It’s all too easy to get chin-scratchy in this business, surrounded as we are by other enthusiasts in the bubble of motoring journalists and PRs.
But there does seem to be a theme running through various conversations going on at the moment, both inside and outside the bubble, as more and more people end up discussing how to make electric cars both exciting and different.
Everyone is aware change is coming, but no-one is quite sure how it’s going to manifest itself for the people in this world who love cars.
It’s a real concern, as a lot of manufacturers are proposing platform sharing. The economies of scale make financial sense and, to a certain extent, it’s no different from what Volkswagen has been doing for years with petrol and diesel cars, but with the Volkswagen MEB platform and the numbers involved, it takes on a whole new meaning.
Some estimates have 50 million cars being built on these underpinnings. In light of all that, step forward the latest to try and persuade that all will be okay: the Cupra Born.
This was originally conceived as the concept Seat El-Born, but as time has gone on, the suits in the Volkswagen Group decided to launch it as a performance-oriented Cupra. It makes sense, people are prepared to pay more for a Cupra, and with a starting price of around £31,500 (~$55,000) for the most basic model, it isn’t as cheap as customers expect of a Seat.
On paper, things are looking good. It’s the Cupra version of the Volkswagen ID.3, so by definition (hopefully) the slightly sportier one, with more ‘emotion’. It’s a “new era” for Cupra, and the first all-electric car it’s made.
There’s definitely a family resemblance. The side profile is where there’s no mistaking the ID.3 base, because the silhouette makes the two cars look more related than say, a Volkswagen Golf and Seat Leon, no matter how many chunky bumpers and rear wings are added. Although, to be fair, that rear spoiler is apparently functional.
Still, it certainly looks different from the nose. The Cupra lettering in copper is a nice design detail and there are other copper highlights sprinkled throughout. Overall, it’s a decent-looking hatch.
How much does the Cupra Born cost?
Australian pricing for the Cupra Born hasn’t been revealed yet, but the brand has indicated it wants to slot the car in below the Tesla Model 3.
That suggests it’ll kick off below or around the $60,000 mark when pricing and specifications are confirmed later in 2022.
“Looking at it in the context of our overall range. We’ve been fairly open in saying our range will start in the low-$40,000s and it’s ending up in the high $60,000s with lots of option boxes ticked,” Cupra Australia brand director Ben Wilks has previously told CarExpert.
“I think that gives you a sense of where it can fit overall. People are prepared to pay for an electric vehicle, but they want value – even if they are buying something that’s a bit different,” he said.
MORE: 2023 Cupra Born won’t be held back by poor supply
What is the Cupra Born like on the inside?
The same copper details from the outside appear inside.
The interior is dominated by the large, 12.0-inch touchscreen set-up that also appears in the ID.3, as well as the small binnacle in front of the driver, but it’s a good place to sit.
There’s a minimum of shiny piano black plastics (praise be) and plenty of soft-touch man-made fabric, including optional Dinamica.
Cupra is keen to emphasise that a lot of the material is made from recycled plastic waste from the sea and, what’s more, it’s local plastic (to the brand) because it’s harvested from the Mediterranean.
It’s not the only element of the car with an environmental bent. Thanks to a carbon offset program and the use of renewable energy in the production of the Born, Cupra claims the car is net carbon neutral.
Other manufacturers, like Polestar, aren’t convinced of the integrity of carbon offset, but at least it’s a start.
Rear leg room is impressive and no wonder with the 2767mm wheelbase.
That is fractionally less (3mm) than the ID.3’s, but you’d never notice from inside because a six-footer can comfortably sit in the back.
The boot is a generous 385 litres, although there’s nowhere to permanently store the charge cables.
What’s under the bonnet?
Leaning heavily on the Volkswagen Group’s MEB platform, the Born gets a mid-mounted skateboard battery (housed within an aluminium structure but still weighing a chunky 350kg) in three different sizes.
So far, so very Volkswagen ID.3. The elephant in the room is definitely the car’s German sibling. The Cupra is fundamentally the same car, so the Spanish firm is working hard to convince people that it’s done things differently.
The Cupra Born is offered with three power outputs overseas. The entry-level car makes 110kW of power, and features a 45kWh battery pack good for 340km of range.
A version with 150kW of power is also offered, with a 58kWh battery good for a claimed range of 420km.
Finally, the e-Boost ups power to 170kW from the rear-mounted electric motor. It’s available with the 58kWh battery pack (0-100km/h takes 6.6 seconds), or a 77kWh unit that ups range to 550km on the WLTP test cycle (7.0 seconds to 100km/h).
Regardless of which power output you opt for, the rear-mounted electric motor makes 310Nm of torque.
Charging times are competitive, adding 100km in seven minutes using a 125kW DC fast charger, or 5 per cent to 80 per cent in 35 minutes.
We drove both the mid- and top-spec models, as the 110kW version has yet to launch overseas at the time of writing.
How does the Cupra Born drive?
There’s no button to start the Cupra, just your weight on the seat is enough.
The interior screens aren’t instantaneous to load, but after that it’s a simple twist of the gearstick located up to the right of the instrument binnacle and you’re off.
As with almost all electric cars, the Cupra Born doesn’t require a traditional gearbox. For those behind the wheel this means driving is simplicity itself, as you simply engage drive, then squeeze the accelerator for smooth and seamless acceleration.
I don’t need to tell you the step-off from standstill is impressive – I’ve yet to drive an electric vehicle where it isn’t.
