STANDOUT MODEL

YOU can’t beat the Spanish for always being different from the rest of their European car-making neighbours and always coming up with something that’s distinctive looking, stylish inside and out, packed to the gunnels with all the latest gadgetry but crucially still really fun to drive.

- BY DAVID WARD

A couple or so decades ago it was always the Italians at Fiat and Alfa Romeo that had such panache with their car designs but they've definitely lost their title role since being swallowed up with the giant conglomerate called Stellantis where cars there all now look like identical blobs with much the same boring styling and identical mechanics underneath.

So step forward to the ‘new kids on the block’ and SEAT with their sporty Cupra brand who are coming up with the right models, none more so than their Formentor, a family SUV that's different with a distinctive coupe style that makes it stand out from the rest of the pack.

Led by their flagship 328bhp powered model (tested here) it puts this Cupra up amongst the equally sporty SUV contenders from Germany and elsewhere and in styling alone gives it a distinct look that makes all other SUVs look somewhat outdated.