![]() ![]() The car falls down a touch in terms of interior space, because it's smaller than some cars here and both engines lack the easy-access turbocharged torque of many rivals, so they need to be worked harder than you might expect if you want the car to really perform. The pricier e-Skyactiv X option uses Mazda's innovative SCCI lean combustion technology to cut fuel consumption quite impressively in longer-range cruising. But with either engine you get Mazda's mild-hybrid technology as well, while very nicely judged handling traits delivered on a ride and handling compromise that's a little on the sporting side of the class norm. Neither is it an especially complicated device in concept: there's a choice of two petrol engines and either front-drive or four-wheel drive. Its silky handling and plush interior stand it out in this class, and the attractiveness and sophistication of the svelte exterior design is quite a rare thing, matched by few rivals in this class. With upper-trim level hybrids nudging north of £40,000, this isn't one of this chart's better-value entrants - but it does show that Peugeot can come up with desirable alternative cars again, when it puts its mind to it. But body control is good and handling fluency quite impressive in both cases. At times, the petrol-electric powertrain struggles through a few clunky drivability quirks too. The simpler and lighter petrol rides and handles better, the heavier hybrid feeling heavier in its ride gait and firmer at low speeds. Peugeot offers 1.2-litre turbocharged petrol and 1.6-litre plug-in hybrid powertrains as part of a somewhat truncated engine range. ![]() Boot space exceeds 500 litres, and adults should be almost as comfortable in the second row as up front. Interior roominess is impressive here, in a cabin that evidences all of the progress than Peugeot has made over the last decade in giving its cars greater premium appeal. It's longer and lower than some cars in this list but still distinctly a crossover in its stance. With a raised ride height but an arcing roofline and elongated hatchback tail, this car clearly prioritises style in a way very different than the original 3008 of 15 years ago. Now the firm's using the same platform as the 308 hatchback and 3008 SUV to offer something different again: the 408. The irony here is that, with the original Peugeot 3008, the company launched quite a bold and alternative crossover hatchback way ahead of its time back in 2008 (which was even available in diesel-hybrid form), only to replace it with a much boxier and more conventional compact SUV some years later. Just as it was a little slow in joining the compact SUV set, so Peugeot is slightly behind the curve in joining today's crossover market. In other markets, Cupra even went as far as shoehorning Audi's thumping five-cylinder RS engine into the Formentor VZ5, although that was never offered for UK sale.īeing well priced in relation to premium-brand rivals and with an inviting, rich and well-executed interior (the VW Group's oft-criticised infotainment system notwithstanding), the Formentor sits pretty at the top our list of crossovers hatchbacks. The engine line-up is quite broad, taking in smaller and more economical petrols, a couple of plug-in hybrids and a choice of 2.0-litre turbo petrols, one of which uses the same four-wheel drive system and engine as the new Volkswagen Golf R. The Formentor wasn't the first product of the new Cupra operation (that was the 306bhp Cupra Ateca, introduced in 2019), but it is by far the most convincing, being rakishly handsome, surprisingly spacious, rounded, refined and pleasant to drive, appealingly versatile and enduringly alternative. Cupra Formentorįor years, Cupra was the sporting division of Seat, much like R is to Volkswagen, but today it stands as an independent brand, with unique model designs and an altogether more athletic calibre than that of the old mothership. All are roughly C-segment-sized, however (we rank supermini-based compact crossovers here) and while few here need cost much more than £30,000, some can be snapped up for even less. Within this list, then, you will find responsible economy-biased options with hybrid powertrains but also performance-tuned derivatives and cars explicitly intended for off-road use. What they do, of course, varies a little depending on precisely how they're defined. ![]() Cupra Formentor VZ2 1.5 TSI 150 2021 UK first drive.High-rise hot hatches: Hyundai Kona N vs Cupra Formentor.Autocar Awards 2022: Cupra Formentor voted best all-rounder.Cupra Tavascan tests in extreme weather ahead of 2024 launch. ![]()
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