TheCupra stand VZis not a smartphone — it ’s an electric gondola . Yet , during my time repel it over the last five day , it has remind me more than once about the equipment I pass most of my clip using and review .
This is not a put - down , nor is it a commentary on electrical versus combustion - engine vehicle , but more about how I , someone who does n’t professionally review machine , can still easy recognize what ’s serious and bad about it . What ’s more , the categories I normally break phone reviews down into , and the language I on a regular basis habituate to talk about them , also neatly apply to the Born VZ .
This crossing over effect signify that reviewing an electric auto just like I ’d review a smartphone is n’t the stretch it may seem at first glance . Therefore , I gave it a try , and that ’s what you ’re about to translate . Be prepared for some similarities that may surprise you , and for a end that shocked me .
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
A note on the review format
While the Cupra Born VZ clause will follow Digital Trends ’ basic review format , it wo n’t get a sexual conquest or have listed pros and con . It ’s not a smartphone , obviously , and our automotive discussion section covers vehicles uncommitted to purchase in the U.S. , so it does n’t meet our requirements for a complete rack up recapitulation . However , the machine has been thoroughly tested and we will make our opinion about the fomite clean-cut , plus allow for as much detail and information as common , ensuring this feature film meets our editorial standards .
Meet the Cupra Born VZ
Unlike anApple iPhone 16or aSamsung Galaxy S24phone , which call for little origination to reader , the Cupra Born VZ probably needs a bit of explaining before we get into it . The Born is Cupra ’s first all - electric car and is a sensibly sized hatchback door , while the VZ model I ’ve been force back is the freshly put out carrying into action , or “ red-hot hatch , ” interpretation . This is what attracted me to it . As a longtime buff of burning - engine live hatching , I wanted to see if the same joyousness could read over to an electric car .
It has the right element : A 326PS hatchback door with a thickset , yet strong-growing style , broken ride height , sporting seats , and a 0 - to-62 miles per hour time of 5.6 second . It ’s the newest car I ’ve drive by a few years and only the third electric car I ’ve tried out , but I thought I recognise what to expect . In realness , it has changed the elbow room I feel about electric cars , specially red-hot performance hatchbacks — and the trial and tribulations around charge up them .
When I screen a phone , in - hand comfort is something I pay special attending to . We hold these devices for many hours a day , and they should be the right way designed to make this as pleasant as possible . The Born VZ comes with Cupra Cup Bucket seat , and they ’re salient . The sculpted bolster keep you securely oblige , and while they do finger fairly solid when you first model in them , I have n’t found them uncomfortable on longer journey . The steering wheel is very chunky , perhaps a snatch too much , but worse is an ergonomic issue related to the wheel I ’ll come back to later . The seats are electrically adjustable , but the steering tower only has a rake adjustment , make it slimly less leisurely to get the right drive position .
Cupra mode buttonAndy Boxall / Digital Trends
Then there ’s the look of the gondola itself . I ’ve been prove a mannequin in the exclusive Dark Forest people of color , complete with copper accents and black point , and it ’s well worth the supererogatory price as it suit the car . The car ’s front end is purposeful and aggressive , and leads to a pleasingly cohesive overall figure . I have intercourse the mode the many angles and shrill line found across the body — from the headlights to the C - pillar plan and the taillight — share elements found in the Cupra badge . I ’m less convinced by the carbon effect on the rearward badge and the rearward “ diffuser , ” and would have preferred integrated rear room access do by to mask the vehicle ’s four - threshold nature .
Cupra Born VZ: performance
When you purchase a flagship sound , you want it to be fast , smooth , and reactive . When I prefer a public presentation car , I want it to be the same . galvanic office make the Born VZ fabulously placid and fittingly speedy as well . Just like a phone ’s gaming modes , the car has various driving modes , include a operation mood and a high - carrying into action Cupra mode . If the railcar was made by Asus , this would beits X - Mode .
After using them all in different state of affairs and on various road , I make out to my first surprise , and it would go on to change the way I feel about the Born VZ as a whole . The Cupra mode makes the car laughably fast . It sharpens the accelerator pedal response to the percentage point where it quicken instantly when you brush the foot pedal and increase the bracken regeneration gist too , resulting in a buck bronco - vogue roller coaster drive on any public road as you attempt to tame a elevator car heroic to power into the distance .
Cupra mode create the car preposterously fast .
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
I ’m sure it would be ideal for a track , but on the road , it ’s not pleasant , and aside from show off the impressive quickening , it ’s not something I choose to use . Instead , the Performance musical mode was utterly suited to my surroundings of twisty country roadstead and open primary roads . I never once felt it needed any more tycoon or reactivity as overtaking from 30 mph to about 60 mph is ballistic and over in a flash . There are paddles on the guidance roulette wheel to alter the brake regeneration effect , which is an entirely overengineered path to do so , but I found change these to match the road , combined with Performance mode , suited the car far better than Cupra musical mode .
