Fleet World Fleet: Cupra Born 58kWh e-Boost joins our Aurora Blue Cupra Born long-termer

P11d (BiK) £38,335 (2%) Range 264 miles On-fleet range 283 miles  Efficiency 4.6mpkwh

Report 2

I mentioned in our last report about the Cupra Born’s software issue, and this prompted Cupra HQ to want to investigate the issue a little further. The downside of this… no Aurora Blue Born for a couple of weeks. The upside… a Vapor Grey Born 58kWh in V2 trim (one notch down from our existing V3 trim) with e-Boost and 230PS against 204PS, as its temporary replacement.

And an interesting comparison it proved too, principally because there is no better way to compare vehicles than driving them and living with them back-to-back and experiencing the subtle but noticeable differences.

V2 trim, for example, forgoes the all-singing, all-dancing massage seats with ‘Dinamica’ alcantara-type finish that we’re used to. Instead it opts for items that are no less comfortable and, we suspect, could prove more durable and easier to keep clean, especially if the vehicle is used as family transport. The V2 trim seats are actually made from Seaqual Yarn which is recycled fabric derived from marine plastic. They’re just as supportive as the V3 seats and prove easier to slide into and out of. They’re even heated too.

The e-Boost also offers a different steering wheel with satellite buttons for the Drive profile, alternating between Range, Comfort and Cupra… the latter of which when selected gives the Born e-Boost rapid acceleration. 0-62mph times don’t mean much in real terms but the e-Boost reduces the time from 7.3 seconds to 6.6 seconds and you do notice the extra performance and pick up in normal driving.

For most, however, the standard Born provides plenty of performance and, importantly, a great balance between performance, efficiency and range. The larger battery 77kWh option will add around 130kg of weight to the car, thus reducing the efficiency of each mile travelled. There’s no denying the benefits the extra range would provide a driver taking frequent longer journeys though.

I still stand by my comments about the Born being the best company car you can buy right now too. Living with one for nearly two months and 2,500 miles, about the only genuine criticisms I can level at Cupra’s first fully electric car are the not-so-great visibility around the A-pillar and the fact that you can feel the weight of the car under braking. The e-Boost version we tested seemed to have a slightly better modulated brake pedal, but it still might take a little getting used to for those unfamiliar with electric cars.

V2 Born variants also come as standard on attractive 19-inch “Typhoon” alloy wheels, compared to the 20-inch “Hurricane” wheels on the V3. We would probably opt for the smaller wheels, which is a another tick in the V2 column, even they didn’t make an appreciable difference to ride comfort.

Blue Born is back shortly, so normal service will resume, but V2 trim may well prove to be the pick of the range, with e-Boost being a very tempting £800 extra on top of that. And justifiable because Vapor Grey looks great and is the only £0 colour option.

Cupra Born V3 58kWh

Report 1