I drove a VW ID.3 with the 58kWh battery for over half a year, so I was even more pleased to try out its corporate brother: The Cupra Born e-Bost with the large 77kWh promises a lot and is an absolute eye-catcher, especially visually. So I took a closer look at the Born and put it through its paces over the course of a week.
Important key data for the Cupra Born e-Boost
The Cupra Born, the brand’s first fully electric vehicle, offers the top vehicle with the e-Boost package. With the largest battery pack of 77 kWh, the Born managed 548km according to WLTP. This with a maximum performance of 170 kW, which corresponds to 231 hp. The Born with the large battery has 4 seats and is immediately recognizable in the back seat thanks to the central recess.
In the basic configuration there is the Cupra Born e-Boost with 77kWh battery for 45,500 CHF. The vehicle tested here costs CHF 53,688 with all accessories.
Cupra Born e-Boost in the driving test
Interior decoration
In the interior, Cupra does exactly what I would like from many manufacturers. Avoid the piano lacquer look and introduce more matt elements and the copper-colored accents as Cupra’s trademark really come into their own. For me it’s a visual eye-catcher and one of the most beautiful interiors, which I really like.
Cupra Born Cockpit
There are two very dominant mode switches on the steering wheel, while one is responsible for Cupra settings. Well made, looks sporty and gives you quick access to the different driving profiles. In my opinion, 3 profiles would have been enough, otherwise the differences would be too marginal and hardly noticeable.
The matt look with the copper accents simply looks great
The space is practically identical to the ID.3, which of course doesn’t hurt. There is a lot of space in the front and adults can still ride in the back. What immediately catches the eye is the lift in the middle of the back seat. I have a Born with the large battery that is only approved for 4 people. I think it’s good that the back seat shows this clearly again.
Correction: You can also order the CUPRA Born with 77 kWh and e-Boost as a 5-seater. Depending on the configuration of the vehicle, the 5-seater variant is available and only available as a 4-seater.
Second row of seats in the Born, clearly visible: only 2 seats at the back
Storage space
The trunk offers 385 liters of storage space, which is a good value for a compact car. The test car was equipped with a double floor; simply folding down the floor provides storage space for charging cables and any emergency charger for the household socket.
Trunk Double floor in the trunk
Born e-Boost im Test
The electric motor on the rear axle of the Born e-Boost produces 231 hp instead of the normal 204 hp. Of course, this doesn’t bring the Born to the acceleration values we know from Tesla, but things are moving along quickly. Driving through passes in particular is a bit more fun here than with the standard engine I was previously driving. The different driving modes also leave some room for optimization, although the small differences are sometimes difficult to notice.
In terms of software, the Born was already at a higher level than my ID.4 and allowed for user management, which I see as a successful development. The interaction with the “My Cupra” app also works very well. This means important functions can be controlled via the smartphone. This includes, among other things, the charging process, which can be easily controlled both while on the go and at home.
Cupra Born e-Boost
The head-up display with augmented reality functions has now become a habit for me. Directional arrows are projected into the driver’s field of vision via a head-up display, for example when turning, or lane boundaries are marked on the motorway. The driver display has also been given useful displays based on the software version, such as the charge level in percent instead of just kilometer information.
The Born invites you at Ionity in beautiful Martigny
Efficiency & reach
Fortunately, my test time coincided perfectly with a longer trip to Valais and back. On this very highway-heavy journey, the Born consumed around 20.7kWh/100km. In mixed traffic I brought this value to 18.2 kWh/100km. With these consumption values we are talking about real ranges of 370 to 425 km. These are of course top values for a small car and thanks to the large battery. This means that the Cupra Born e-Boost also serves as the perfect travel car.
On the GoFast fast charger
Cupra Born on the fast charger
The trip to Valais was the perfect opportunity to measure the charging performance on the fast charger. The Born immediately started with over 110kW, which sounded promising. Unfortunately, my setup for recording the charging curve failed, appropriately enough my colleague Julien was able to charge 170 kW several times with the same test vehicle with peak values of up to 181 kW. This is a record value that I have seen with previous MEB vehicles; the new software version in combination with the large battery seems to perform very well!
At home I charged the Cupra Born with pure solar power
Cupra Born home store
The Cupra Born can typically be charged at home using the wallbox at home with 11kW. This is the usual AC charger from the VW Group and it works solidly. Especially in conjunction with the domestic PV system. The wallbox was able to easily switch back and forth between 1-phase and 3-phase charging in order to dynamically adjust the charging power from 1.4kW to 11kW. This makes it possible to use only pure solar power at home, making driving an electric car twice as much fun.
Cupra Born e-Boost in the driving test
Conclusion
Visually, the Cupra Born is definitely the “cheekest” and sportiest model in the entire MEB series from the Volkswagen Group. I like the details and the typical Cupra copper-colored accents on the vehicle. My point of criticism is the buttons on the steering wheel. I get along perfectly with the touch elements of the ID series, but the central pressure point is missing here, for example to adjust the cruise control
The Cupra Born e-Boost with 77kWh in the tested configuration costs CHF 53,688 with all accessories.