Cupra’s second electric model, the Tavascan, is the victim of this week’s test.
The arrival of the Tavascan is both exciting and not at all. The underlying technology is known, but more about that later. The fact that the Tavascan is Cupra’s third truly unique model is a sign that the Spanish brand is maturing.
The history of Cupra is well known: fast Seats were once given the cup racing (Cupra) badge. In mid-2018, the brand was allowed to continue on its own two feet and would mainly focus on hotter and faster Spanish guns. The Cupra Ateca convinced us, but ultimately skipped the Netherlands. We sat by the fireplace, crying and humming “Don’t drive past my house quietly.”
That is exactly what happened in the Netherlands with Cupra: the tasty Cupras with a big diesel (getsie), the nice two liter turbo petrol or the fabulous five-cylinder skipped our country. We only received silent Cupras with a plug: the Cupra Leon PHEV, Formentor PHEV and the fully electric Born.
Cupra Nederland managed to sell more than 6,000 cars, the vast majority of which were the fully electric Born. That is why importer Pon in Leusden is eagerly awaiting the arrival of the Tavascan.
The Tavascan is on the MEB platform
Like many of its siblings in the Volkswagen Group, the Tavascan uses the MEB platform. In that respect, the underlying technology can hardly be called exciting, we know the flavors by now.
For the time being, Cupra offers the Tavascan with only one battery. That battery pack has a gross capacity of 82 kWh, of which 77 kWh remains net. Tested according to the WLTP test cycle, the Tavascan achieves a maximum range of 586 km.
At the public pole or the charging box at home, the Tavascan charges via a three-phase charger with a maximum of 11 kW. At the DC fast charger, the Tavascan achieves a slightly disappointing maximum charging speed of 135 kW. Apparently the charging curve is quite flat, because charging from 10-80% only takes 28 minutes.
Two versions of the Tavascan
Cupra is shelving all cowardly versions of the MEB platform for the time being. The two powertrains that will be available are relatively potent (although the value of the HP in EV land is subject to quite a bit of inflation).
The Tavascan Endurance is the provisional entry-level model and the version with the largest range (586 km). The rear wheels are driven by a single electric motor that produces 286 hp and 545 Nm. It is sufficient for a sprint to 100 km/h in 6.8 seconds, while the top speed is limited to 180 km/h.
Even more fun is the four-wheel drive Tavascan VZ, which has a maximum of 340 hp and 545 Nm. That does not translate into a higher top speed, which remains limited to a fairly tame 180 km/h. The sprint to 100 takes 5.5 seconds, but the downside is that the WLTP range is slightly smaller: 522 km.
This is how the Cupra Tavascan drives
I was unable to drive the Cupra Tavascan Endurance during the test, we were only given the fastest Tavascan VZ. The VZ always has four-wheel drive, and a permanently synchronous motor is mounted on the rear axle, delivering 210 kW. There is an asynchronous motor on the front axle that generates less resistance when inactive and delivers a maximum of 80 kW.
The majority of the power is sent to the rear wheels, a clear advantage for a sporty driving style. With a maximum power of 340 hp, you cannot expect miracles in a fairly heavy electric SUV: it is not a hot rod with a hilarious power-to-weight ratio.
Still, you can make good progress with the Cupra Tavascan VZ, it is a fast car that handles quite funny for the type of car. Unfortunately, the ESP is very present (even in the Off position, but it is certainly not off). This is hardly a problem for the average buyer, but it is strange that Cupra installs a stand that does not deliver what it promises.
The comfort is usually acceptable, but the Tavascan can also misbehave somewhat on larger irregularities. To give such a heavy EV sporty genes, a somewhat hard chassis is needed. On some bumps at speed, things get slightly out of balance. If you have a feeling for it, you will notice that it can be improved. On sharper thresholds you can also feel that the Cupra Tavascan easily exceeds the two-ton mark.
Are there any negatives?
The fast charging speed makes little impression. That is not only a shame on the long journeys to the Costa Brava, but also a waste of time for all those people without their own charging station. They have to fast charge more often and then you have to wait longer.
Stand at the bar and drive like a fool on the autobahn in this EV. A slightly maintained 90 hp TDI from the beginning of this decade reaches more than 180 real kilometers, which has been personally verified by me at the French Gendarmerie. With 286 or 340 hp, a top speed may well start with a “two”.
Killer features
It is a freshly styled crossover with modern materials. In our opinion, the course that Cupra has set is successful. In the interior there is a nice large screen and a center console as a backbone. The dashboard has a wing shape and of course those nice copper accents can be found everywhere.
Alternatives
No, not another Model Y, which, in terms of finish and use of materials, looks like a piece of cake next to this Cupra. There is also quite a bit of competition within our own stable: the ID.5 GTX and Enyaq Coupé are technically largely identical. The Cupra Tavascan has much more of its own face and a nice interior. Depending on the pricing, my preference would be for the Spaniard.
Conclusion test Cupra Tavascan
Cupra’s second electric brand could be a hit, but the price must also be right. That’s the last piece of the puzzle that we don’t know yet. The rest of the Cupra Tavascan is convincing, it is a spacious, sporty crossover with a relatively modern electric drivetrain.
Comments
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Robert say
Victim? Direct object, perhaps?
In any case, it looks better than big brother ID.5, although that copper-colored decoration is not really necessary.
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Battery licker say
It’s a shame that the fairly uniquely designed dash is peppered with standard parts from the MEB warehouse.
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potenza say
So it comes from China. As far as I’m concerned, I should have included it in the text.
