Is the Cupra Born Australia’s first electric hot hatch? We take a quick blast to find out…
- How much does the Cupra Born cost?
- What equipment comes with the Cupra Born?
- How safe is the Cupra Born?
- What technology does the Cupra Born feature?
- What powers the Cupra Born?
- What is the Cupra Born like to drive?
- What is the Cupra Born like inside?
- Should I buy a Cupra Born?
The Cupra Born is a big deal. At $59,990 plus on-road costs, it’s the Volkswagen Group’s first affordable electric offering in Australia and it comes with five-door practicality, plenty of equipment, an impressive 500km-plus range and the promise of hot hatch levels of driver engagement. The full launch won’t be until March 2023, but we scored an early drive to assess this newcomer’s potential.
How much does the Cupra Born cost?
Pricing for the 2022 Cupra Born starts at $59,990 before on-road costs and state rebates are factored in.
As such, final drive-away pricing will vary more than usual depending on each state’s approach to electric vehicle incentives and whether the specific buyer qualifies.
Six colours are available, with only the Aurora Blue attracting an extra charge ($475).
What equipment comes with the Cupra Born?
The standard equipment level for the 2022 Cupra Born is quite comprehensive, including 19-inch wheels, LED lights, keyless entry and start, dual-zone climate control, heated steering wheel, ambient lighting, digital instrumentation, auto lights and wipers and a head-up display.
An extra $2900 adds the Interior Package, consisting of power-adjustable front seats with massage and heating, trimmed in blue Dinamica, heated washing jets and a nine-speaker Beats premium sound system.
A further $2600 is required for the Performance Package, which increases the wheel size from 19 to 20 inches, includes adaptive dampers and swaps the standard 215mm Michelin ePrimacy tyres for 235mm Michelin Pilot 4s.
The wider, grippier rubber drops the claimed maximum range from 511km to 475km, and selecting either option package turns the Born into a four-seater rather than the standard five.
How safe is the Cupra Born?
While there is no ANCAP rating for the 2022 Cupra Born as yet, we’d expect five stars given it earned a maximum result from Euro NCAP, scoring an impressive 93 per cent for adult occupant protection and 89 per cent for child occupant protection.
All safety equipment is standard, including seven airbags, autonomous emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian and cyclist detection, adaptive cruise control, lane and park assist, rear cross traffic alert, exit warning, driver monitoring and a 360-degree camera.
What technology does the Cupra Born feature?
Infotainment in the 2022 Cupra Born is handled by a 12-inch touch-screen. Digital radio and smartphone mirroring are standard, though the latter is wired only.
A quartet of USB-C ports (two front, two rear) are available but there is wireless charging.
Digital instruments are standard but it’s a small 5.3-inch unit. On the plus side, it doesn’t rob forward vision, still displays all the basic information you need and is aided by a head-up display.
What powers the Cupra Born?
Only one variant of the 2022 Cupra Born will be hitting Australian shores and it comes with the larger 82kWh battery.
This provides up to 511km of range, though as mentioned previously the wider, stickier tyres of the Performance Package limits this to 475km.
Power is provided by a single rear-mounted electric motor producing 170kW and 310Nm. Yes, the Cupra Born is a rear-wheel drive hatch, a concept not seen since the previous-generation BMW 1 Series!
Acceleration is claimed to take 7.0sec from 0-100km/h while top speed is 160km/h.
Cupra hasn’t yet provided any charging times, but the Born supports up to 11kW AC charging, so bet on around eight hours for a full charge, or up to 170kW DC charging, so you’re probably looking at around 30min from 10-80 per cent.
What is the Cupra Born like to drive?
First, a caveat. Our time in the 2022 Cupra Born was brief. Five laps of a hillclimb circuit followed by another few for filming does not a comprehensive road test make, but nevertheless this first acquaintance did provide plenty of crucial information about how this electric hatch drives.
Those initial five laps were in a Performance Pack-equipped Born and it immediately provided confidence with well weighted, accurate steering, a firm, progressive brake pedal – traditionally a weak point of hybrid or electric cars with their regenerative braking – and lots of grip.