This was such a surprise . The Born VZ has never felt like a railway car that need to be bustle along like a sharp hot crosshatch , and is far more at home being drive like a torquey big - engined sedan : hard , but legato and see to it , using the 545 Newton meters of torsion more than the H.P. to make progress . The low nerve centre of gravity keeps it somewhat unchanging and composed around nook , and it ’s also less wide than it appears in photos , so it ’s easy to localise . However , the 2,000 - kilo weight mean it does n’t feel agile or all that sureness inspiring , as there ’s little denotation of when it ’s going to run out of grip through the steering cycle . It ’s rearward wheel drive , which I really like , and more than once in Performance mood , the back out of the blue stepped out on a wet roundabout .
It ’s sort of fun in that regard , but it never feels glad doing any of it . It felt at its well-chosen , as did I , relieve oneself immobile progress in a mature and reverential style . Braking is the worst part of the package , as the pedal varies in feel and response throughout its travel , which does n’t inspire you to attack any corner . The stopping power is there , but you have to really stamp on the Pteridium aquilinum pedal to recover it , so it lack the finesse and allowance required in a spicy hatching . The recipe is right for a hot hatch , but it ’s less Honda Civic Type R , and more Jaguar XJR .
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
Cupra Born VZ: screens, software, and connectivity
interact with the Cupra Born VZ ’s software and touchscreens was where I , as a phone reviewer , palpate most at home . There are two screens : a big 12.9 - inch cover in the eye of the fascia , along with a smaller 5.5 - inch screen in front of the driver . There ’s also a mind - up exhibit projected on to the windscreen , and various mite - tender buttons and slider .
Lets set about with the speck - sensitive dominance . They ’re awful , from both a sense experience and an ergonomic point of view . I cite earlier about the guidance bicycle . It has sort of touch - sensitive buttons on both incline , pose far too tight to the edge of the flange , and I repeatedly set off them with my thenar . They also finger so risky to apply . It reminded me of those early “ feeling - sensitive ” controls on phones like theLG Chocolate . Yes , that speech sound from 2006 , retroflex in a car made in 2024 .
The touch - sensitive sliders used for the heating are just as defective – they ’re far too sensible to use on anything but smooth tarmac — as is the power button alongside it for the medium center . Thankfully , the touchscreen is far more antiphonal , really bright and colorful . The package is sensibly design so buttons are braggy and easy to bid , plus there ’s enough processing power to keep everything act swimmingly and without lag . It felt very standardised to using a current high - goal smartphone .
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
But there ’s no doubt the screen and its eternal clitoris and menus are perplexing and annoying to use on the move . you may use your voice to control some features , and the car always recognized my “ Hey Cupra ” awaken word . While it happily enabled the climate control for me , it is n’t very estimable at complex control around features like pilotage . Just like a vocalisation helper on your phone , it ’s not as helpful as it should be , and it will take pattern and decision to use it regularly .
I used radiocommunication Apple CarPlay without a trouble , and there ’s a wireless tear domiciliation in the center console , plus a pair of USB - C connectors both front and rear . The Born VZ has a Sennheiser - tuned audio organisation that sounds brilliant , with plenty of bass and a wonderful surround auditory sensation effect . It makes great exercise of all the speakers at all clock time . Yes , the Cupra Born VZ ’s controls and functionality make it look and maneuver like a big earphone , but I was relieved to find it has more in common with aGalaxy S24 Ultrathan anything else .
Cupra Born VZ: cameras and sensors
The Cupra Born VZ has an regalia of camera , radar , and ultrasonic sensors enable a selection of safety and help modes and feature . During my unforesightful amount of meter with the car , I was really impressed with Cupra ’s Adaptive Cruise Control and the way it worked with all the sensors and cameras . I could gear up a speed of 40 miles per hour along the many backroads where I live , and it would asseverate speed and aloofness behind traffic , even through the turn and turns where the car in front was n’t instantly in front of me .
pose it up involved messing around with the touch - sore controls on the steering steering wheel , though , and they are n’t reactive or tactile enough to make it a pleasing experience . Another feature I really care is part of the Adaptive Cruise Control and Travel Assist system , where the car “ find ” speed limit signs and even seems to understand the route forrader , adding extra regenerative braking when you slow down and ensuring you ’re at the right speed for the environment . Rather than being a balk , it matte up very lifelike and further added to the relaxed cruise the tolerate VZ excels at provide .
The multiple camera and sensor also enable a 360 - point view of the car , help with maneuvering and parking . The projection screen shows stack of detail , but I establish the horizon confusing and too far removed from what I saw with my center for me to trust it . The cameras want to copy the environment you actually see to be useful , and the Born VZ ’s system made me question what I was doing . I may not be able-bodied to take photos with the Born VZ ’s cameras , but they ’re clearly very important to the vehicle , and for the most part , they influence in conjunction with the sensors and software program really well .
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
Cupra Born VZ: battery and charging
The Cupra Born VZ has a 79 kW - hr atomic number 3 - ion barrage , making it just a little husky than the one in my phone . It is compatible with both Type 2 and combined agitate organisation , and can handle up to 185 kilowatt . Cupra claims a range of 315 to 372 miles on a single charge . In sundry driving condition in the U.K. , I ’ve averaged around 3.5 to 4.5 miles per kilowatt - hr .
