover is the best. Will it be the most powerful Cupra to date or the electric CUV? Formentor or Tavascan? Let's find out as I pit these two Cupra crossovers around the stadium, real and emotional. VTR, start!
And now, the results...
Formentor - 1m06.633s
Tavascan - 1m14.591s
No hard feelings, right? The most powerful Cupra to date, the Formentor VZ5, has mullered the electric-powered Tavascan by nearly eight seconds. Guess it will take a lifetime for electric cars to be as quick as the prehistoric ICE-powered machines. Oh well, this is the new normal.
Both the Formentor and the Tavascan are proven to be a welcoming addition to the Forza Horizon 5 car roster and here's hoping for more in this future partnership between the Forza franchise and Cupra. They may be two different sides of the same coin but these two are a blast to drive and I'm looking forward to digging deeper with these Cupra crossovers.
Since the Cupra brand was launched in 2018, their initial offering was a pumped-up version of the first Seat SUV, the Ateca, but the brand has gained potential about their ambitious motorsport plans as demonstrated by their WTCR progress and their hopes of taking on the Extreme E someday. The Spanish equivalent of Abarth's got their decks full with their high performance and sensibly electric ambitions that will change the performance landscape once and for all. With the arrival of the Cupra original vehicle, which is of course another crossover (yawn), the Formentor tries to be the fermenter of things to come for Cupra.
Costing 29,670 Euros plus additional costs, the Formentor is a Cupra original vehicle that is dead serious about going places any way it can, whether you like it or not.
Starting with the design, fans are thankful to the design team because nearly every inch of detail first seen in the 2019 concept car remained in the production version because the design team really liked the way the Formentor looks from concept to production. Although robust in spirit, the Formenter likes to call itself balanced rather than being a powerful crossover because, by the looks of it, it delivers a healthy balance of performance, technology, style, and comfort the Cupra way.
The interior of the Formentor is a different experience because the big sat-nav that controls the audio, the climate, and the drive modes, is a next-level challenge for speedo boys who deemed this tech pointless and I somewhat agree with them because with more and more cars are approaching the minimalist approach on their interiors, the Formentor is somewhat plagued by such and while some speedo boys are lamenting about the pointless and buttonless approach to its dashboard, the comfort part packs a charm to those getting inside. It fits up to five people and despite having lesser boot space compared to the Cupra Ateca (even lesser with 4Drive and e-Hybrid variants on board), it still has ample room for groceries, junior-sized balikbayan boxes, and others.
As a jack-of-all-trades or a jack-of-all-tirades, if you may, the Formentor boasts a diverse choice of powertrains. There's the 1.5L TSi engine mated to either a 6-speed manual or a 7-speed DSG with 150PS of power, a 1.4L e-HYBRID PHEV with up to 245PS of power while mated to a 6-speed DSG, and then there's the range-topping VZ 2.0L TSi with 310PS of power. Mated to a 7-speed DSG and 4Drive, it accelerates from 0-100kph in 4.9 seconds, and its top speed is electronically limited to 250kph.
In its entry-level, front-wheel drive guise, the Formentor is as stable and as subtle as a commoner's city car but with the 4Drive applied, not to mention the one with the 2.0L TSi engine on the front, the Formentor delivers the hype that drivers are looking for. On the normal road and on the track if you like, it really kicks in like a Honda on steroids but still delivers the balance of right and wrong for all the wrong barrels. When taken to anything related to dirt, be it gravel or snow, the Formentor's 4Drive system works its charms rather well as long as this crossover's not stuck in the middle of nowhere.
In partial terms of enjoyment, the Formentor really works well but what will keep them in shock is the range of ADAS ranging from Predictive Adaptive Cruise Control, Travel Assist, Side and Exit Assist, and Emergency Assist. Like I always said, these semi-autonomous driving techs can really scare speedo boys straight.
Yes, we may be moaning because Cupra made another crossover rather than a hot hatch that we want from them, be it a Leon perhaps, but the Formentor is all about getting the job done from start to finish. The one with the 310PS 2.0L TSi and 4Drive is the alpha male of the range because of its relatively superior performance that will leave anyone wishing to have one driven in tears of jealousy, but the e-HYBRID variants are making the case of themselves because of the efficiency it delivers. Because it's the cheapest Cupra crossover you can buy, that makes it great value for the whole family, although I wouldn't like calling the Formentor the ideal family car, still the Cupra original's on the roll now.
