Discussion
I've been really impressed with the motorway range with the Born so far having nabbed it for a trip to the office yesterday. 21 miles each way ~90% motorway and the majority of the rest national speed limit. Cruise set at my usual motorway speed and not hanging around on the country lanes and I average 3.5m/kWh. Used 20% range for the round trip of 42 miles. Very happy with that from a 58kWh version.
Her e-Golf was better at lower speed efficiency, but seemed to absolutely hemorrhage range once you went near a motorway.
Her e-Golf was better at lower speed efficiency, but seemed to absolutely hemorrhage range once you went near a motorway.
I have a V3 77kw Born as a company car. I found an ex demo car , which was only one off two available, in February. It came with 3400miles on the clock and is now 8k miles. So, being an EV newbie and range anxiety , my boss allowed me to knock his 'budget' given to me, to get the 77kw version. He is an EV convert with an Etron GT he drives and a VW Buzz on order also.
So, my thoughts on the Cupra Born .
Pro's
Its a great looking car . Times when people look at it and cant think who made it.
Through the winter times I have been getting a genuine 260 miles and I dont drive like an undertaker more an overtaker
20 inch wheels on the V3 , scared me for ride quality, but its almost limo like
Missing rear seat has a slot that you can fit 2 wine bottles in securely, so my friend advised.
Materials are solid. Not a squeak or rattle to be heard
Rear camera has a squirter to clean it as does get grubby
Warm my car on frosty mornings a bonus. More tea and toast time than scrape and defrost
Seats are very comfortable, not complaints
Cupra button does give a decent added bit of go when you need to get away.
Regen braking is great. Contrary to people who think they know. The regen braking does control via the throttle pedal and then if you do use the brakes, the regen ability increases. If you hang further on the pedal the brakes come to play. I have to put into normal drive sometimes to derust the discs , as I can comfortably drive and not need the brakes. Regen is a no brainer to re-use the energy back into the battery. It did take a little time to adjust but drive on B all the time now.
Range anxiety went after a few days in the winter.
Hides its 2 tons weight very well and it really nimble. Its not a sportscar.
No torque steer as RWD , so the steering is light and predictable.
Decent headroom and rear space
Headlights are great with auto dimming
Wife likes voice control, but its probably because someone will talk to her . Saves me a job
Cons
Infotainment takes a while to get used to . I can work it to what I need it to.
Steering wheel slider buttons are a pain and still get them to beep when I slide the wheel with my hands.
Dealerships selling you millions in add ons. I took the tyre insurance as they are gel and run flats and 20 inch, so the £400 my boss paid will hopefully cover about 1.5 tyres over the next 4 years and the rest is a bonus.
Front vision with the split windscreen pillar isnt the best. It is a big blind spot. You have to look either side instead of straight ahead.
Suspension can make it 'bob' front to back a little as a supposed short wheelbase.
There is probably other things to remember but off the top of my head , as above.
I havent a charger at home , as my boss installed a DC supercharger at work. I charge it when I need to and if I know I am in the office, I just slow charge it . I can charge from 15% to 85% in about 50 mins if wanted , but the app allows me to change the capacity etc. My office is 3 miles from home, so can plug it in and walk to the local town , if I need to at a weekend. But I am off this week and will see if I use a public charger or not. For work driving, I can easily do a 200 mile round trip to clients in a day and not worry at all.
Ironically, we have just put a deposit down on another Cupra for the wife, but a petrol Formentor. The infotainment is the same in that, so although I said it was a con, it is not enough to make me buy another brand to get away from it.
As a whole, the Born experience has made us realise how antiquated our current diesel family car was and we were more than happy to buy our own Cupra .
Not just because of the BIK, I dont think I would ever change back to ICE for a company car.
So, my thoughts on the Cupra Born .
Pro's
Its a great looking car . Times when people look at it and cant think who made it.
