Sports SUV made lower and faster by Cupra’s new motorsport partner
German tuning firm Abt Sportsline has turned its attention to the new Cupra Formentor, boosting power from 306bhp to 365bhp and adding bespoke styling elements.
The Formentor is the latest Volkswagen Group model to receive the Abt treatment, following last year’s 419bhp take on the Audi Q5 55 TFSIe and a heavily modified version of the Audi RS4 performance estate.
As with those models, the Formentor’s power hike comes courtesy of a new engine control unit, which liberates an extra 59bhp and 37lb ft from the turbocharged 2.0-litre petrol motor to bring the car’s 0-62mph time down from 4.9sec to 4.6sec. As highlighted by Abt, that makes it almost as quick off the line as the Porsche 718 Boxster GTS.
An optional, bespoke quad-exit exhaust system with matt black tips will be available by the end of March and will “enhance the sprint even more emotionally and acoustically”, according to the tuner.
New springs for the Formentor’s active suspension system are also offered, giving a drop in ride height of up to 35mm for a more aggressive stance, and customers can specify new wheels from Abt’s range of performance-inspired 19in or 20in alloy items.
Abt has yet to confirm prices for the upgrades – individually or as a package – but the power boost alone will likely cost around £500 on top of the Formentor’s purchase price.
Abt and Cupra have partnered to form a team for the inaugural season of Extreme E later this year, with DTM and WRX champion Mattias Ekström, who helped to develop the standard Formentor’s active suspension system, at the wheel of the 536bhp electric off-road racer.
In light of this developing collaboration, Abt said: “It goes without saying that the Bavarians have also optimised the new Formentor, as they did before with the Ateca.”
Abt can also be expected to launch an upgrade package for the new Cupra Leon, having offered a similar power-boosting tweak for the previous-generation Seat Leon Cupra R in 2019.
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Source: Autocar
