BY any standards a 2.0-litre car that boasts 300bhp is impressive.

But that's the sort of power that we have come to expect from the new stand alone Spanish performance brand Cupra.

The new Cupra Formentor 2.0-litre is a real tour de force which delivers on every front.

It's an SUV Coupe which comes with four sensible driving modes - convenience, offroad, sport and individual - and one insane one - Cupra mode.

Switch to Cupra mode and everything changes. The engine note suddenly increases by several decibels, the gears are held onto for much longer and the Formentor grows horns.

With a top speed of 155 miles per hour and a 0-62 mph acceleration time of just 4.9 seconds this is not a car for the faint hearted. Even Lewis Hamilton would be impressed - particularly with the Formula 1-style push button starter on the steering wheel.

And with four-wheel-drive its tenacious grip is just as impressive as its acceleration.

But despite its blistering performance there is a gentler side to this car when you need it. Switch to convenience mode and you have an ideal long distance tourer with a softer ride and toned down sports characteristics.

The Formentor is a striking looking SUV with a dramatic looking grille featuring the copper coloured Cupra symbol at the centre of it. Then there are 19-inch matte black and silver alloy wheels, twin exhausts chiselled body lines and muscular haunches.

And in the new matte finish (an £1,800 extra) it stands out even more.

The interior has an upmarket sporting feel to it with black Nappa leather heated bucket seats with copper-coloured stitching and the Cupra symbol embroidered in the headrests.

Copper coloured highlights also feature on the air vents and the steering wheel in contrast to the mainly black trim.

Other features worthy of mention include self parking, a heated steering wheel, a rear view camera and a powered tailgate.

And I particularly like Cupra's new take on the blind spot warning system which alerts you when cars are overtaking. Most manufacturers use a warning light on the exterior mirrors but Cupra uses the ambient lighting strip on the interior door trim to give a bright orange flash you can't miss.

From behind the wheel the tall stance of this five-door SUV ensures good all round vision and easy parking.

The 7-speed automatic gearbox is operated via a small lever rather than a traditional gearshift to save space and the cockpit is pretty clutter free as most controls are operated via the 12-inch central touch screen,

Drive this car hard in Cupra mode and it's guaranteed to put a smile on your face, particularly if you change gear manually with the paddles behind the steering wheel - a la Lewis Hamilton - but it will obviously increase fuel consumption.

But cleverly Cupra have thought of that because when you are not in a hurry and ease off the accelerator the car goes into eco function - in effect coasting - which helps to balance up your fuel bills.

And over a week's driving I even managed to exceed the official fuel consumption of 32.8 mpg and still enjoy the Cupra's superb performance.