VIVA LA CROSSOVER

This Spaniard is a practical all-rounder that hits all the right notes

- SAM PHILLIPS

The Cupra Formentor is both a brawny-looking crossover and a brilliant all-rounder with the taut handling of a well-sorted hatchback and the practicality of an estate. The segment-blending family hauler - updated recently but we're focusing on the pre-facelift car here - had a stuttering start due to its arrival during the 2020 pandemic. But the Formentor has become Cupra's best-selling model, with so many finding homes that the used market now provides rich pickings, with prices starting from £13,000.

There's an array of engines to consider: pick from a BIK-swerving plug-in hybrid or a pseudo-hot hatch with more than 300bhp. Or keep things simple by opting for the widely available 148bhp 1.5-litre or 187bhp 2.0-litre turbo petrols.