Testing the Cupra Terramar

DW (English)

REV puts Cupra's Terramar VZ 2.0 TSI through its paces. How does this gas-powered SUV compared to the plug-in hybrid variant? Our tester likes its sportiness but finds the VZ version to be a bit of a gas guzzler.

Transcript

00:00Is the CUPRA Terramar all the SUV you'll ever need?

00:06Rev's Emanuel Schaefer puts it to the test.

00:10CUPRA calls itself the challenger brand, challenging VW.

00:14We're building sportier cars than you do on the same basis.

00:18This is the new CUPRA Terramar, the sportier brother to VW's Tiguan.

00:23And whether it just looks sportier or it really is sportier,

00:27we'll find out right now.

00:28Welcome to Rev.

00:30The Terramar uses the latest version of VW's MQB Evo platform

00:35and has three powertrain options, though no diesel.

00:38The Terramar is available as a gasoline, mild hybrid and plug-in hybrid version.

00:45We're testing one of the combustion engine-only versions,

00:49the VZ265 horsepower.

00:53Accelerates the car from zero to 100 kilometers an hour in 5.9 seconds

00:58and up to a top speed of 243 kilometers an hour.

01:07On paper, the plug-in hybrid, which I got the chance to drive for half an hour earlier,

01:14is more powerful, 272 horsepower.

01:17But that is, of course, because of the combination of electric and combustion engine.

01:23And even though it has more power on paper,

01:26when it comes to acceleration, it is more than one second slower than this version.

01:30And furthermore, it can only accelerate up to 215 kilometers an hour.

01:35So even though our test car has a little less horsepower,

01:38it is the most powerful version of the Terramar you can get.

01:41And it is also really fun to drive.

01:48The name Terramar, by the way, is an homage to the legendary racetrack close to Barcelona,

01:55where the Cupra brand was founded in 2018.

02:00So with that car that somehow makes the portfolio of Cupra whole,

02:07because they didn't have an SUV in that segment up until now,

02:11it is clever to use a name that means a lot to the brand.

02:15At the press of the Cupra button here at the steering wheel,

02:26which, by the way, is really cool to look at, I like it,

02:31you can quickly switch between the drive mode, so normal, sport, or even the Cupra mode,

02:37and then the car will behave differently and also sound differently.

02:41In race mode, the engine noise and also the exhaust sound gets really prominent

02:46compared to normal mode.

02:48And that matches the sporty character that the car has on the outside.

02:55And it's packed to the hilt with tech.

02:59Of course, the Terramar has a lot of driver assistance systems,

03:03which also includes the speed warning.

03:07And that one, I hear it every 30 seconds, every minute,

03:12not because I'm excessively speeding,

03:14but simply because it starts beeping at like three, four, maybe five kilometers an hour

03:21above the speed limit, which happens quite quickly.

03:25Everyone knows it.

03:26But to disable that, you have to navigate through the menu,

03:29which is quite time consuming.

03:31And I'm not a fan of that,

03:32especially because I have seen how to make it better at some other manufacturer recently

03:38that had a button right next to the steering wheel

03:40where you could mute all driver assistance systems with the press of one button.

03:47The Terramar is not just a looker on the outside.

03:50It's stylish on the inside, too.

03:55The interior of the Terramar is really appealing to me.

03:59It looks as sporty as the exterior.

04:02And the highlight, as always with all Cupra cars,

04:06is that Cupra steering wheel, which is standard in every Terramar version.

04:12You have those two buttons right here,

04:14left one to switch between the different drive modes

04:18and the right one to start and stop the engine.

04:20Then you have the infotainment system in the middle, 12.9 inch,

04:24that has been revamped so it is now easily operatable,

04:29easier than it was before.

04:33Another thing I don't really like is the touch operation of the climate control.

04:41They made it better than before.

04:43So no matter in which menu you are,

04:45the climate control will always be visible at the bottom.

04:54The space in the back is quite good.

04:57You have some legroom left.

04:59I have been sitting in the front.

05:01So this is what is left with a person of 1.80 m comfortably sitting at the front.

05:06And you can also move the back seats 15 cm front and back.

05:13Staying true to Cupra's sporty DNA,

05:16the VZ version boasts some other impressive numbers, too.

05:23Compared to the VW base,

05:25the Terramar is 10 mm lower than all of the other versions.

05:31That means it is also a little sportier.

05:35And you can feel that.

05:38Sporty look, sporty driving, everything matches.

05:42Furthermore, it has progressive steering.

05:44That means it is more agile at lower speeds and more stable at higher speeds.

05:50And all of that comes as standard in every version of the Terramar.

05:54One thing is clear, though.

05:56If you drive the car as sporty as it's intended to be driven,

06:00then you will create quite some fuel consumption.

06:03And that despite the fact that the car's official measurement is already way above 8 liters.

06:09So depending on your driving style,

06:11it is way more than possible that the car will consume more than 10 liters per 100 kilometers.

06:24On the plus side for the plug-in hybrid, of course,

06:28you can drive it purely electric.

06:31More than 100 kilometers of purely electric range is really good and up to date.

06:36And while the battery is full and the electric motor supports the combustion engine,

06:41then of course you will have a very low average consumption of fuel.

06:46But once the battery is empty, of course,

06:49you will be left with just the combustion engine,

06:52which is in itself not that powerful and thus making the car look sporty,

06:59but not really drive sporty.

07:01It's the same 1.5 liter 110 kilowatt engine that can be found in the mild hybrid version,

07:07which takes 9.3 seconds to go from zero to 100 kilometers an hour.

07:13Summing up my Terramar experience,

07:15I really enjoyed driving the car.

07:17It is a real beauty, no matter if you look at it from the front,

07:21from the side or from the back.

07:23And that despite the fact that it's an SUV.

07:25I don't usually like SUVs, but that one, really good looking.

07:29And if you get the VZ version, then it's also a really sporty companion.

07:34The entry level price around 43,000 euros in Germany.

07:37If you want the VZ, however, then you have to pay at least 50,000 euros.

07:43All in all, the Terramar is a nice looking car

07:46with pretty cool standard equipment and a sporty feel.

07:49The plug-in hybrid version's purely electric range is really good, too.

07:55On the downside, some variants of the car look sportier than they actually are,

08:00and the fuel consumption of the VZ version is rather high.

08:12So, what do you think of the Terramar?

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