Through the winter times I have been getting a genuine 260 miles and I dont drive like an undertaker more an overtaker
20 inch wheels on the V3 , scared me for ride quality, but its almost limo like
Missing rear seat has a slot that you can fit 2 wine bottles in securely, so my friend advised.
Materials are solid. Not a squeak or rattle to be heard
Rear camera has a squirter to clean it as does get grubby
Warm my car on frosty mornings a bonus. More tea and toast time than scrape and defrost
Seats are very comfortable, not complaints
Cupra button does give a decent added bit of go when you need to get away.
Regen braking is great. Contrary to people who think they know. The regen braking does control via the throttle pedal and then if you do use the brakes, the regen ability increases. If you hang further on the pedal the brakes come to play. I have to put into normal drive sometimes to derust the discs , as I can comfortably drive and not need the brakes. Regen is a no brainer to re-use the energy back into the battery. It did take a little time to adjust but drive on B all the time now.
Range anxiety went after a few days in the winter.
Hides its 2 tons weight very well and it really nimble. Its not a sportscar.
No torque steer as RWD , so the steering is light and predictable.
Decent headroom and rear space
Headlights are great with auto dimming
Wife likes voice control, but its probably because someone will talk to her . Saves me a job
Cons
Infotainment takes a while to get used to . I can work it to what I need it to.
Steering wheel slider buttons are a pain and still get them to beep when I slide the wheel with my hands.
Dealerships selling you millions in add ons. I took the tyre insurance as they are gel and run flats and 20 inch, so the £400 my boss paid will hopefully cover about 1.5 tyres over the next 4 years and the rest is a bonus.
Front vision with the split windscreen pillar isnt the best. It is a big blind spot. You have to look either side instead of straight ahead.
Suspension can make it 'bob' front to back a little as a supposed short wheelbase.
There is probably other things to remember but off the top of my head , as above.
I havent a charger at home , as my boss installed a DC supercharger at work. I charge it when I need to and if I know I am in the office, I just slow charge it . I can charge from 15% to 85% in about 50 mins if wanted , but the app allows me to change the capacity etc. My office is 3 miles from home, so can plug it in and walk to the local town , if I need to at a weekend. But I am off this week and will see if I use a public charger or not. For work driving, I can easily do a 200 mile round trip to clients in a day and not worry at all.
Ironically, we have just put a deposit down on another Cupra for the wife, but a petrol Formentor. The infotainment is the same in that, so although I said it was a con, it is not enough to make me buy another brand to get away from it.
As a whole, the Born experience has made us realise how antiquated our current diesel family car was and we were more than happy to buy our own Cupra .
Not just because of the BIK, I dont think I would ever change back to ICE for a company car.
Good review, mirrors many of my thoughts on our Born. I find the infotainment ok, and the sliders on the steering wheel for volume and cruise are ok. Prefer the ease of my Mercedes’ cruise button set up as easier to adjust speed and resume / cancel without looking. However, the Born’s mode slider for changing between speed limiter and cruise is a flipping pain to use.
Overall though, a very good all rounder.
Biggest positive surprise for me has been just how flat it corners. You really appreciate the lower CoG the battery provides - it hides its weight very well indeed.
Like you, no looking back to ICE for me - only thing missing is noise so I’ll hang onto the TVR for that, but everything else I prefer about EV drivetrain by a very long way.
Overall though, a very good all rounder.
Biggest positive surprise for me has been just how flat it corners. You really appreciate the lower CoG the battery provides - it hides its weight very well indeed.
Like you, no looking back to ICE for me - only thing missing is noise so I’ll hang onto the TVR for that, but everything else I prefer about EV drivetrain by a very long way.
Thanks for the useful info, very interesting . We have no idea where ours is. The one that was a cancelled order and in the country for a delivery before the end of Feb seems to have vanished. Which by huge coincidence is what happens to the salesman whenever I phone. It all feels like a ruse to get a confirmed order made, but I'm sure its just Cupra ineptitude. Says it's been built for two months now, but not left Spain because of some issue. Not sure I want that car! Hey ho.
