Does This Cupra Formentor VZ Prototype Sound Like It's Packing Audi Sport’s 2.5L Turbo Five-Pot?

We asked our spy photographers for further proof on the use of the Audi Sport-sourced five-cylinder turbocharged powerplant and Stefan from SB-Medien kindly provided a video that allows us to hear the Cupra prototype’s engine. Check it out for yourself in the video that follows and tell us what you think. [Update 10/16/2020]

-Original story follows below-

Production of the Cupra Formentor kicked off at the end of September, so why would Seat’s newly born performance brand take a prototype to the Nurburgring, and more importantly, why did it have a different, stacked quad exhaust-pipe layout?

If we were to give credit to the rumors, then it appears that Seat’s performance brand is working on a limited production, range-topping version of the sporty SUV powered by Audi Sport’s turbocharged 2.5-liter five-cylinder engine.

Our spy photographers claim that this specific Formentor test car, with its diagonally stacked tailpipes, sounded like it packed the RS3/RS Q3’s power unit. Apparently Cupra has been toying around with the turbo-five for a few months now, as our spies said that they first heard the same sound coming from a Formentor prototype last winter.

Believed to get the VZ moniker as part of the brand’s higher-output category that includes models with over 245 PS (242 HP / 180 kW), the five-cylinder Cupra Formentor would become the most powerful and expensive member of the family. We should note here that this model should not be confused with the Cupra Formentor Launch Edition that was confusingly launched in the UK as the “VZ Edition” and which retains the 2.0-liter turbocharged four.

The turbocharged 2.5-liter five-cylinder makes 400 PS (394 HP / 294 kW) and 480 Nm (354 lb-ft) of torque in the RS Q3 and RS Q3 Sportback, directed to the all-wheel-drive system through a seven-speed automatic transmission. The 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) acceleration takes 4.5 seconds and top speed is limited to 250 km/h (155 mph), or 280 km/h (174 mph) with a factory option.

The same engine will also be used by the upcoming RS3, though it will perhaps produce a healthier 420 PS (414 HP / 309 kW) in the standard trim and up to 450 PS (444 HP / 331 kW) in the rumored Performance variant.

Besides the 2.0-liter unit, the Formentor will also get two plug-in hybrid powertrains, with 204 and 245 PS (201/242 HP / 150/180 kW) respectively, as well as a 2.0-liter TDI diesel, making 150 PS (148 HP / 110 kW), and a 1.5-liter TSI petrol offered in two outputs: 150 and 190 PS (148/187 HP / 110/140 kW).