Cupra Born VZ review

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Cupra uses some old-school tricks to create a new-age hot hatch 

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Press presentations for new cars are normally given by someone from marketing with lots of graphs and charts about trim levels and why it’s better than rival X at Y. But the presentation for the new Cupra Born VZ was one to really sit up and pay attention to.

It was given by ex-World Touring Car Championship driver turned performance car development engineer Jordi Gené. It was delivered by a proper enthusiast with serious credentials and was all about brake pedal feel, suspension changes, drivetrain improvements – our kind of language, and a car to be taken seriously. 

The Born VZ is the hot version of the standard Born hatchback, which is already the electric car we rate the highest for handling appeal. It recently won our best sub-£40,000 EV test and last year beat a more specialist EV field where handling ability was placed at a premium.

If you mentioned the idea of an electric hot hatch even 12 months ago to the more hardened motoring enthusiast, their reaction likely would have been one of scepticism.

Where hot hatches excel in dynamics, light-weight performance and handling, electric cars often do not, and there aren’t many car companies that have attempted a pure driver’s EV. 

Thankfully, it seems like more effort is being placed into introducing more EVs with a driver-focused, performance edge. The Born VZ is the latest such car to join proceedings in the UK, following the warmed-up Abarth 500e, the MG 4 XPower and the more powerful Hyundai Ioniq 5 N.

The positioning of the Born VZ is quite different to other electric hot hatches: at one end the Abarth 500e is stiff and raucous, while at the other the Ioniq 5 N is high-tech and terrifically adjustable. 

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The Born VZ splits the difference quite nicely: it doesn’t make a play on electric technology or even too much of the fact of being electric; its makers simply wanted to make a hot hatch that happens to be electric, so there’s no fake sounds or too much electrical interference.

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DESIGN & STYLING

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Cupra Born VZ review side parked

The Born VZ certainly looks the part as a serious hot hatch, although the changes aren’t extensive over what is already a sporty-looking donor car.

There are two 20in alloy wheel options, including a forged option. The wheels are also wider front and rear.

There’s also a special paint for it, called Dark Forest, offered alongside Midnight Black. All very dark and moody, set off nicely by Cupra’s now-familiar copper trim. 

The Born VZ retains its usual fun-loving rear-wheel drive set-up here, gaining an additional 94bhp for a total output of 322bhp - almost as much as a Volkswagen Golf R. Torque is also up to a more muscular 402lb ft, compared to 229lb ft previously. 

Power is supplied by a 79kWh battery that officially offers up to 372 miles of range.

 

INTERIOR

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Cupra Born VZ review full interior

The key addition to the interior is the new bucket seats (or Cup Bucket seats, to give them their official name), which are fabulously supportive, if likely to be snug in the ribs of larger drivers.

The seats are designed to make you feel lower to the ground, even though they aren't actually mounted lower than the standard Born’s seats.

They are also trimmed in natural fibres, the back trim using natural flax fibre that feels fantastic. Materials like this make leather feel increasingly old-hat. 

The steering wheel and column are tweaked, gaining paddle shifts to adjust the level of regenerative braking and a new position for the drive selector.

A larger (12.9in) touchscreen is another addition, sitting right below which are the heater controls that are at last illuminated.

It’s an interior that blends sportiness and technology well, although we wish there were more physical controls to go with the touchscreen.

The system has improved since early applications with a better layout and shortcuts falling more easily to hand, yet you still find yourself stabbing around the menus when you need something more than a simple command. 

The Born VZ is also just as practical as the standard car, with a 385-litre boot and plenty of space in the back for passengers. There's still no frunk, though. 

ENGINES & PERFORMANCE

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Cupra Born VZ review down ramp

The dynamic changes to the Born VZ (VZ is shorthand for 'veloz', which translates from Spanish as 'fast') are extensive over the standard Born on which it's based.

On the powertrain side, the rear-mounted motor has had power increased from 228bhp to 322bhp, while torque has increased from 229lb ft to 402lb ft. 

The result is a slashed 0-62mph sprint of 5.7sec – down from 7.3sec in the Born's slowest specification – and a boosted top speed of 125mph. 

These performance boosts mean power is delivered abruptly but not aggressively, unlike in rivals like the Tesla Model 3 saloon.

