2024 Cupra Born VZ | UK Review

Finally, a Cupra EV to be (moderately) excited about

By Matt Bird / Monday, 19 August 2024 / Loading comments

The Cupra Born has done plenty of things well since its launch at the end of 2021. Its design made it preferable to the VW ID 3 with which it shares vital parts, it has represented decent value and has always driven well enough. So it has sold in healthy numbers to those willing to make a hassle free swap into the world of electric motoring: as of the end of 2023, more than 45,000 Borns have found homes globally. The UK is Cupra’s third biggest market, in case you’ve ever wondered about seeing Borns and Formentors absolutely everywhere.

What none of the Borns have yet done, however, is really capture the imagination of the enthusiast. Arguably none of the new breed (with Cupra as a separate brand) have; the days of Cupra R models and Nurburgring Performance Packages seem a long way behind us. Perhaps they’re meant to be. The five-cylinder Formentor was offered in such tiny numbers so as not to matter (10 units), the hybridisation of the Leon hasn’t helped it, and little fuss has been made about the Abt upgrades for the turbo petrol cars. Hopefully the Born VZ can relight that Cupra fire a bit, offering a huge heap more power (326hp) while eschewing the all-wheel drive of the GTX VWs, overhauling suspension and generally injecting a bit of attitude into an otherwise fairly anodyne EV five-door. You only need look at the excitement around the Ioniq 5 N to see that there really is interest in battery powered hot hatches.

The Cupra isn’t a cut-price N, though it most certainly is a step in the right direction. Even changes as simple as new colour and wheel choices outside, plus more contrast accents and design flourishes like the C-pillar pattern, make the VZ a more interesting Born to look at. It could probably do with being lower and wider and meaner too, in time, but no longer is it a Cupra EV you would walk straight past. With the key in your hand, having left it five minutes ago. Same story inside: the Born’s interior isn’t perfect, with a few more cheap bits than would be ideal, but it’s most certainly better. The larger infotainment screen is more responsive, less maddening and not so prone to crashing, so that’s great. Special mention, too, to a great set of ‘Cup Bucket’ sports seats, grabbing in all the right places and making the VZ feel that bit extra all the time.

Adding almost 100hp against the next most powerful, 231hp Born (a near-40 per cent leap must be the biggest jump for a flagship ever), it doesn’t take long at all to discover the additional potency. Where one of those old combustion Cupras might make their superiority known with additional mid range muscle or a top end flourish, this one is just faster than standard everywhere. It could be zipping from a junction at 10mph or tanking along a test track at 100mph (because a normal Born only does 99mph), the VZ boasts an uptick in performance that feels as meaningful in person as it looks on paper. Now more than ever it’d be nice to have some kind of sound to accompany the whisking along, but perhaps that’ll come. It’s nice to have a Born with some proper zip to it, one that’s actually faster than all those pricier GTX VWs. Just like a Cupra used to be.

Moreover, with torque boosted to 402lb ft - or 75 per cent more than standard - the VZ is able to tax its chassis with some proper authority now. Far from feeling overpowered like an XPower MG4, the Born makes really good use of its additional muscle. While wheels and tyres are wider now, they’ve only gone from a 7.5J and 215-section to an 8J (with 20s all round) and 225; so while the nicely weighted steering is direct enough and the front axle unencumbered by power requirements, it’s not the grippiest in the world. Far better to slow it down a little more and take advantage of the VZ’s rear-driveness. Where before you’d try everything to rouse the rear end into life, now the job is much simpler, and it’s far more enjoyable than you’d think to have the last bit of steering sorted out by the driven axle.

The screen says the ESC can go all the way off also, even though it sometimes feels like the car is still being reined in a tad. Either way, it permits little squiggles off roundabouts or out of junctions that are entertaining in a fashion no other Born has been. It’s fun, and would surely brighten up any commute or nursery run; it’s not fast, it’s not silly, it doesn’t require loads of noise, it just offers you as the driver chance to balance steering, throttle and rear-wheel drive. Which feels nice.

The suspension improvements are worthwhile, too, the Born always keen yet comfy even with the DCC set to beyond Cupra stiffness. It’s bordering on the restless by then, though never does it jar or crash. The Performance and Cupra drive modes with additional tautness to the steering and suspension seem to suit the VZ’s ever so slightly meaner demeanour. This is a more significant overhaul than it might have first seemed, the Born almost as it always should have been. Only an overly long, dead brake pedal spoils the fun, along with the continued lack of adjustable regen (and a tame standard setting). Sat more comfortably in a Born that goes faster, looks better, drives with extra verve and makes you grin every now and then, it’s easy to look much more favourably on Cupra’s C-segment hatch.

There’s more range, too, which really counts in the VZ’s favour. Though battery capacity is only up 2kWh from 77kWh in the 231hp car to 79kWh here, it’s actually more efficient despite the performance; Cupra merely says the battery pack ‘has been improved’. Take the 77kWh’s best case range of 348 miles, divide that by the battery pack size and you get 4.52 miles per kilowatt hour. Take the VZ’s 372 mile theoretical maximum, divide it by the 79 of its battery kWh and it’s 4.71. Not an exact science, if clearly some improvement given how much faster (and better) the new flagship is. It was easily averaging 3.5mi/kWh in mixed driving with us.

Indeed had the Born launched with this model available its sales would surely have been even better and its reception from enthusiast titles like us more favourable. This isn’t the car to have folk giving up their Leon Cupra Rs, nor does it reset expectations like the Hyundai, however it does demonstrate that the Born ain’t half bad. As a cheap to run family runaround (it’s still ginormous inside) that’s nice to drive and pleasingly brisk, there’s a lot going for the VZ. More cars in this mould please, Cupra - a Leon VZ should be right up our street.

SPECIFICATION | 2024 CUPRA BORN VZ

Engine: Permanent magnet synchronous electric motor, 79kWh battery
Transmission: Direct drive single speed gearbox, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 326@5,300-7,000rpm
Torque (lb ft): 402@0-5,000rpm
0-62mph: 5.7 seconds
Top speed: 124mph
Weight: 1,999kg (with driver)
CO2: 0g/km (driving)
MPG: 315.7-372.2 miles, efficiency officially rated at 4.22mi/kWh-3.59
Price: £44,625 (price as standard; price as tested £46,390 comprising 20-inch Firestorm 20-inch wheels for £835 and Dark Forest paint for £930.)