The Cupra Born represents the marque’s first all-electric vehicle and may well be an early look into hot hatch electric life. Oh, it’s also RWD.
Let’s get down to business. The Cupra Born is the manufacturer’s first electric car and comes with a range of different sized batteries with differing power levels. At the bottom of the range is the 45kWh Cupra Born, which gets a lukewarm 148bhp with a 0-62mph time of 8.9 seconds. Mileage range is roughly 211 miles.
Next up is the 58kWh battery-powered Born, which gets 201bhp as standard and a 0-62mph time of 6.6 seconds. This Cupra Born also gets Cupra’s new e-Boost, which will momentarily produce 228bhp if you mash the throttle for kickdown or if you’re using the Cupra driving mode. According to Cupra, the 58kWh battery has a range of around 260 miles, enough to not have you worrying where the next charging point is.
If you are worried about range and less bothered about performance figures, there is also a 77kWh battery that will extend the range to 335 miles on the WLTP cycle, however, you lose 0.4 seconds from the 0-62mph time due to the increased weight. The other benefit to the bigger battery is access to 125kW charging, which can offer 60 miles of range in around 7 minutes of charging.
Underneath resides MacPherson struts at the front and multi-link suspension at the rear. Adaptive damping is available as an option and gains all the driving modes we are used to from VAG products, but tailored towards the EV: those include Range, Comfort, Individual and Cupra.
Cupra is reporting near 50:50 weight distribution as well as the trademark low centre of gravity that an electric motor offers. Speaking of which, the aluminium frame that holds the motor is bolted directly to the MQB platform to help with body rigidity.
While you will be able to switch traction control off for some sideways action, between the rear wheels is a standard differential, rather than a limited-slip job, so don’t expect 90-degree angles on roundabouts…
Inside it’s business as usual, sharing most of its design with the VW ID.3. As a result, you get a 12-inch touchscreen that controls pretty much everything. Those looking to appease environmentalists will gladly learn that the bucket seats and seat material upgrade options are all made from recycled plastics and t-shirts. This is all in pursuit of Cupra’s promise that the Born will be delivered to customers net CO2 neutral.
Are we looking at the future of the hot hatch?