I do n’t have an galvanising motorcar courser at home , so I was at the mercy of the public charge organization during my week with the car , but it was in reality far less problematic than I feared . I visited a charger in a local car park and used the slow Type 2 courser to append around 40 miles kitchen range in 90 mo . The charger had a faster option , but it was in use when I arrived . Oh , and if you ’ve never wrangled the Type 2 charging cable for an electric automobile , they ’re heavy and vexatious . I ’d hate to deal with it in the rain .
A span of Day by and by , I really needed to fully tear the car , so I visited a Gridserve center and made purpose of the CCS charging . The Gridserve experience was superb . There are 30 chargers at the London Gatwick Airport location , and at least half were usable when I get during the day . I plug the machine in , then went into their great , sporting wait expanse to get a coffee tree and lunch . I plug it in with 40 % remaining , and it took 25 minute of arc to make 80 % , but I fight on to 100 % for a total charging time of 45 minutes .
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
With 100 % boot , the railcar calculate I had 302 naut mi mountain chain , and my drive plate was 25 miles . By the time I arrived , the reckon chain had drop to 268 miles and the car used 10 % of the battery . The road were a mix of highway and commonwealth road , and I drove spiritedly down the latter . When I dally graphically intensive games on my phone , the barrage take a hit , and the railcar is the same after a unspoiled drive . It ’s just a disgrace that I ca n’t plug the car in at home to top it up afterwards . Unsurprisingly , the agency I thought about the motorcar ’s battery and charging close mirrored the way I do so with my phone .
Cupra Born VZ: Was it a horrible charging experience?
Since I do not have an at - home galvanic car courser , and even the most knock-down sound charger I own wo n’t give the Born VZ any juice , I had to observe places outside to charge . I was a number worried about it as I ’ve see and try all the revulsion stories and negativity around electric elevator car charging if you do n’t have a battery charger at home . Here ’s the biggest shock for me as a newcomer to using an galvanising motorcar regularly : I did n’t really encounter any logistical effect when blame .
The worst part of the charge experience as a whole are the apps . A different one is required for each provider , and some are really bad . I peculiarly disliked the ones that take a large prepayment before you even start . I used three unlike courser over the first few day , and one Type 2 battery charger neglect to charge the auto . That ’s not a with child average , but I ’d know to avoid it for next time . Like charging my phone , I would slowly start to realise when and how to best load the car ’s battery , and which systems worked comfortably for my needs .
However , while the real human action of charging the car was n’t as much of an result as I had expected , it is very expensive if you’re able to only burden using a public battery charger . The Type 2 battery charger cost 12 British Pound ( about $ 15 ) for about 40 miles of range , while the Gridserve CCS added 60 % to the assault and battery , take it to full charge for 40 British pounds , which is about $ 52 . For this , I received an extra 170 statute mile of range . When I brim the gas tankful in my Hyundai i30 N Performance , it cost about 60 pound ( or about $ 77 ) , which gives me around 330 miles of range .
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
Cupra Born VZ: price and availability
The Cupra Born VZ is not available in the U.S. , but the model I ’ve been taste out is available in the U.K. and other neighborhood now . It starts at 44,625 British pound , or around $ 57,700 , and the version I prove was close to 48,500 pounds ( or around $ 62,700 ) , with choice include the exclusive paint , panoramic sunroof , and the heat ticker .
Is it a car I’d want to own, or a phone I don’t?
Reviewing a car like it was a earpiece started out as a chip of a jest , but the parallels are all there , from the importance of the blind and whether the software program frustrates or not , to the want for longer stamp battery life and quicker charging , and even the difference a good photographic camera scheme piddle . What ’s interesting , and why the closing has shock me , is the car ’s computer software is surprisingly good , and I did n’t shin with electric battery life or charging during my time with the Born VZ .
When I review a smartphone I experience with it for several weeks and apply it everyday as my master machine . I used the Born VZ as my main railcar , doing the same trip I ’d commonly do , plus a few others for fun . I found it fitted in to my life sentence really well , and aside from the cost of charging publically , I would blithely own one and apply it long term without much of a worry about charging . It ’s contrary to how I sense before I endure with the Born VZ , and it ’s how I feel about the best smartphones out there , such as myiPhone 16 Pro Max .
Is the Cupra Born VZ an electric raging hatch , though ? I ’m not certain it is , but this is n’t a mark against the car — more a scuttlebutt on the marketing . Yes , there will be galvanising car buyers out there need the hot hatch experience , and the bear VZ on paper is everything they ’d want . In reality , itispretty close , as it ’s an entertaining drive and undoubtedly has the required turn of speed , but not the true excitement , nimbleness , or cryptical involvement I need . It ’s much happier imitate a large ace sedan chair than it is a hot hatchback , and after driving and enjoying it each twenty-four hour period , I ’m fine with that .
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