The Born VZ can take its power and torque hike well, and the extra acceleration is useful and usable when attacking a series of corners. Very little unsettles the car and the tuning is commendable. It makes the VZ a joy to drive in both short bursts and on longer-haul journeys.

Perhaps the most focus of all was given to the brake pedal and its feel – something that has always been off in performance EVs, as the tuning has to factor in not only the traditional brakes but the regen from the motor, too, which is why so many EVs have a spongy pedal feel.

The brakes take some getting used to and they’re still as you’d expect from a petrol hot hatch; the first part of the travel is quite dead before they really start to bite. From there they’re progressive but the lack of initial stopping power feels a bit strange. You can also control the level of regeneration using paddles on the steering wheel. 

The brakes aren’t as strange as the absence of noise. Having bemoaned some of the artificial racket coming from EVs, the sound of silence was equally disconcerting in the Born VZ. We await someone to solve this conundrum.

RIDE & HANDLING

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cupra born vz review 2024 08

Cupra has also overhauled the chassis to give the Born VZ a further edge, adding new dampers and springs at the rear and adapting the front suspension for improved handling and body control.

Cupra says the steering has also been made more sporty, and the brakes are stiffer too.

The changes to the chassis are successful, and the VZ handles with a sporty directness and great stability. It’s a very rewarding car to drive at speed and inspires confidence to a degree not offered by the more powerful 4 XPower. 

The chassis is good. There’s a lot of grip at the front and the car’s front-end inspires a lot of confidence to really attack corners, while the rear remains stable.

Plus, while the changes affect the Born’s ride, it’s not overly firm. It handles divots and creases of UK roads well and remains composed while doing so.

This is good news, as the VZ’s larger battery means it weighs almost 200kg more than the entry-level Born. It’s nearly as comfortable to live with day-to-day as that car, too. 

While you can certainly feel the increase in weight, it’s managed well by excellent grip levels and that additional performance, and thankfully it does little to affect the Born's agility.

The steering has been given a new map to “translate faster to the driver what the front wheels are doing” as “another big focus of development”, our presenter said. 

It reminded us of a Volkswagen Golf GTI: rewarding and composed without being razor-sharp. That comparison extends to the steering, too, which is communicative enough while remaining light. 

MPG & RUNNING COSTS

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Cupra Born VZ front cornering

The Born VZ gets a slightly larger usable battery size than the standard car, up 2kWh to 79kWh. The official range maxes out at 372 miles depending on what options you select, and even with hard driving we were seeing an indicated range of 250 miles. A more sedate driving style could push 300 miles in the real world.

The charging speed is 185kW, meaning a fast charge from 10% battery capacity to 80% will take just under half an hour.

It’s not cheap, though. Prices start from just over £44,000, which is than £3000 more than the previous range-topper.

It's also £6000 more than the new Golf GTI. It’s also disappointing that an efficiency-boosting heat pump is optional rather than standard at this price. 

VERDICT

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Cupra Born VZ review front lead

There’s huge visual appeal inside and out and there is also real driver appeal to the Born VZ.

Perhaps the best aspect of the car is that it’s not half-arsed. It’s as excellent an all-around package as it is a proper driver’s EV, offering an engaging rear-wheel-drive set-up, proper hot-hatch performance and much-improved technology with few compromises. 

Another dilemma is how excellent the Born is to drive in its more affordable specifications. Most are lighter, more efficient and pack plenty of power. But the VZ steps up to offer all the hallmarks of a hot hatch - something few EVs can claim to do. 

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Mark Tisshaw

mark-tisshaw-autocar
Title: Editor

Mark is a journalist with more than a decade of top-level experience in the automotive industry. He first joined Autocar in 2009, having previously worked in local newspapers. He has held several roles at Autocar, including news editor, deputy editor, digital editor and his current position of editor, one he has held since 2017.

From this position he oversees all of Autocar’s content across the print magazine, autocar.co.uk website, social media, video, and podcast channels, as well as our recent launch, Autocar Business. Mark regularly interviews the very top global executives in the automotive industry, telling their stories and holding them to account, meeting them at shows and events around the world.

Mark is a Car of the Year juror, a prestigious annual award that Autocar is one of the main sponsors of. He has made media appearances on the likes of the BBC, and contributed to titles including What Car?, Move Electric and Pistonheads, and has written a column for The Sun.