How are people getting along with these things? After my previous comments I think that I'm going to order a V2 77kw through my works scheme. Waaaay cheaper than a private deal.
My only concern is the allegedly pants infotainment system and the haptic buttons on the wheel, are they are bad as the reviews make out, for day to day usage?
Seemed OK to me on a (short) test drive but that's not representative, I guess
My only concern is the allegedly pants infotainment system and the haptic buttons on the wheel, are they are bad as the reviews make out, for day to day usage?
Seemed OK to me on a (short) test drive but that's not representative, I guess
We collected a 58kw V2 yesterday in Peterborough, immediately followed by a 330 mile trip to return home to Edinburgh.
First impressions are very positive. Very comfortable, quiet and quick. Ride is a definite improvement over the Leon FR Sport we traded in.
I was curious/concerned about the range for getting home. Traffic on A1 was moderate, some sections of average speed roadworks and generally keeping the speed to about 65mph and out of the way of the trucks saw us get 4.6mi/kWh so about 270 miles on a full charge.
Infotainment is a mixed bag. The main screen is responsive enough, stuff is scattered about the menus but we'll get used to that I guess. One annoying bug surfaced when using Google Maps on Android Auto at one point (it didn't do this earlier in the afternoon) was that it would mute the radio to make navigation announcements but then wouldn't fade the radio back in afterwards. Lightly tapping the on/off button brought the radio back in without actually restarting the screen. I didn't do this when streaming music though. Bonkers.
I just couldn't get to grips quickly with the haptic steering wheel buttons. I'll need to sit with it over the next few days. There must be a quick way to mute the radio when Lewis Capaldi comes on.
First impressions are very positive. Very comfortable, quiet and quick. Ride is a definite improvement over the Leon FR Sport we traded in.
I was curious/concerned about the range for getting home. Traffic on A1 was moderate, some sections of average speed roadworks and generally keeping the speed to about 65mph and out of the way of the trucks saw us get 4.6mi/kWh so about 270 miles on a full charge.
Infotainment is a mixed bag. The main screen is responsive enough, stuff is scattered about the menus but we'll get used to that I guess. One annoying bug surfaced when using Google Maps on Android Auto at one point (it didn't do this earlier in the afternoon) was that it would mute the radio to make navigation announcements but then wouldn't fade the radio back in afterwards. Lightly tapping the on/off button brought the radio back in without actually restarting the screen. I didn't do this when streaming music though. Bonkers.
I just couldn't get to grips quickly with the haptic steering wheel buttons. I'll need to sit with it over the next few days. There must be a quick way to mute the radio when Lewis Capaldi comes on.
I think it’s just lazy, copycat reviewers based on what once experienced with our Born. Perhaps they’re different on the ID3 and they’re assuming they’re the same on the Born?
I’ve found the steering wheel volume buttons to be fine on ours - you just press it like a normal button and it works - sliding it doesn’t do anything. The only buttons I have a problem with is the one to change the cruise control to speed limiter - can’t get the knack of that.
Heater controls work fine with a tap with a finger on plus or minus. Not being backlit is just daft though, I do agree with the reviews on that.
I’ve found the steering wheel volume buttons to be fine on ours - you just press it like a normal button and it works - sliding it doesn’t do anything. The only buttons I have a problem with is the one to change the cruise control to speed limiter - can’t get the knack of that.
Heater controls work fine with a tap with a finger on plus or minus. Not being backlit is just daft though, I do agree with the reviews on that.
7000 miles in and still fine, the infomat you get used too and the haptic buttons work fine and I rarely catch them when i didn't want to.
TBH the wiper configuration I hadn't noticed until it came up on one of the owners forums, and it hasn't caused any problems even on the M40 in pissing rain at midnight....its a non issue.
