MOTORING REVIEW: Cupra Born VZ electric hot hatch impresses

WHEN the Cupra Born was first introduced in 2021, it was a game-changer for the brand as it was their first all-electric model. Born is a battery electric compact small family car that competes in the C-Segment. My review car was the latest edition to the Cupra line-up, the Born VZ (Spanish for Veloz meaning ‘fast’) which is a more powerful version with an impressive performance and range.

Both versions are built on the Volkswagen Group’s MEB platform in Germany that’s also used for the Volkswagen ID.3. Born is the sportier option with enhanced steering, brakes, and suspension compared to the ID.3. 

My review car was in a new shade of Dark Forest only available on the VZ version and which, with the exterior copper accents around the car, drew lots of admiring glances. Smart 20-inch Thunderstorm aero black/copper wheels added to the sporty look. 

The interior has a stylish dash, beautiful materials, and warm copper accents. 

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A floating 12.9-inch infotainment touchscreen works well and I could access the menu systems quite easily. It is compatible with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. At the bottom of the screen a Touch Bar has front seat heater controls. I’m not a fan of the Volkswagen sliders for climate control or volume which I find finicky to use. The 5.3-inch instrument cluster clearly provides all the information you need. 

Wonderful Sabelt Cup bucket seats with sporty integrated headrests, unique to the VZ, are so comfy with side bolsters to hold you in snugly. My seat had power adjustments, lumbar support and three memory settings. A big sunroof, with blind, added to the interior cheer. 

The leather steering wheel has regenerative braking paddle shifts with three different levels of energy recuperation to feed energy back into the battery. You choose whichever level suits you best. Satellite buttons on the steering wheel are for the Drive Profile Range, Comfort, Performance, and individual; press the Cupra logo button on the right to tap into +20kW of additional power (best left to the race track!). The twist gear selector is off the steering column. 

Very tall people may find their head almost touches the rear roof lining. There are knee indents on the front seat backs but no pockets, just very good door bins as hold-alls. 

The car has a rear wiper; boot space of 385 litres expands to 1,267 litres with the rear seats down, and there’s a small area below for cables. 

With its powerful 79kWh lithium-ion battery with 321hp, the VZ delivers 240kW of power and a whopping 545Nm of torque making it one of the most dynamic cars in its segment and capable of a 0-100km/h time of 5.7 seconds. Top speed is also increased and now limited to 200km/h - maybe OK for the German autobahns!  Annual road tax is €120.

Battery consumption is a claimed 14.7 0 17.3 kWh; my long-term consumption came in between 14.6 kWh/100kms and 15.6 kWh/100km. The 79kWh battery pack has a range of almost 600kms on a single charge. When I collected the car, it was 99pc charged at 496kms. Either way, it’s a very impressive range that allows you travel long distances without having to worry about recharging. You can charge the car at home using an 11kW AC system or at a DC 170kW fast-charging meter which gives a fast charge from 10 to 8-pc in under 30 minutes. 

Standard equipment included dark tinted windows, full LED headlamps, reversing camera with a top view camera, Adaptive Cruise Control, Dynamic Chassis Control, Remote Park Assist and even a side assist warning system. Optional equipment included the metallic paint (€912), the Skyline Pack (€995), and a special 10-speaker sound system (€528). 

Big A-Pillar windows greatly aided visibility and excellent blind spot monitors, on the insides of side mirrors, lit up when a vehicle was approaching from behind.  

I found the drive to be very quiet for a hot hatch, but the car certainly was engaging with an edge to it with 322 bhp of power available, great for when you need it but keep out of penalty points territory. Steering is on the heavy side as I prefer. Road holding and cornering were superb and the suspension not too firm which came as a surprise. I thoroughly enjoyed driving longer distances in such high comfort. Audio alerts were gentle so there was no need to turn them off.  

A niggle in many press cars nowadays is that reflections off the dashboard top in the windscreen in bright sunshine make it quite difficult at times to clearly see all the road ahead. This usually means me having to adjust my driving position to help eliminate the problem, sometimes not in the most comfortable position. 

Big on safety features, Born received a maximum five points in safety test results from EuroNCAP. 

Cupra is an established stand alone brand within the Volkswagen Group. 

The range entry price starts at €37,955; the VZ is priced from €62,170. With options of €2,435, my car came to a pricey €66,605. Prices include SEAI grants and VRT Relief.