FIRST DRIVE: Cupra Born VZ - the ultimate getaway car? | Electrifying

#cuprabornvz #cupra #electriccars

The standard Cupra Born is a fun car. It might be practical and easy to drive, but it still had an element of entertainment in the way it drove that made it more rewarding than rivals. Although it never had daft performance, the 201bhp always felt plenty, and there was always the e-boost button if you wanted a little extra poke for overtaking. And yet it remained refined too, so it was never tiring. Sporty without being rorty if you like.

Now there is the option of even more fun, with an even sportier version. The VZ name is a shortening of the Spanish word ‘veloz’- which translated into English means ‘fast’. So it has a new motor at the rear which produces 320bhp.

To put that into perspective, it’s about the same as a Porsche 911 from a decade ago.

But is that enough to take on cars like the faster, cheaper MG XPower?

That punchy new motor means the Born VZ can do the 0-62mph sprint in 5.7 seconds – one second faster than the e-Boost version. That’s 40% more power than the existing Borns. It also has and 75% more torque. Top speed is also increased by 25mph to 124mph, which is largely irrelevant on an electric car unless you are rushing between chargers on an Autobahn.

The battery pack in the VZ has also been tweaked and they’ve found an extra 2kWh of capacity, taking the total to 79kWh. This gives it an official range of 335-372 miles – exactly the same as the existing V3 77 model.

It can be recharged using an 11kW AC system, which is acceptable but a little disappointing when some rivals can take 22kW. The DC rapid charging maximum of 185kW is more impressive though and a meaningful upgrade on the 130kW of lesser Borns. It means a fast charge from 10 to 80% would just take under half an hour.

Join Tom as he takes the new Cupra Born VZ out on the road for the first time. Has Cupra built a winner? Would you choose this over an ID.3 GTX? Let us know in the comments below.

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[Neojhun]

The crazy this is a HotHatch with 322bhp just to the Rear Wheels. This is the best evolution of the hot hatch.

[alistairl]

I've had my ID.3 just over a year now and ordered it before the Born was available. If the steering and grip in the Born are better then I'm really interested in the Born VZ - I prefer the arm rest setup in the Born I've sat in and although the power is fine in the ID.3, a little more would be fun. The ID.3 just doesn't quite have the front end feel (though sport mode is better) to really have confidence.

I'm 6'4" and the ID.3 / Born sizing is great (A pillar notwithstanding) and the VZ is more exciting than the GTX Performance (those seats!). And assuming the VZ only has the larger battery, not having home charging would be even less of an impediment (although I manage fine with the 58kWh in my ID.3).

Finally watching this video after the Tavascan shows the contrast in your (Tom's) reaction to the Born vs the Tavascan. Thanks for the review!!

[CarlosFandango]

Tom always gets the young ladies commenting😜 keep up the good work Tom

[anthonystevens]

A top video Tom. You didn't get arrested (yet) so we didn't have to send in the SAS or whatever to get you out of a little issue, which was nice. I love the style of the Born but as yet my circumstances do not work for an EV, no possibility of home charging but I do appreciate the EV market for those that do. The new VZ looks like a right hoot on the lanes. Overtaking the plethora of beige clad beings that inhabit fast cars but drive err... with more than a modicum of 'not too fast dear', 30 in a 60 is just fine to take in the scenery etc is great. Along with those mobile rooms that head traffic queues in groups during the 'summer months'. If I had home charging I could be very tempted for any of the Cupra Born models but this looks like the most usable fun by far. Thanks for sharing.

[Luigi_Vaz]

At least it's not 'just another SUV'

[anthonyworley]

Nice. This is how it should have been from the start and it shows on Tom’s face. I think he really did enjoy it. Price as always will be the key to unlocking the Cupar brand to real success.

[stevesmith]

I've loved driving my Born for the last 2 years, sadly let down by the really poor infotainment system. It still has the fresh looks of a stylish car and better on the eye than a lot of the drivel out there. The Green is gorgeous BTW. Not sure how many people will need the extra HP. Mine has loads of zip as it is, the extra HP will make it crazy quick. Nice review!

[vp]

Nice to see Tom reviewing rather than relegated to the post bag 👍

[urbanstrencan]

Will need to upgrade from regular Born to VZ looks soo good in green 💚💚💚

[riaz]

Snappy and to the point. Top video Tom.

[markbennett]

A very smooth review of a very polished car. Well done Tom👍 That green with the copper (Cupra) inserts looks killer and although I don’t love the ID3 basic shape this knocks that car into a cocked hat. The power definitely sounds like it’s adequate’ too!

[narvuntien]

This is what Cupra really needed to make its name, also yay flappy paddles.

[attilazk]

The intro was awesome (too), just like the outro. Cheers. I wish you to have such a great car. :D

[markymarkreviews]

Looks very promising. RWD, hatchback.

[crm.]

Nice overview. Unfortunately, you can be sure the VZ version will have some silly price on it's UK release

[dewarmc]

Great review Tom, however I couldn't help but notice an occasional 'couple of beeps' in the background of your review, I was just wondering if that was your Spanish Police tracker for when you were exercising that Cupra button. :-)

[johnmccarthy]

A Barnards bargain this won't be 😜🤭
Tom In the video you mentioned the battery is 79kw & charging is 185kwh, are those official figures as they're not on the Cupra site. I only looked as I'm deep in the weeds with the Kia EV3 & the 10-80 piqued my curiosity, the long range EV3 is similar battery size but with 128kwh charging, 10%-80% is a similar time of around 30mins, are Kia using witchcraft 🤷‍♀️😬😁

[stephenodonohue]

Gee Tom, the girls best be careful or you'll take one of their jobs. Fun review.

[mikebauder]

I have just ordered one, i hope to get I late August jubiiii

[NatureHarmony_]

I'm thinking about getting an electric car in near future, but I can't make my mind whether I should go for Volvo EX30 or Cupra Born.
Why is noone comparing them? Their size and features are comparable... Does anyone have an opinion?