CUPRA Formentor VZ5 Order Books Open in UK From £64,495 With 390PS Five-Cylinder

CUPRA has opened UK order books for the Formentor VZ5, a limited-run version of its best-selling crossover that brings back a five-cylinder petrol engine just as most performance cars switch to electric power or downsized turbo units. Priced from £64,495 on the road, the VZ5 sits at the top of the Formentor range and reaches UK roads in the final quarter of 2026.

Production is capped at 4,000 cars worldwide, so buyers who want one will need to act quickly. CUPRA confirmed the model back in October 2025, and order books opened on 9 June. For anyone who has followed the brand since its 2018 launch, this is the most powerful Formentor the company has put on sale.

A £64,495 Limited Edition Capped at 4,000 Cars

At £64,495 OTR, the VZ5 is a long way above the rest of the Formentor family. The regular petrol VZ models start in the low forties, so this flagship asks for a premium of more than £20,000. What buyers pay for is rarity and the engine, not extra practicality. The body, boot and cabin space stay much the same as any other Formentor, which means a fast and usable everyday SUV underneath the performance hardware.

The 4,000-unit global cap is the headline. CUPRA has not confirmed exactly how many of those cars will come to the UK, but limited allocations of this kind tend to sell out long before the first deliveries arrive. The price also pushes the VZ5 past the £50,000 mark that now triggers the Expensive Car Supplement on vehicle tax, an extra annual charge that many performance car buyers will want to factor into the running costs. You can read more about how that threshold works in our guide to the £50,000 luxury car tax limit.

The Five-Cylinder Engine That Made the VZ5 Famous

The reason the VZ5 exists is under the bonnet. It uses a 2.5-litre TSI five-cylinder petrol engine producing 390PS, sent through a seven-speed DSG dual-clutch gearbox. CUPRA pairs that with its all-wheel-drive system and a torque splitter that can vary how much power goes to each rear wheel, sharpening the way the car turns into corners.

The torque splitter is more than a technical footnote. By sending drive to the outside rear wheel through a corner, it lets the VZ5 rotate more keenly than a conventional all-wheel-drive car, giving keen drivers a more adjustable feel on a back road or track day. The seven-speed DSG fires off quick shifts whether you leave it in automatic for the daily commute or take manual control with the paddles, so the performance is accessible rather than intimidating.

Five-cylinder engines have a following for a reason. The layout produces a distinctive off-beat soundtrack that four and six-cylinder units cannot replicate, and this particular 2.5-litre unit comes from the same engine family used in some of the most celebrated fast cars of the past decade. Bringing it to the Formentor gives CUPRA a halo car with genuine character at a moment when the industry is moving steadily towards electric performance.

Design Changes and Cabin Details

The VZ5 separates itself from lesser Formentors with a redesigned front bumper, a front splitter carrying an engraved VZ5 logo, wider wheel arches and a reworked rear bumper and diffuser. Copper detailing runs across the car as a nod to CUPRA’s signature colour, and buyers choose from a palette of matt and metallic finishes: Midnight Black, Dark Void, Magnetic Tech Matt, Century Bronze Matt and Enceladus Grey Matt.

Inside, the cabin keeps the performance theme going with CUPRA’s bucket seats, ambient lighting and brand-specific trim. The interior is recognisably Formentor, which is part of the appeal: this is a daily-usable five-door SUV that happens to carry serious mechanical hardware, rather than a stripped-out special that sacrifices comfort.

That everyday usability is a big part of the pitch. The Formentor keeps its five seats and a boot large enough for a family’s luggage, so the VZ5 can serve as the only car in a household rather than a weekend toy. Buyers also get the reassurance of CUPRA’s standard new-car warranty and dealer servicing network, which sets it apart from some rarer performance specials that come with patchy aftersales support.

Where the VZ5 Sits on Price

At £64,495 the Formentor VZ5 lines up against established premium performance SUVs such as the Audi RS Q3, the Mercedes-AMG GLA 45 S and the entry-level Porsche Macan. It undercuts some of those rivals while matching them for power, and the strictly limited build run gives it a collectability angle that the mainstream German cars cannot claim. For buyers chasing the five-cylinder engine specifically, there are very few alternatives left on sale.

The VZ5 also sits at the opposite end of CUPRA’s growing UK line-up from its newest small car. Earlier this month the brand opened orders for the CUPRA Raval from £23,785, an electric supermini eligible for the Government grant. Together the two cars show how wide CUPRA’s range has stretched, from an affordable EV city car to a £64,495 petrol flagship.

UK order books are open now, with first deliveries due in the fourth quarter of 2026. Given the 4,000-car global limit, interested buyers will want to register their interest with CUPRA dealers sooner rather than later.