2023 Cupra Born review (video)

This might be a new name to some, but make no mistake, the Cupra Born is metaphorically revving up the electric car scene. As Cupra’s first fully electric vehicle, the Born is part of the brand’s journey towards electrified, high-performance mobility.

Born from the same VW family as the Volkswagen ID.3, the Cupra Born is like the edgier, sportier cousin, taking the virtues of the ID.3 and giving them a performance-focused twist. Think of it as a hot hatch for the modern age. Oh, except it’s rear-wheel drive.

2023 Cupra Born: Specifications

Battery: 77kWh
Output: 170kW / 310Nm
Gearbox: Single-speed auto
Drive type: Rear-wheel drive
Wheels: F & R: 19×7.5, 215/50
ANCAP: Five stars
Weight: 1927kg
Power-to-weight: 11.33:1 (kg:kW)
Official range: 511km
Max charging: 11kW AC, 170kW DC
Charge time: 11hrs at 7kW, 7hrs at 11kW

0-60km/h: 3.35 seconds*
0-100km/h: 6.87 seconds*
60-110km/h: 4.77 seconds*
1/4 mile: 15.10 seconds at 149.5km/h*
Max acceleration: 0.625g*
100-0km/h braking: 36.37m in 2.92 seconds*
Max deceleration: -1.317g*
Decibel at idle/standby: 24*
Peak decibel at 60-100km/h: 70*
Starting price: $59,990

*Figures as tested by Driving Enthusiast on the day. Manufacturers’ claims may be different

2023 Cupra Born: How much does it cost?

Just a single variant is on sale in Australia and it’s priced from $59,990 (excluding on-roads). That’s a reasonable price compared with plenty of other electric vehicles on the market, most of which are considerably more expensive than their petrol-powered cousins.

Take the Cupra Leon VZ as an example. It is pretty much a rebadged and re-tuned VW Golf GTI, priced from $57,990. It features a 180kW 2.0-litre turbo with front-wheel drive. These are very similar specs yet the Born isn’t ridiculously more expensive.

2023 Cupra Born: Interior & packaging

Hop inside and you’ll be greeted by a unique concoction of dark blue trimming, sporty bucket seats in the front, copper highlights, and a clean and simplistic approach to technology integration. It feels like a VW Group product in that most areas wear quality materials, except this presents pizazz inspired by its Spanish roots.

The driving position is spot-on, and the nicely bolstered ‘SEAQUAL’ seats provide excellent support during spirited driving. The driver’s seat is adjustable for height and lumbar support, ensuring a comfortable long-distance cruise.

Customers can option for a sportier four-seat layout leaving just two seats in the back, as tested here. The two seats are crafted to offer similar visual impact to the front seats, with decent lateral support. But the main benefit is comfort. With no middle seat you can really relax and spread out.

Thanks to the MEB platform, which is designed from the ground up as an EV layout, the floor is pretty much completely flat and the cabin length is maximised. As a result, legroom is fantastic for this size vehicle. Headroom is impressive as well thanks to a tall ceiling.

The 12-inch infotainment screen, which floats above the dashboard, is easy to use and responds quickly to inputs. It’s your gateway to the car’s various settings, including drive modes and energy regeneration. Plus, a 5.3-inch digital instrument cluster provides a crisp display for essential information and it can be customised somewhat to suit your preferences.

Navigating through the instrument screen via the touch pads on the steering wheel can be fiddly, as it’s easy to accidentally bump the settings. But the menu sequence is easy to understand. Same with the main touch-screen. It presents a number of main menu buttons along the bottom (within the screen) and then the climate settings drop down along the top.

As standard the technology suite packs in digital radio, wired Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, wireless phone charging, dual-zone climate control, a surround-view parking camera system, two front and two rear USB-C ports, and tyre pressure monitoring.

The Cupra Born’s boot boasts a respectable 385 litres. It’s not the largest in its class, but it’s more than sufficient for everyday needs – also 5L larger than the Golf’s boot. If you need more space for larger items the rear seats fold down, offering extra versatility.