The 170kW version will manage 0-100km/h in 6.6 seconds with the smaller battery, but even the lesser-powered one we tried will crack it in 7.3 seconds. As ever, the initial sprint as you plant your foot is decent no matter what speed you’re doing, but the thrust tails off as the speed builds.
The ride quality is also worth noting. Our car was on 20-inch wheels and low-profile tyres, but you’d never know it from the way it flows along the tarmac. It feels expensively damped, well controlled and crucially, there’s no suspension noise – a vital thing in the silent world of electric driving.
Body roll is well managed and there’s a decent amount of front-end grip, the Born hanging on gamely through tight corners. It’s only when you’re really pressing on that the inside rear wheel starts to give up, spinning ever so slightly as the weight and power transfer to the outer tyre.
The Born features an expensive multi-link suspension set-up down back, with a MacPherson strut arrangement at the front. Adaptive dampers (DCC in the Cupra world) are optional on the e-Boost, and they could be a good option to tick because they add an extra edge to the Born’s dynamics.
The sportier settings within DCC add an edge to the ride, but it never feels overly stiff or out of control. Overall, it feels like a very grown-up hatch.
But if you were hoping Cupra, being the sporty one of the Volkswagen Group family, would have injected some excitement into its rear-wheel-drive electric hatch, I’m afraid you’ll be disappointed.
There’s no sense of playfulness from the chassis or steering: both are safe and competent, but never add anything extra.
There is a ‘Cupra’ driver setting in the higher-powered car (accessed via either the touchscreen or a natty-looking copper button on the steering wheel) and it does add more weight to the helm, but it doesn’t transform it. You don’t get any sense of adjustability from either the steering wheel or throttle, a key measure of the way you’d judge a more enthusiast-leaning hatch.
The brakes are the poorest part of the experience. The Born has quite a soft pedal that doesn’t get any meatier no matter how hard you press it. It needs more bite at the top of the pedal. They don’t inspire the confidence you’d expect, even in maximum regen mode.
All of this is largely the same as the ID.3. There might be slight differences in the steering, but it would take a back-to-back test to reveal those – and that’s where Cupra comes slightly unstuck.
It’s claiming to be the emotional member of its VW Group stablemate, but the drive experience can’t back up the jazzier looks and doesn’t feel vastly different from its ID.3 sibling.
Wider tyres will be available. We tried the 215/45 R20 combination, but a 235mm width will be offered – while the Cupra is also 15mm lower at the rear and 10mm lower at the front than the Volkswagen.
‘Progressive’ steering is standard across the Cupra range and, on those wider tyres, it’s possible to completely disable the ESC. Game-changers? The remains to be seen.
Does Cupra give any reason to buy a Born over an ID.3? In Europe, the distance between them isn’t as broad as maybe it could be. In Australia, where the Born will be here long before the ID.3, the choice is a bit simpler.
What do you get?
Specifications for Australia haven’t been confirmed, but the UK market gets its Born in three flavours dubbed V1, V2, and V3.
V1 models ride on 18-inch alloy wheels, and feature black “yarn” interior trim. Keyless entry, wireless phone charging, and hands-free park assist are part of a Tech Pack, while the Dynamic Pack brings adaptive dampers.
Regardless of model the car features a 12.0-inch infotainment touchscreen, a 5.2-inch digital instrument binnacle, and a full suite of active driver assists are standard.
Moving to the V2 gets you 19-inch alloy wheels, heated and power-folding exterior mirrors, full LED head- and tail lights, tinted rear windows, heated front seats, and a head-up display.
The range-topping V3 features 20-inch alloy wheels and powered front seats with massaging, as well as the more powerful 170kW electric motor as standard with the choice of standard- or long-range battery packs.
It’s likely Cupra Australia will prioritise high-spec, long-range models in the $50,000-$60,000 bracket. So expect local models to be equipped similar to the UK’s V2 and V3 trim levels.
Is the Cupra Born safe?
The Cupra Born wears a five-star Euro NCAP safety rating with 2022 datestamp, that will most likely be carried over to ANCAP when the Spanish EV arrives next year.
In terms of category scores, the Born managed 93 per cent for adult occupant protection, 89 per cent for child occupant protection, 73 per cent for vulnerable road users and 80 per cent for safety assist.
Standard safety features in Europe include:
- AEB with pedestrian/cyclist assist
- Driver attention monitoring
- Forward collision warning
- Lane assist
- Speed limiter
- 7 airbags incl. front-centre airbag
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Australian prototype shown
How much does the Cupra Born cost to run?
The Born will be backed by a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty when it lands in Australia.
As a point of difference to its group mates, Cupra currently offers three years of complementary scheduled servicing with the Ateca, Formentor and Leon ranges, and we expect the same for the Born.
It’s unclear whether the Spanish brand will also offer a subscription to something like the Chargefox public charging network, which generally is the play for premium brands like Audi.
Cupra’s Formentor and Leon VZe plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) don’t currently offer such a program, but the Born would be a prime candidate. Stay tuned.
CarExpert’s Take on the Cupra Born
The Born is largely the same as the ID.3. There might be slight differences in the steering, but it would take a back-to-back test to reveal those – and that’s where Cupra comes unstuck.
It’s claiming to be the ’emotional one’, but the drive experience can’t back up the jazzier looks and doesn’t feel vastly different from its VW ID.3 twin under the skin.
Does that make it a bad car? Certainly not. But, does that give any reason to buy a Cupra over an ID.3? That’s where it gets more awkward for the Spanish brand.
Platform sharing will no doubt save VW’s bacon in the new electric world, but at what cost to individual character?
Click the images for the full gallery
MORE: Everything Cupra Born