Even in soaking wet conditions, the wider Michelins refused to relinquish their hold on the road, steadfastly resisting understeer mid-corner and providing plenty of traction on exit. The latter was assisted by a conservative ESP system that even in Sport mode intervened at the slightest hint of rear-end wiggle.
The Performance Pack Born also scores an ESP Off mode, but with only one production example in the entire country we were understandably forbidden from selecting it, lest a journalist’s ambition get ahead of their ability.
It all added up to a car that was balanced and trustworthy, but not one that really set the heart racing. In part this was due to another main take-away: the Cupra Born just isn’t very quick.
The 0-100km/h claim of 7.0sec sounds reasonable, but from behind the wheel it accelerates in a steady, linear but quite undramatic fashion. Look a bit closer at the Born’s specifications and this shouldn’t come as a huge surprise.
While its outputs of 170kW and 310Nm look healthy enough, its kerb weight of 1846kg is relatively heavy. To put its 91kW/tonne power-to-weight ratio in perspective, Cupra’s similarly priced petrol hot hatch, the Leon VZx, manages 150kW/tonne. Even a base Volkswagen Golf offers 84kW/tonne.
As such, the Born’s performance was a little underwhelming, until a stint in the non-Performance Pack car revealed more of its personality.
It might sound odd to praise a car for having less grip, but in the context of the Born being a ‘hot hatch’ it definitely makes it more, well, fun!
Whereas the Performance Pack car felt stuck to the road – which some drivers may well prefer – the skinnier eco tyres would slide gently across the surface to let you know the limit was approaching.
The Born now also proudly flaunts its rear-drive USP, the Sport ESP allowing enough latitude for the throttle to have an influence on the car’s cornering behaviour, the rear-end wiggling around under acceleration.
This, in turn, makes the car feel faster – it’s not, of course, but the ledger between power and grip has been balanced.
The prospect of a Performance Pack-equipped Born with its ESP Off mode on the regular car’s skinnier tyres is an enticing one, on track at least.
How these two models’ respective personalities translate to the road will remain a mystery until the Born’s proper launch.
What is the Cupra Born like inside?
In true modern Volkswagen Group style, the 2022 Cupra Born’s cabin is a minimalist affair, with virtually all buttons eradicated in favour of a do-everything touch-screen.
Cupra has its own layout, and while plenty of tapping and swiping is required, it’s intuitive enough that most common functions can be accessed quickly.
The need for multiple inputs to change basic HVAC functions (fan speed, for instance) remains a problem, however. Again, we’ll go into greater detail on the Born’s day-to-day offering when we have a longer time with the car.
Moving the gear selector to the side of the small digital instrument panel frees up space for a pair of cup holders and some centre console storage, while the wireless charging pad is located ahead of the central arm rest.
The Born isn’t a large car but there’s ample space in the back. That said, a couple of colleagues found toe-room beneath the front seats a little tight due to the battery being located under the floor.
The seat itself is very comfortable, and there is a pair of USB-C ports for device charging.
Boot space is a competitive 385 litres.
Should I buy a Cupra Born?
A proper verdict on the 2022 Cupra Born will obviously have to wait until we have greater exposure to the car early next year. However, a number of things are clear.
The first of which is that Cupra is doing the Born a disservice by referring to it as a hot hatch – writing cheques the car can’t cash, if you will. It just isn’t fast enough.
What it does appear to be is a stylish, practical and efficient EV that should be very high on the shopping list of anyone in the market for such a car.
It undercuts the dominant Tesla Model 3 on price and offers more range, and it’s a way more compelling offering than other similarly-priced electric hatches like the Nissan LEAF+ and MINI Cooper SE.
We look forward to more time behind the wheel and bringing you a full review of the Cupra Born.
2022 Cupra Born at a glance:
Price: $59,990 (plus on-road costs)
Available: March 2023
Powertrain: Permanent magnet synchronous motor
Output: 170kW/310Nm
Transmission: Single-speed reduction gear
Battery: 82kWh lithium-ion
Range: 511km (ADR)
Energy consumption: 17.6kWh/100km (WLTP)
Safety rating: Five-star (Euro NCAP 2022)
*Because of the short time behind the wheel there is no score ratings
Keyword: Cupra Born 2022 Review