Doing a few more longer journeys as even with the steep cost of rapid charging away from home its still 2/3's cheaper than the diesel family wagon.
Rarer than Teslas in washing machine spec too
TBH the wiper configuration I hadn't noticed until it came up on one of the owners forums, and it hasn't caused any problems even on the M40 in pissing rain at midnight....its a non issue.
Doing a few more longer journeys as even with the steep cost of rapid charging away from home its still 2/3's cheaper than the diesel family wagon.
Rarer than Teslas in washing machine spec too
I have to say that the buying experience has been plain weird. But it looks like we are very close. A Born is now at the dealer and the plan is to collect on Monday. It's not quite the spec we first ordered. We wanted a heat pump to be told they weren't being done any more. So we ordered without.
Then a cancelled order came up with a heat pump and the L tech pack where we only wanted M. But that sounded fine, especially as we'd wanted the heat pump. Anyway that car never arrived.
Now "ours" is here with the heat pump and the L pack and the sales guy is insistent that's what we first ordered! It's all very strange. And apparently, even though I have paid £1k of my £10k deposit, I still have to pay the whole £10k to then get refunded £1k afterwards - nuts!
Let's hope after all that nonsense, the car is straightforward and great!
Update nextweek!
Then a cancelled order came up with a heat pump and the L tech pack where we only wanted M. But that sounded fine, especially as we'd wanted the heat pump. Anyway that car never arrived.
Now "ours" is here with the heat pump and the L pack and the sales guy is insistent that's what we first ordered! It's all very strange. And apparently, even though I have paid £1k of my £10k deposit, I still have to pay the whole £10k to then get refunded £1k afterwards - nuts!
Let's hope after all that nonsense, the car is straightforward and great!
Update nextweek!
Well the euphoria didn't last long. Got a call to say that the car has failed the PDI as it has a bit missing. The bit is on back order and may be months away. The sales guy didn't know what the bit was, although I've phoned back and asked to find out what the bit is.
I was apoplectic as I've now paid my full deposit, found a buyer for Mrs Bert's polo which I now have to undo. Should I ask for my deposit back?
Utter s
t shower.
I was apoplectic as I've now paid my full deposit, found a buyer for Mrs Bert's polo which I now have to undo. Should I ask for my deposit back?
Utter s
t shower.BertBert said:
Well the euphoria didn't last long. Got a call to say that the car has failed the PDI as it has a bit missing. The bit is on back order and may be months away. The sales guy didn't know what the bit was, although I've phoned back and asked to find out what the bit is.
I was apoplectic as I've now paid my full deposit, found a buyer for Mrs Bert's polo which I now have to undo. Should I ask for my deposit back?
Utter st shower.
Least they could do is give you a loaner until it's sorted.I was apoplectic as I've now paid my full deposit, found a buyer for Mrs Bert's polo which I now have to undo. Should I ask for my deposit back?
Utter s
t shower.I know it's Cupra not SEAT but presumably the dealer does both? I have to say the dealer we used for daughter's SEAT Ateca is awful - for instance they didn't put the extended warranty on the car, they knew they hadn't but didn't tell us and kept the money (it was paid for separately) until we found out (by sheer chance).
Reading the model forum it seems they're all pretty bad, and they're so thin on the ground where we are that there isn't any realistic alternative dealer. Shame really, as Born looks good.
The VW dealer we use (a smaller one) has been very good and they just loaned me an ID.3 for a couple of days. Really liked driving it, but so many software errors etc. And wicked A post blind spots.
Reading the model forum it seems they're all pretty bad, and they're so thin on the ground where we are that there isn't any realistic alternative dealer. Shame really, as Born looks good.
The VW dealer we use (a smaller one) has been very good and they just loaned me an ID.3 for a couple of days. Really liked driving it, but so many software errors etc. And wicked A post blind spots.
Gassing Station | EV and Alternative Fuels | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff