Cupra Terramar long-term test: report 2
With its racy demeanour, does the Cupra Terramar put the sport in sport utility vehicle? We've got six months to find out...
The car Cupra Terramar V2 1.5 e-Hybrid 204PS DSG Run by Stuart Milne, digital editor
Why it’s here To see if the Terramar could be a practical, low-cost Porsche Macan alternative
Needs to deliver the driving experience those looks promise, while being an economical family workhorse
Miles covered 2029 Price £47,195 Target price £40,890 Price as tested £47,890 Official economy 176.5mpg Test economy 84.3mpg
8 December – Bark or bite
Sport can often be a misnomer. It’s possible to buy sport deodorant or a sports watch, when in fact they won’t make you a better tennis player or fell runner.
It’s the same with some SUVs – sports utility vehicles – which place the emphasis very much on utility rather than on anything remotely sporting.
So I was delighted to see that my Cupra Terramar not only looks sporting, but it feels pretty racy to drive, too. I like that the family SUV is snouty and angry looking, rather than lifting from the chunky, rugged playbook. I like the fierce-looking logo which looks like it should belong to a heavy metal band.
And it has the bark to back up the bite. I’m particularly taken by the steering, which is light and accurate, and suits my relaxed style of driving well when I’m on the M25. It provides more than enough response to make it fun along a winding road; keener drivers might want a little more, but for me, on the rare occasions I don’t have my family in the car, it offers plenty of thrills on local back roads. It’s a good compromise.
In particular, I’m fond of the ride. It’s not soft like my old Mercedes E-Class Estate, but neither is it firm like a hot hatch. It feels just right on the brand of broken Tarmac I spend most of my time on, even with its 19in alloy wheels. My road testing colleagues tell me the adaptive suspension on higher-spec models is better still.
I do find the brake pedal feels a little inconsistent, though, and I’d prefer it to be quicker and easier to adjust the level of regenerative braking. As it is, I tend to leave it in its default setting, even though I’m sure that tweaking it could help to eke out a few more miles from the battery.
It’s the engine, which for me is the weak spot. It’s perfectly pleasant when making normal progress, but summon the forces required to safely move from a short slip road or perform an overtake, and the engine noise not only drowns out any hope of normal conversation, but it sounds horribly strained while doing so.
It’s one reason why I try to keep the car’s batteries topped up as frequently as possible, because as well as delivering stellar fuel economy, their extra oomph means I don’t have to lean on the engine anywhere near as much.
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