Cupra Terramar long-term test

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 86 Price £47,195 Target price £40,890 Price as tested £47,890 Official economy 176.5mpg Test economy 100.2mpg Options fitted Cosmos Blue paint (£695)

6 November 2025 — The real deal?

The £60 Casio Duro is a watch that tells the time beautifully, has some serious deep-sea diving credentials and has a striking similarity to the £9100 Rolex Submariner – a watch loved by James Bond, no less.

The Duro – my Duro – appeals to the pragmatist in me, and it’s my favourite watch. I’m in good company, it seems, because billionaire Bill Gates is also a fan. That’s justification, if any were needed, that it’s simply a great watch, regardless of the price tag.

It’s a difficult line to walk though. Because a homage is great…but no-one likes a rip-off.

And it’s this thinking that’s led me to my latest car – a Cupra Terramar. That’s because while a Porsche Macan might be the sports SUV I’d choose with my heart, my sensible head tells me the Terramar might just be the better everyday purchase.

It’s certainly a looker, I think you’ll agree. And even though I’m in the first days of ownership, several people have already mistaken it for a Macan. With a pointy, aggressive front end, that’s not surprising. And I don’t think people recognise the distinctive badge yet, either.

I cover around 20,000 miles a year, so running costs are high on my list of priorities, which is why I’ve plumped for a plug-in hybrid version. It blends a 1.5-litre engine with an electric motor and a battery with a usable capacity of around 20kWh. As a PHEV, it has some big boots to fill since the passing of my old Mercedes E300de, but the official 72-mile electric range goes a long way to ease the mourning.

That’s not quite enough to get me to the office, but I’ll be making full use of the Terramar’s hybrid model to eke out the electricity to assist the engine for as long as possible. And the battery means I can easily charge it from flat to full using cheaper off-peak power. But to do this I have to schedule manually – the Terramar and my EO Mini Pro 3 home EV charger isn’t a combination which is currently supported through my Octopus Intelligent Go EV tariff. Not a massive problem in the grand scheme of things, but it just required a little more hoop jumping.

Truth be told though, the choice of engines wasn’t that difficult because my circumstances allow me to charge every night to reduce my costs at the pumps – and that alone ruled out the mild hybrid or petrol-powered options. And while having 262bhp underfoot appeals, as a family and commuter car, the 201bhp of my Terramar feels plenty.

My chosen V2 spec comes with all of the luxuries I wanted, from heated front seats for the cold mornings to a head-up display (something I really miss when I don’t have it) and snazzy ambient lighting. It’s a feature that my kids always love, but in truth it’s something I really like, too, especially with the bronze hue that complements the interior accents beautifully.

The birds-eye camera is a welcome upgrade over the rear camera of the entry-level V1 model, and the reduced likelihood of scraping bumpers or those gorgeous 20in alloy wheels helps justify (in my head, at least) the £2660 premium my car costs over that car.

There’s a part of me that wishes I’d chosen the £600 Sennheiser audio upgrade, but I’m really glad I splashed out the £695 on Cosmos Blue paint. It transforms the car from something that looks good into something that feels really special – and the contrast between the blue paint and bronze badging is really rather lovely. Other paint colours are either four shades of grey, or a plum purple which costs a rather punchy £995.

It’s a shame that adjustable adaptive suspension is only available on the spicier (and pricier) VZ1 and VZ2 models, though, because that would've been an appealing option.

Early impressions are good. The Terramar feels nimble, even without that clever suspension, and there’s plenty of punch for overtaking – even if the engine does become very coarse as you accelerate onto motorway on-slips. I’ve found it far better to take a more relaxed approach and let the car learn more heavily on its motors. But I’ll be playing around with the car’s drive modes to see if I can find a happy medium.

But there will be plenty of time for that. I plan to rack up big mileages over the coming six months, which will include cross-country jaunts, family trips out and gruelling rush-hour motorway commutes. But at the end, I’ll know if the Cupra Terramar is the real deal.

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