2023 Cupra Born: Powertrain & handling

One of the most exciting aspects of the Cupra Born is its powertrain. Under the sleek and aerodynamic bodywork lies an electric heart that delivers respectable performance. Power comes from a 77kWh battery, mounted under the floor, which feeds an electric motor mounted at the rear axle.

Peak power is 170kW, while max torque is 310Nm. These are decent figures for a single-motor EV. And as such, Cupra claims 0-100km/h in 7.0 seconds. Using a private road and a Racelogic Vbox we clocked the sprint in 6.87 seconds. It’s always great to see real-world figures below the claims.

It’s quick off the line, as is the nature of an electric vehicle, and then it slowly tapers off as you explore the top end. Again, this is normal for an EV. But what it means is, it is very exciting to drive up a spirited road, especially uphill. Because there is no waiting around for an engine to build revs. This just goes, the second you put your foot down.

Being rear-wheel drive might seem interesting, however, it’s not really about drifting around corners. With a kerb weight of 1927kg, it is one of the heaviest ‘hot hatches’ on the market. And that weight really pushes down on the tyres and helps enhance grip, despite the standard 19-inch wheels wearing rather narrow 215/50 tyres.

You can try and slide this around as much as you like but we couldn’t get the rear end to step out, even with the stability control turned off and under aggressive manoeuvres. But, such an exercise proved quite fun as the Born is very agile and loves hard cornering. It darts in with enthusiasm, and with no body roll due to its low centre of gravity you can jump on the power nice and early for thrilling corner exits. It is a lot of fun to drive on an inviting road, which is not something that can be said of many EVs out there.

Steering engagement and feedback is great, and the suspension does well to soak up Aussie country roads, albeit with a taut and sporty character as per its hot hatch intentions. It’s not until you push it really hard that the heavy mass become more apparent. You can feel it catch up with your tempo a split-second later.

In terms of the range and charging and whatnot, the Born offers an official range of 511km. That’s high for this class (a single-motor EV). And the on-board range calculator seems to be quite accurate. Highway speeds are the most demanding on range, so you will notice it drop quicker in these conditions. But in the city and suburbs you can easily achieve 450km.

The battery system can take in up to 11kW of AC power or up to 170kW of DC fast-charging power. Using a typical 7kW wallbox, the 77kWh battery needs around 11 hours to go from 0-100 per cent. An 11kW three-phase system would take around 7 hours. Or, using its maximum 170kW rate it would take around 27 minutes.

However, this is just a guide and based on our theoretical calculations. For example, at a DC outlet the on-board system will slow down towards the last 10-20 per cent to conserver battery performance. Power surges within a household or building can also cause a dip in output, extending the charge time.

2023 Cupra Born: Key attractions/reasons to buy

• Stylish and unique design: The Born is sleek, aerodynamic, and distinctive. We love the copper highlights and the Batman-style character.
• Interior quality and space: The cabin is a pleasant surprise. It’s a blend of upscale materials and a driver-focused layout, in a surprisingly spacious cabin.
• Genuinely fun to drive: The sharp and responsive steering and extremely flat body control results in an enthusiastic cornering machine. Add the instant response of the powertrain and you’ve got yourself a great Sunday morning blast.
• Price: While most competitors are slapped with very high price tags, the Born is one of a few that wears a reasonable tag. It’s only $2000 more than the Cupra Leon VZ, for example, offering similar performance.

2023 Cupra Born: Key considerations before you buy

• Charging infrastructure: The lack of availability within the charging infrastructure in Australia can be very frustrating. And often the public stations have just one or two plugs (often broken/out of order), so you end up having a stand-off with other EV drivers. If you can charge at home and have solar power, then this issue is reduced significantly, although longer road trips are still limited.
• Sporty ride: The sporty suspension setup on the Born might not be to everyone’s taste. While this contributes to better handling, it isn’t the most comfortable if daily commuting is your main priority; there are more comfortable EVs out there.
• Quirky charm: Some functions in the cabin are a bit quirky, such as the dual-operation front/rear power window switches, and the dash-mounted gear selector. Such areas simply take some time to get used to.

2023 Cupra Born: Video