Cupra Terramar review

Cupra has turned out some good electric cars lately: the Tavascan fastback crossover, and Born VZ hottish RWD hatch. But the Terramar is a powertrain bet-hedge, powered by petrol. It's a mainstream-sized family crossover, Cupra's roomiest car yet. Roomier than the lower-slung Formentor.

In other words, the sort of car legions of families flock to. Either those who buy privately, or, because of the PHEV options, people who drive company cars and want to save tax. Inevitably as it's jumping into a busy pool of buyers, the Terramar has to fight off a seething crowd of rivals.

If you go fishing where the shoals are, you'll be competing with lots of other nets…

Quite. Under the skin it shares pretty well everything with the Skoda Kodiaq and VW Tiguan, so they're obvious functional competitors. But it feels and looks more extrovert than that. It also wants to get more attention than the Nissan Qashqai, Kia Sportage, Ford Kuga, Honda ZR-V, Vauxhall's new Grandland or the Volvo XC40.

The Cupra wants you to think it's more of a party animal in a loud shirt. If that's not a total contradiction in a family crossover. Maybe think more of the Peugeot 3008, Alfa Romeo Tonale or even BMW X1.

How flash is it in the metal?

There's certainly lots going on in the nose, with the multiple lit triangles, shark-nose metalwork and layers of grillage. Same round the back, thanks again to busy illumination and a quasi-diffuser with vortex generators which we don't expect make any real difference to airflow. And Cupra has done its usual baroque job with the wheels.

But between those ends, the side elevation and glazing are curiously conservative.

And inside?

The dash and material choices are pretty funky. The screen systems make good sense. There's plenty of equipment. The seats are very comfortable. So for the people in the front, life's good.

Out back, the tombstone seats in the VZ steal a bit of legroom and light, making it feel more cramped than it is. But actually space is acceptable.

More of an issue in a family car, the boot in the hybrid version is small because the battery's under the back seat, evicting the fuel tank to a position under the boot (protected from a rear-ender by the silencer).

What engine options are there?

Let's start with the plug-in hybrids, shall we? There are two options, although both get the same setup with a 1.5-litre petrol engine connected to a six-speed DSG auto gearbox and an electric motor. Your choice is a power output of either 201bhp or 268bhp. Both get a useful 25.8kWh battery too (of which just under 20kWh is usable), meaning a claimed 76 miles of EV range in the lesser-powered version and 74 miles in the sportier one. They're front-wheel drive and will rapid charge at speeds of 50kW too. 

The pure petrol range kicks off with a 1.5-litre turbo four-pot with a teeny bit of mild-hybrid assistance. That sends 148bhp to the front wheels through a seven-speed DSG. The step-up after that is to a 2.0-litre turbo four-cylinder that sends either 201bhp or 261bhp to all four wheels.

How much does it cost?

Prices start at £37,605 for the smaller of the two petrol engines in entry-level V1 trim. That's actually the only version that squeezes under the £40k mark. You'll pay at least £44,055 for a plug-in hybrid, while the more powerful 261bhp 2.0-litre petrol starts at £45,095 before options and a walk up the trim levels. There's more detail over on the Buying tab of this review.

The plug-in hybrid powertrain works well: good range in electric mode, seamless in hybrid mode and quite fun in manual mode. The high-power AWD version is effective too, but just be sure you need that grunt and the extra driven wheels, because it's fairly thirsty and (at over £45k) not cheap to buy either.

The Terramar's interior is distinctive in design and materials though, and Cupra has improved the interface over VW's standard by judiciously adding some switches. If the busy looks and cabin decor are up your alley, this is a strong contender in a crowded class.