Cupra’s self-described rebellious staff of designers, engineers and marketers get given a long leash to come up with funky designs and memorable driving experiences.
The sporty VW Group brand’s first standalone vehicle – the Formentor – nailed the brief. It was far removed from its Golf R underpinnings thanks to cab-rear proportions, long bonnet, and distinct driving dynamics. Cupra’s first EV, the Born, also made a splash with hot-hatch character and space-age looks.
On paper, the new Cupra Tavascan is more conventional: a rear- or all-wheel-drive electric midsize SUV with five seats. Sure it has a coupe-like sloping roof, but so do the Polestar 2 and BYD Sealion 7.
The Tavascan also has a tough time standing out, on paper, against other VW Group brands, as it shares MEB platform and drivelines with the Skoda Enyaq, Volkswagen ID.4 and Audi Q4 e-tron.
Luckily, the Tavascan is a handsome thing, with strong character lines down the flanks, distinctive triple-triangle LED daytime running lights and illuminated Cupra logos front and back.
More adventurous details include a tall bonnet bulge with twin air-channels either side and the cabin’s dramatic central spine that divides and defines driver and passenger.
A sharp entry price – part of what saw the Tavascan’s launch delayed from January – helps, with the rear-drive Endurance starting at $60,990, before on-road costs.
Cupra offers an Interior Pack ($4500) for the Endurance, but the only other distinct variant is the punchier VZ ($74,990) with an 80kW/1134Nm front motor pumping combined power from 210kW to 250kW, while leaving torque unchanged at 545Nm.
You’ll be able to option that up to $82,490 when the Extreme Package comes online later this year.
We’ve tasted the VZ twice already, so this Cupra Tavascan Australian launch review will focus on the Endurance. Riding on 19-inch Vulcano alloy wheels, the no-cost White Silver paint and chunky sidewalls demarcate the Endurance test cars as the base model.
Inside, the Endurance has the feel to back up the looks, with decent plastics — though they get scratchy below the beltline — and solid build quality, which is reassuring given the Tavascan is only the second Aus-delivered VW Group product built in China.
Pictured: above (base), below (with interior pack)
Even the base car gets supportive bucket seats with manual controls and cloth upholstery, while the shapely, leather-appointed steering wheel falls to hand with ample tilt and telescopic adjustment. The Tavascan’s keyless entry and sit-to-start procedure worked better than most, too.
Technology includes a small but well-featured 5.3-inch digital driver’s display and a responsive 15.0-inch central touchscreen with navigation, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.
The tri-zone climate controls are on the screen but persistent shortcuts (even when phone mirroring) for temperature make it easy, and we found the auto program to be excellent.
The spine design neatly hides the Tavasan’s wireless charging port and two of four USB-C points, while there’s a deep central storage cubby and spacious doorbins.
The only thing missing from the Endurance’s spec sheet is phone control, though you can program the climate control to switch on at particular times.
Despite its sloping roof and sporty appearance, the Cupra Tavascana is very practical. Back seats are big enough to accommodate six-foot adults, though toe room is a bit cramped, with tri-zone climate control, Isofix tabs for outboard seats, two more USB-C outlets and fold-out armrest.
Pictured: above (base), below (with interior pack)
The 540L boot is generous and all trims feature a kick-to-open power tailgate. The boot features two lights, a 12-volt socket, storage areas off to the side, and a split-level floor with hidey-hole for the included Mode 2 charging cable. The Cupra Tavascan does not carry a spare tyre.
Every Tavascan draws power from a 77kWh lithium-ion (NCM) battery pack and the Endurance carries a 534km WLTP driving range rating.
After 200km of twisty roads in the Adelaide Hills the Tavacan’s onboard trip computer read 18.3kWh/100km, equating to 421km from a charge. We’ll hold off judging efficiency until conducting a proper range test.
Peak DC charge speed is a disappointing 135kW on paper, but Cupra says the Tavascan should jump from 10-80 percent in a respectable 28 minutes, identical to a Polestar 2, despite that vehicle claiming a 205kW DC peak.
