Cupra Born VZ: what is the value of the sporty Volkswagen ID.3?

Coat of arms Cupra made a name for itself by designating more aggressive versions of the Ibiza and Leon. Then it became a brand in its own way, always bringing together sporty versions of Seat models but also some unpublished ones. The Born is one of them. This electric compact, previously presented in the form of a concept car with the Seat logo, finally intends to put its power forward within the Cupra range. In profile, the stranger cannot hide his fraternity with the Volkswagen ID.3 that serves as his basis, the gloss is identical between the two models. The frown and the back ribbon, however, give the Spaniards a distinctive character.

Above all, the Cupra could not be content with offering the same mechanics as its Volkswagen cousin. So it seemed VZ version, for Veloz (fast, in Spanish), the standard registration number for the most powerful models in the range. There is nothing to compete with the fastest Leon, a true sports car with 300 hp. Here, we have to be satisfied with it 230 hp, only 26 hp more than the entry-level version. And this depends on the conditions, since all rides are available only if the battery is charged more than 88%, provided that the Cupra driving mode is selected. Check for errors, when it is good, to save battery life, to avoid charging more than 80% as possible …

Cupra Born to be more fun to drive than the Volkswagen ID.3

However, the Cupra Born certainly shows a higher level of change than the Volkswagen ID.3. We measured a recover from 80 to 120 km / h in 4.8 seconds, the battery is fully charged, which is more than respectable.. At a load of 25%, vitality loses its luster: it takes 5.3 seconds for the same exercise. Like all other models of the Volkswagen Group, The Born sees its health wither as you drive. But, in any case, the covers remain good. There is also a map of the accelerator pedal that is more sensitive than on the Volkswagen ID.3, which gives from the first meters a feeling of pleasant performance. Cupra has done everything to distinguish, with a minimum level of technical modifications, its Born. And it’s quite a success.

Coat of arms Cupra made a name for itself by designating more aggressive versions of the Ibiza and Leon. Then it became a different brands, always bringing together sporty versions of Seat models but also some unpublished ones. The Born is one of them.

This electric compact, previously presented in the form of a concept car with the Seat logo, finally intends to put its power forward within the Cupra range. In profile, the stranger cannot hide his fraternity with the Volkswagen ID.3 that serves as his basis, the gloss is identical between the two models. The frown and the back ribbon, however, give the Spaniards a distinctive character.

Above all, the Cupra could not be content with offering the same mechanics as its Volkswagen cousin. So it seemed VZ version, for Veloz (fast, in Spanish), the standard registration number for the most powerful models in the range. There is nothing to compete with the fastest Leon, a true sports car with 300 hp. Here, we have to be satisfied with it 230 hp, only 26 hp more than the entry-level version.

And this depends on the conditions, since all rides are available only if the battery is charged more than 88%, provided that the Cupra driving mode is selected. Check for errors, when it is good, to save battery life, to avoid charging more than 80% as possible …

Cupra Born to be more fun to drive than the Volkswagen ID.3

However, the Cupra Born certainly shows a higher level of change than the Volkswagen ID.3. We measured a recover from 80 to 120 km / h in 4.8 seconds, the battery is fully charged, which is more than respectable.. At a load of 25%, vitality loses its luster: it takes 5.3 seconds for the same exercise. Like all other models of the Volkswagen Group, The Born sees its health wither as you drive.

But, in any case, the covers remain good.

There is also a map of the accelerator pedal that is more sensitive than on the Volkswagen ID.3, which gives a feeling of pleasant performance from the first meters. Cupra has done everything to distinguish, with a minimum level of technical modifications, its Born. And it’s quite a success.

Road behavior, too, is satisfactory. We can certainly regret that the steering wheel, which is the advantage of many Cupra models, does not differ more from that of the ID.3 in its stability. But The temperament of the propulsion is less liberated than in the Volkswagen; the Born willingly agrees to bend turns when accelerating. It makes no sense to hope to beat the lap time on the circuit, especially since the maximum speed is limited to 160 km / h. This electric Spanish still offers a great driving experience. That is the main thing.

A less impressive upgrade than the 82 kWh versions

As with other electric models based on the MEB platform, the Cupra Born had the right to software update this year, improve payment performance. This concerns the large 82 kWh battery, whose impressive improvements we measured in the Volkswagen ID.5, but also the smaller one, 62 kWh (including the useful 58 kWh), which we are testing here.

Which means that the Volkswagen ID.3 is also entitled to this upgrade. Charging speed is a slight improvement: we clocked 37 minutes from 10% to 80%, and saw a peak charge of 106kW. It is better than before (97 kW max and 40 minutes to reach 80%) but worse than the one announced by Cupra (120 kW max and 35 minutes to go from 5% to 80%).

The error may be in our charging period, carried out during rush hour at the Ellectra station (in Maurepas), where the energy is never very high. Our curve below shows two unusual voltage drops. Even considering the official statistics, the progress is real, but not more impressive than in the big battery.

We We haven’t seen any usage drops associated with this update: we always stick to around 17 kWh / 100 km on the road and 22.5 kWh / 100 km on the highway, with a range of 340 km and 250 km. That’s decent given the size of the battery.

Cupra Born has a serious badging mistake that is still not well known. Because this electric compact makes a real point, with a more personal look than its Volkswagen ID.3 cousin and superior driving pleasure.

The icing on the cake, he is cheaper than German: Our test version is shown at 45,500 € while the ID.3, with less power, starts at 46,100 €. But, detailing the Cupra lineup, our test of the already impressive Born on paper shows little interest. For only € 1,000 more, we have a version with a larger battery of 82 kWh (including 77 kWh useful), offering a range of more than 300 km on the highway… Which is one of the best price/price ratios. the electric car market today.