V2 190 BHP DSG 4 Drive

Great car but not without its faults

Generally pleased with my Formentor and yes like others I have had a few "what is its" although all feedback has been positive and complimentary. Lets start with the positives before the inevitable negatives.

Great looks,
Build quality
Metallic paint
Comfortable ride and particularly the leather and heated seats which hug my rather ample frame.
High spec and classy interior
Interior lighting system which can be personalised to preferred colour scheme
Good handling and sure footed
Excellent driving position
Reasonably responsive 2.0 engine.
Driven in comfort mode (my preferred choice) acceleration is more than adequate for quick overtakes.
Multi function steering wheel.
Intelligent 4WD system is barely noticeable however will kick you back into a straight line if required, to save your blushes.
Auto headlight main beam system.
Ability to personalise the dashboard with a number of different settings and views
Paddle gear change, although the novelty has already worn off.
Cruise control with radar to maintain distance to car in front although it can initially be a little unnerving when on motorways and the car in front with no mirrors or indicators pulls out in front of you and the car will automatically brake (sometimes too harshly).
Fuel economy which is mid 30s on mainly short A road journeys, comfortably around 40 on longer motorway runs.

Negatives

Road noise from the 19 inch wheels and 245 Pirelli tyres
Overly sensitive collision warning system.
Glitchy media system, slow to respond and can be somewhat temperamental, generally resets itself after a restart. Although this seems to be problematic in all VW group models using this system.
Heater / radio volume controls are not back lit which requires some fumbling around at night, although this can be circumvented by using voice commands, such as sync heating to 23 degrees or warm my feet etc.
Sat-nav system which often needs to be adjusted to show the direction of travel.
Reading lights seem to have a mind of their own and can flash through all modes whilst driving, (A known problem) which is extremely off putting at night. Again resets itself after a restart.
Charging plate for mobile phone does not snugly hold modern mobile phones and going round corners can cause the phone to move and lose its charging connection.
Auto box lags in comfort mode and needs a bit of a kick down if trying to leave a junction reasonably quickly although very good once moving.
Sport setting although noticeably quicker is a bit harsh and jerky, holds gears a fraction too long in my opinion.
The lane assist is a pain and can try and aggressively pull you back to the left if you cross a white line without indicating, which is infuriating whilst passing parked cars. It can be deactivated but this needs to be done every time its started and there seems to be no way of disabling this permanently.
Small boot although 4WD system does impact on this.

But the worst for me by far is the voice control which given its Spanish heritage is activated by the the phrase "Oh La" followed by your request, however not just "Oh La" it will activate to, "Oh no, Oh yes, Oh really, Oh f**k, Oh s***,, pretty much Oh anything" and it will persist in asking you what you want until you manually cancel it on the main screen. Fortunately though I drive it mostly myself but if the car is full of passengers its intolerable.

Back up from local SEAT dealer has been excellent, soon after delivery the car developed a rattle under the charging plate for the mobile phone and this was resolved by fitting replacement trim quickly and professionally under warranty.

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