Cupra Born (2022) Review

THE pressure is off, I’ve bought an extension lead and it’s amazing how it has transformed my view of electric vehicles.

No longer am I reliant on public rapid chargers with their reliability issues, increasing expense and charging bay rage of fellow users. As long as I have the range then I can just plug in overnight at home to be back to fully charged by the next morning. Simple.

It also means that I can enjoy the spirited performance of the EVs without caring too much about using up all the charge too rapidly.

And so with the latest test car, Cupra’s first foray into the world of full-electrics, the Born, I can delight in all its EV traits and worry little about running out of charge.

It helps that it’s the holidays and I’m staying fairly local for a change. It’s cold so maximum charge on the 58kWh version is only 170 miles, though this rises to 184 as the temperature increases, but it’s enough for my needs and I’m enjoying the ride.

First of all Born looks great, well it would wouldn’t it, it’s a Cupra after all. Shark nose, sexy LED lights and a squat stance give it bags of presence. But then look at the detail, such as the shape of the side-skirts and the way the tailgate goes around the lights, to fully appreciate why the Born is a real eye-catcher.

When the light fades, the puddle lamps even shine down from the side mirrors, displaying the Cupra logo onto the floor – lovely.

Add huge 20in Hurricane alloys, that come with the V3 specification, a stealthy Vapour grey livery, complete with copper detailing, and coast-to-coast LED rear lights right across the back and you have something rather special.

It feels special too thanks to a great interior. Trim is metal finish and I love the way the motorbike-style clocks move with the adjustable steering column. The infotainment screen floats in the centre of the dash, is angled slightly towards the driver and everything is touch-operated, even the controls on the sporty heated steering wheel.

Granite grey Dinamica bucket seats are 12-way electrically adjustable in the front, are heated and include a massage function. Using all these toys has no impact on range so heat your bones through with impunity.

Cupras are all about the driving experience and Born is no exception. With 204PS on tap there is power aplenty and it is absolutely seamless. It flies smoothly off the mark and just keeps going offering endless performance for sprints, overtakes and hill climbs. There’s nothing quite like an EV for smooth, quiet and breath-taking performance.

The battery pack sits centrally between the axels so weight distribution is a perfect 50:50 and the centre of gravity is as low as it can possibly be. This gives the Born tremendous poise and balance, fantastic handling, ride and grip. The electric power steering is accurate and well-weighted and the throttle incredibly controllable – when you lift off up to 0.3g of braking force is applied while the motor acts as a generator to feed energy back into the battery. Lift off on long downhill sections and there’s no need to brake at all, just slow and watch the range meter rise.

The Born is the first of many EVs being planned by Cupra – the next is going to be an SUV – and the motoring world waits with bated breath because if they are as good as this first model then the pressure is going to be well and truly on the opposition.

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