A Kia EV5 Long Range takes 38 minutes and the new Tesla Model Y should do the same interval five minutes quicker. The Tavascan takes AC electricity at 11kW.
With a single rear-mounted electric motor developing 210kW and 545Nm, the Tavascan Endurance is peppy. The 0-100km/h claim is 6.8 seconds – faster than your average family SUV – and, as is typical for EVs, the Tavscan feels quicker than the numbers suggest.
The Tavascan Endurance rides on passive dampers and generous sidewall from 235/55 front and 255/55 rear 19-inch Hankook Ion Evo rubber. It’s a quiet car with barely any tyre roar, but the ride is less soothing. The stiff spring and damper combo, especially at the rear, quickly grows tiring.
Through the corners the firm Tavascan excels, though, with little body roll and delightful 2.5-turn lock-to-lock progressive steering system brimming with accuracy that inspires confidence.
With the eco-focused tyres and stiff ride, the base Tavascan became flustered when asked too much as the significant 2238kg mass started to move around.
Along with a ‘B’ setting for max regen on the gear selector stalk, wheel-mounted paddles cycle through the levels of power, with the middle most accurate.
However, when slowing the Tavascan with the left pedal, there’s a grainy transition between extra regen and brake pad slowing that was especially tricky to judge in the Endurance we drove. Worth noting the Tavascan uses rear drum brakes, too.
The Tavascan received five stars in Euro NCAP testing though that’s yet to be ported across to ANCAP standards.
Most of the safety features are well-judged, including a driving monitor that only bongs when it should — hallelujah! The Tavascan is missing speed sign recognition, though it has the usual AEB, lane-keep assist and cross-traffic assist functions.
The Interior pack feels well worth the $4500 upcharge. The 360 camera improves visibility, the grippy ‘Dark Night’ suedecloth-faced bucket seats are power-adjust with memory and heating, and you get ambient lighting glowing through triangular holes in the cabin plastics.
The Tavascan simply performs better when fitted with larger 20-inch alloy Hekla alloy wheels shod in 255/45 R20 Continental EcoContact 6 Q tyres.
There’s more road noise, but the wheel and tyre package feels better matched to the chassis. The Tavascan’s alert and adjustable handling levels up to become a genuinely chuckable, sports SUV.
Engage ESC Sport for a bit more room to play and the Tavascan with Interior Pack comes alive on a good road; exciting enough to get the blood flowing but always trustworthy.
A bit of drive mode fiddling found Performance to be the preference, or Individual with steering weight up and throttle response dialled back a bit. In Cupra, the right pedal was a touch too sensitive, for example. The grainy brake feel was less pronounced in the Interior pack car, too.
There’s also the fantastic 12-speaker Sennheiser sound system which, more than just being loud, has clever algorithms that interpret your music (or podcasts) and faithfully reproduce tracks. There are various levels of immersion and plenty of equaliser adjustment. It’s truly an excellent sound system at the price.
It could be more fully utilised, though, with some synthesised or amplified aural features because air whooshing over mirrors and eco tyres protesting is not a heart-tugging performance car symphony.
The best electric driver’s cars, from the fabulous Hyundai Ioniq 5 N to the plucky Abarth 500e, all have acoustic drama to amplify the experience.
A drive of the VZ confirms the Tavascan’s multi-stage adaptive dampers bring much-needed maturity to the ride quality and the extra front motor adds security – if dulling outright enjoyment.
If Cupra offered a circa-$70,000 Endurance variant with a pack that combined adaptive dampers and seat ventilation, we’d be singing its praises from the roof tops. Phone connectivity and a Cupra signature synthesised soundtrack wouldn’t go astray, either.
Most will find the VZ worth the extra spend, especially because you can’t option the nicety of seat ventilation on the Endurance.
Cupra has put the Tavascan’s price point, technology and general driving joy where they need to be. The delight of the Tavascan’s styling will only grow over time, especially when you inevitably park next to a Tesla Model Y at the shops.