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The CUPRA Born VZ is now available which means a larger battery, a longer range, and more power, along with an excellent driving experience.
We’ve already reviewed the CUPRA Born in V3 trim with a 58kWh battery and 204PS. The CUPRA Born VZ is now available, with a larger 79kWh battery and increased power of 326PS. So should you consider this sporty alternative to the Volkswagen ID.3?
The CUPRA Born is based on the Volkswagen ID.3 but it has some visual changes to make it look more sporty, as well as engineering tweaks under the skin. The VZ model features a 79 kWh battery, increased power of 326PS, and it’s rear-wheel drive.
Trim details in copper are featured inside and outside, and the VZ includes CUP Bucket sports seats. The Born is also practical with a decent 385-litre boot, although there’s no space underneath for storing charging cables.
The CUPRA Born VZ is a relatively compact size, it’s rear-wheel drive, it has sharp steering, responsive performance (0-62 mph in 5.6 seconds), good ride quality and excellent refinement. In other words it ticks many boxes, but it’s the few areas where Cupra has tweaked the engineering compared to the Volkswagen ID.3 that make a real difference.
The CUPRA Born features a platform which is low anyway, especially compared to the majority of new cars which are SUVs, but which now sits 15mm lower at the front axle and 10mm lower at the rear axle; Dynamic Chassis Control (DCC) is standard; and Electronic Stability Control (ESC) with its own unique application allows more cross-axle slip than other Group models.
These three items don’t sound like a big difference, but the end result is that the CUPRA Born VZ feels like a rewarding driver’s car compared to the more comfort-focused Volkswagen ID.3. It’s a genuinely enjoyable car to drive on any road, including motorways, where it feels very planted (as well as efficient), but especially on twisting A and B roads.
Our test route took in the Lake District’s Wrynose Pass and Hardknott Pass; amusingly, at the very top of the Hardknott Pass, a driver of a ten-year old petrol MINI asked how an EV had managed to get to the top of this road. The reality is that thanks to its instant electric torque, and rear-wheel drive, the CUPRA Born powered up all the hills that it was presented with in the Lake District, as opposed to most petrol cars, which struggled to make it up the passes. The MINI driver admitted that he’d had to drive his car almost all the way up to the top of the Hardknott Pass in first gear because the car didn’t like changing gear on such a long, steep incline.
The Born also offers a good, low driving position, helped by the electric seat adjustment, and you can even wrap your hands around the steering wheel spokes – something that’s becoming increasing rare in new cars as the spokes become fatter due to all their buttons.
The gear selector is located on the right-hand side of the instrument cluster, partially hidden behind the steering wheel, and twisting it gives you the options of D or B (increased brake regeneration). You can also adjust the regen by using the (new) steering wheel-mounted paddles.
One big improvement compared to the last Born that we reviewed is the ability to change the drive modes via two buttons conveniently located on the steering wheel rather than having to delve into the touchscreen. The drive mode options are Range, Comfort, Performance, Cupra and Individual, the latter giving you settings that you can adjust.
Each drive mode has different Dynamic Chassis Control (DCC) settings and you can also adjust the Electronic Stability Control (ESC) with the options of On, Sport, or Off. Off can only be selected when the car is at a standstill, and a message says that this is only for closed circuits, even though this setting still doesn’t provide a huge degree of slip.
Overall the Born VZ offers an excellent driving experience, although the brake feel could be stronger – something that may be a result of the car’s 1,999 kg kerb weight.
The Born features a large central touchscreen, a small display screen in front of the driver, and a head-up display. The touchscreen features a row of climate controls along the bottom, and under the touchscreen is a strip of plastic, which you have to touch to adjust the volume and cabin temperature. These controls don’t work as well as traditional dials, but the good news is that they are now illuminated at night, which is a welcome improvement compared to the Volkswagen ID.3 and the last Born we reviewed.
There are some (seemingly slightly random) buttons along the top of the screen, but there’s a lack of the basic clear shortcut buttons such as Home, Nav, Media/Radio and Phone. The top left button brings up a screen with a map and boxes for music and phone, and the second button from the left at the top of the screen gives you a screen of buttons for different apps etc – either of these would be better home screens. As it is, there’s still too much button-pressing to access key car controls, including the radio, ventilation fan settings, and to switch off the lane departure warning system – something that a number of other manufacturers are now including a shortcut button for.
There are still just two buttons for the four electric windows, with a third button to switch the controls between the front and rear windows – a strange feature, again shared with the ID.3.
If you set up the car controls to your liking and then get out of the car for a few seconds, the car switches itself off, and you have to re-set all your controls.
The CUPRA Born VZ 79kWh has an official combined WLTP electric driving range of 372 miles – an improvement on the 263 miles of the last Born we reviewed. After a week of mixed driving, the real-world range was averaging 305 miles, which is down on the 372 mile figure, but still good.
Another improvement with the Born VZ is the ultra-rapid charging rate of 185 kW, compared to 135 kW for the model with the 58 kWh battery. An ultra-rapid charge from 10% to 80% takes just 26 minutes, and it can be recharged using an 11kW AC system (most commonly found at a workplace in the UK).
The Born’s driver instrument display shows an efficiency figure in miles per kWh, which is good, and which all EVs should do (but they don’t).
The CUPRA Born VZ 79kWh 326PS is priced at £44,625. Our test car had options of Dark Forest special paint (£930) and 20-inch Firestorm alloy wheels (£835), taking the total price of our test car to £46,390.
The CUPRA Born in V1 Trim with a 59 kWh battery and 230PS is available from £35,495. V2 Trim with a 59 kWh battery and 230PS costs from £37,265.
V3 Trim with a 59 kWh battery and 230PS is available from £39,015, or £41,795 for 230PS and the 77 kWh battery.
The CUPRA Born VZ 79kWh is an enjoyable driver’s car, thanks to its compact size, its rear-wheel drive powertrain, its responsive performance, and CUPRA’s engineering tweaks, ie. a platform which sits 15mm lower at the front axle and 10mm lower at the rear axle, Dynamic Chassis Control, and Electronic Stability Control (ESC) allowing more slip. It’s also comfortable, practical and efficient, and reasonably affordable for an EV that is this good to drive. Some elements of the infotainment system have been improved, but the Born would still benefit from having basic shortcut buttons on the touchscreen to reduce the amount of button-pressing to access basic car controls. The CUPRA Born VZ is awarded a Green Car Guide rating of 9 out of 10.
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