Cupra Born - The mild savage

The Cupra Born mimics the cool guys among the MEB offshoots. However, behind the promising outer skin is less a hot-blooded sports car and more a good everyday car.

Optical is the Cupra Born a strong statement. The wild beading game, rubber-coated Ferris wheels with copper accents, spoilers, blades, diffuser and the evil eye promise a fast-paced and decidedly sporty driving pleasure. But in the practical test we have the passionate-looking brother of the sober one VW ID.3 but experienced differently. The most important finding: It doesn't drive quite as wildly as its expressive styling would suggest. But there are other talents with which the Spaniard, who was built in Zwickau, surprises. Also: Although the Cupra Born started with a small battery and the weakest motor, it offers a level of performance and range that even qualifies it for use on longer motorway tours. 

Sporty or not?

Expressed in numbers, it is a 150 kW/204 hp rear-wheel drive and a 58 kWh battery that power the basic Born. The compact Cupra does not have to fear an opponent when sprinting at traffic lights. Theoretically, the 7,3 seconds for the 100 km/h sprint do not sound like sports car level, but the full acceleration potential can be called up casually and spontaneously. In any case, the brisk gas command is implemented extremely consistently. While the Porsche driver in the adjacent lane is just considering putting in first gear, the Born is already approaching the next set of traffic lights. The top speed, on the other hand, is restrained, because this drive combination does not exceed 160 km/h. 

The rear and trunk are well dimensioned for everyday family use. The 4,32 meter long five-door also offers front passengers a decent amount of space, especially since the windscreen, which extends far forward and is pulled down, conveys a feeling of space at the luxury class level. This is also matched by the low noise level due to the almost silent electric drive. The Stromer offers acoustic comfort that used to be experienced in the luxury class. For the low-noise gliding of modern times, however, you have to invest significantly less.

Traffic and temperature affect range

Incidentally, it is 37.220 euros that Cupra calls for the version with a small battery, which should last for 424 kilometers according to the WLTP measurement. In practice it is significantly less. In city traffic and with outside temperatures just above freezing, we only managed a little over 300 kilometers. On the Autobahn in normal driving mode, the radius shrank to 250 kilometers. However, other tours can also be mastered with this. 

So, with a full battery, we set out on a 330-kilometer journey with cruise control set to 120 km/h. After a little more than 200 kilometers and with a remaining range of just over 40 kilometers, the navigation system recommended a refueling stop at a motorway service station. It then took 33 minutes at a 150 kW charging station, which in the meantime delivered more than 100 kW charging current, to top up with 37 kWh of electricity, which provided us with a comfortable range cushion for the rest of the route. Overall, the Born, with a consumption of almost 23 kWh per 100 kilometers, was not the most economical e-car in the previous test cycle.

Electric vehicles are now cheaper than diesel

At the travel destination, we recharged just over 40 kWh at a household socket due to the lack of a wall box, which took over 20 hours and cost around 13 euros. 100 kilometers cost almost exactly 10 euros on the Autobahn tour including a fast charger. It wasn't long ago that a diesel was cheaper to drive, but in view of the further skyrocketing fuel prices, e-cars are currently the clearly cheaper alternative. If the Born is moved sparingly and refueled with cheap household electricity, also via a wall box, the energy costs can be almost halved. Speaking of savings potential: If the innovation bonus of 9.570 euros is applied for, the actual price for the basic Born drops to 27.650 euros.

We really liked and were impressed by the infotainment technology and the optional head-up display. Your own smartphone is quickly connected, which, among other things, creates the possibility of playing stored or streamed music and using the hands-free system. The mobile phone can also be supplied with electricity in a charging cradle without a cable connection. In addition, the head-up display with its augmented reality function has repeatedly projected symbols and graphics into our field of vision, which then act like traffic signs and provide better orientation. Here the technology offers a chic and also practical meshing of the real and virtual world. So there is a lot to be said for a Cupra Born, even if you might get less performance in the base than you might expect given the strong optics.

Technical data

Five-door, five-seat sedan in the compact class; Length: 4,32 meters, width: 1,81 meters (with exterior mirrors: 2,07 meters), height: 1,54 meters, wheelbase: 2,77 meters, trunk volume: 385 - 1.267 liters

electric motor; 150 kW/204 hp, maximum torque: 310 Nm from 1 rpm, rear-wheel drive, automatic input, 0-60 km/h: 3,4 s, 0-100 km/h: 7,3 s, Vmax: 160 km/h, battery size: 58 kWh, range: 395 - 424 kilometers, standard consumption: 15,5 - 16,7 kWh/100 km., CO2 emissions: 0 g/km, efficiency class: A+, test consumption 22,6 kWh
Price: 37.220 Euros

In brief 

Why: because it is a good everyday electric car with a very emotional charisma
Why not: because in some points it cannot keep the dynamic promise of the Cupra brand
What else:  VW ID.3, Hyundai Ioniq 5, Renault Megane E-Tech