2023 Cupra Formentor vs 2021 Ford Focus

What's the difference?

Cupra is a new brand under the Volkswagen Group, designed to be a cool, sporty, and youth-focused alternative to the likes of VW and Skoda, as contemporary and disruptive as it comes, and the Formentor we’re testing here treads the delicate ground between the world of hatchbacks and SUVs. 

The VZe spec we’re specifically looking at for this review is even a hybrid with a plug - arguably a concept Australians are barely ready for.

It’s very much a symbol of what’s going on in the car industry at the moment. New names, shapes, and technologies are coming to shake the status quo, and permanently alter the kinds of cars Australians buy.

It’s all well and good to be on the front foot. But does the Formentor VZe make sense in an increasingly crowded marketplace? Read on to see what I found.

Ford's small hatch, the Focus, is criminally under-bought in Australia. The latest model is  one of the best hatchbacks on the road and when you chuck in the decent price, impressive equipment and absurdly powerful engine for its size, it's a winner.

But you lot? You don't buy it in nearly the kinds of numbers it deserves. Partly because there isn't a bait-and-upsell boggo model to lure you in, partly because it's got a badge that is not exciting Australians any more and partly because it's not a compact SUV.

Or is(n't) it? Because alongside the ST-Line warm hatch is the identically priced and therefore technically a co-entry level model; the Focus Active. Slightly higher, with plastic cladding, drive modes and a conspicuous L on the transmission shifter, it's a little bit SUV, right?