Why we’re running it: Could the Cupra Born finally be an EV that appeals to both the family driver and hot hatch fan?
Month 6 - Month 5 - Month 4 - Month 3 - Month 2 - Month 1 - Specs
Life with a Curpra Born: Month 6
Cupra’s first EV worked its way under our skin during its 5750-mile test. Here’s why - 11 January
That the Volkswagen ID 3 has become so ubiquitous so quickly should come as no great surprise. In a brave new world where everybody wants to buy an EV but few know which one to go for, it's natural to trust the world's best-selling car maker to get it right.
And there's nothing wrong with that, especially when the car in question is capable. For keen drivers, though, it's just a bit... well, vanilla.
So it hardly seemed the obvious place for Cupra, VW Group's hot-headed Spanish arm, to start when building its first paprika-infused EV. Yet it didn't take long with our Born to discover there is a bit of magic at work in this car. Take the looks: you can tell that it's an ID 3 underneath, but only if you know your cars. Few conventional hatchbacks I've driven in recent times have generated more intrigue: everyone wants to know what it is and whether they should buy it, because they all love how it looks.
The bronze detailing inside and out may date in time, but here and now it looks great - aided on 'my' car by the optional (£840) Aurora Blue paint, the 20in Hurricane alloy wheels and the tinted rear windows, which give it a dose of hot hatch intent that signals what's to come.
In fact, the spec is worth singling out. Short of an electric tailgate (useful when pre-opening the boot to receive muddy dogs on a wet walk) and the inexplicable omission of keyless entry, I never found it wanting. The heated seats and steering wheel were a joy on cold mornings, the massage function was a luxury after a long day, the head-up display was a useful addition and the large screen infotainment system offered all the functionality I could want - albeit frustratingly slowly and occasionally making it unnecessarily difficult to find what I was looking for through its menus.
Such as the 'sport' button, for instance. And it would be worth making easier to find because when you're in the mood, it makes quite a difference to the way the Born drives. The whole car feels stiffer, more agile, more alive. Cross-country, its nimbleness defies its whopping near-1800kg kerb weight - aided by having its battery pack sited so low down in the floor - and it's genuinely entertaining thanks to the sharp steering combined with a throttle-adjustable rear-drive platform.
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Mileage nearly 4000 on our 58KWh e-boost (230bhp) and I have to say the "hardware" side of things is very well put together and great to drive. As mentioned in the review the slooooww screen and silly buttons (and having to log in to the screen to do anything) really lets it down. If I was a software engineer at VW I'd be ashamed to admit it. The thing that isn't mentioned here but has annoyed me from day 1 is the left-hand drive wipers fitted to a RHD car. These back to front wipers give the passenger a nice clear view and leave a line of water right down the middle of the driver’s side. Ridiculous laziness/cheapness from VW (it's the same on the ID3).
Why does it need stiff springing? Yes it's heavy but the low centre of gravity mitigates that to a large extent. Car manufacturers need to work harder to understand how to work with EV platforms and improve the dynamics. BMW seems to have done this with the iX.
No excuses, and no more lazy journalism please.