The Terramar is CUPRA's most important combustion model yet. Jonathan Crouch takes a look.
Ten Second Review
The CUPRA Terramar joins the brand's Formentor model in the mid-sized SUV class. It probably has a broader appeal than any previous combustion-powered CUPRA model and aims to offer something a little sportier and more interesting than the VW Group crossovers it's based upon.
Background
In a sense, CUPRA has come full circle here. In 2019, the brand launched its first model, a borrowed re-badged design from parent company SEAT, the CUPRA Ateca. Five years on, CUPRA is very different, now global, selling in the US and set later this decade to effectively replace the marque that originally sired it. It's not just a sporting nameplate anymore, so you'd expect the replacement for the CUPRA Ateca, this car, the CUPRA Terramar, to be more than just the niche, sporty mid-sized SUV its predecessor was.
Perhaps the biggest news to start with is that it's not electric - not in the full-EV Born and Tavascan sense anyway. First, because CUPRA thinks it has enough full-battery products of this size; and second because, like every other brand, the Spanish maker is alarmed by the way that EV sales have stalled, while interest in Hybrid models is on the up. So that's what we've got with the usual VW Group engineering presented here, elsewhere packaged in this segment as either the Skoda Karoq, a Volkswagen Tiguan or an Audi Q3. But more sportily presented here, as befits the model name, which references the Autodromo de Sitges-Terramar, a historic racing oval near Barcelona.
Driving Experience
The engines here are all familiar VW Group units - which means that there's no self charging full Hybrid: just a base mild hybrid, the top PHEVs and more dynamic 2.0 TSI turbo units for those who want to match the sporty styling cues to outright performance. Unlike Volkswagen, Skoda or Audi, CUPRA doesn't think you'll want a diesel. Where the Terramar aims to differentiate itself is with its drive experience. The ride height of the MQB Evo platform has been lowered by 10mm over what it is with this model's cousin VW Group SUVs. Plus there's a Dynamic Chassis Control system with two-valve shock absorbers which work in a range of drive modes. All models get 'Comfort', 'Performance', 'Individual' and 'Off road' settings, plus the top VZ variant adds an all-out 'CUPRA' mode too.
In addition, across the range steering has been sharpened, properly supple multi-link rear suspension is included and an electric brake booster aims to enhance response and braking feel during regenerative harvesting.
Engine choice kicks off with a 1.5-litre 48V mild hybrid with 150PS - or there's a couple of 2.0 TSI 4WD variants with either 204PS or (for the fastest VZ version) 265PS and '4Drive' 4WD. The VZ makes 62mph in 5.9s en route to 151mph. Two eHybrid PHEVs also feature, with either 204PS or 272PS and can go up to 70 miles on a charge from the 19.7kWh battery pack. The 272PS eHybrid makes 62mph in 7.3s en route to 134mph. All models drive via a 7-speed DSG auto gearbox.
Design and Build
CUPRA says the Terramar design isn't as 'disruptive' as that of the slightly larger Tavascan, but you'll still probably think it looks quite sporty, certainly more so than the cloned VW Group models it shares its engineering with. There's 4.5-metres of body length, so it's slightly larger than the old CUPRA Ateca and also bigger than a Skoda Karoq; not quite as compact as it looks then. The usual CUPRA stylistic signatures are present and correct - a front light design made up of three triangles and a rear light bar that incorporates the CUPRA badge. The profile is distinguished by a single distinct haunch over the rear wheels and large alloy rims of between 18 to 20-inches.
And inside? Well it's not as adventurous as a Tavascan, but it's certainly more interesting than its VW Group segment cousins. More driver-focused too, thanks to fairly low-set, supportive sports seats that have plenty of adjustment and can be classily upholstered. The cabin feels inviting, helped by smart use of ambient lighting and CUPRA's usual copper-coloured accents. And there's the latest Wolfsburg-sourced screen tech for the instrument display and the big 12.9-inch central monitor.
Wireless 'Apple CarPlay' and 'Android Auto' are standard-fit, along with a 15-watt phone charging mat that can cool your handset while it's powering it up. A fiddly touch slider features below the centre screen, but it is at least illuminated. High quality plastics feature on the upper dashboard, but coarser harder ones are fitted lower down. There's a reasonable amount of room in the back for an SUV of this size, plus the bench slides and the backrest reclines. The boot is large too - 540-630-litres (depending on the position of the rear seat), though that falls to 400-490-litres for the PHEV version (which does without the adjustable-height boot floor).
Market and Model
Prices start from just under £38,000. Which might be a little more than you could have been expecting and begs the question as to why, if you wanted a mid-sized CUPRA crossover of this kind, you wouldn't instead choose the brand's existing and only slightly smaller Formentor model, which is priced from around £33,000.
The brand is offering three so-called 'interior character' packages, each with varying amounts of material sustainability. There's 'Deep Ocean', which uses 100% upcycled Seaqual yarn (made from discarded plastic bottles recovered from the sea); 'Moonlight' uses 73% upcycled materials; and 'High Canyon' trim offers leather featuring a plant-based tanning process. An option customers are going to want to look at is the Sennheiser 12-speaker high-fidelity audio system available on high -pec models
Among the Terramar's safety and convenience systems are Predictive Adaptive Cruise Control, Travel Assist, Side and Exit Assist, Emergency Assist and Attention and Drowsiness Assist. The Predictive ACC system can position the vehicle based on route and GPS data delivered from the navigation system, allowing it to correct its speed depending on the road layout ahead - bends, roundabouts, junctions, speed limits and built-up areas. The Travel Assist combines a lane centre guidance with the ACC to actively keep the vehicle in the centre of the lane and adjust the speed to the flow of the traffic - over the entire speed range.
Side and Exit Assist technology detects what your eyes can't with blind spot detection and adds an Exit Warning when you've parked and want to leave the vehicle, giving an acoustic and visual caution if someone or something is approaching. Emergency Assist gets activated when there is no reaction from the driver. The system can initiate acoustic warnings and braking jolts to alert the driver, being able to completely stop the vehicle. The Attention and Drowsiness Assist alerts the driver with acoustic and visual warnings when distracted or exhausted, making sure the driver remains focused on driving.
Cost of Ownership
The economy figures aren't too much different from those of a Tiguan/Karoq/Q3. Which means that if you opt for the base TSI petrol 1.5-litre 150PS mild hybrid variant, you're looking at around 45mpg on the combined cycle and around 140g/km of CO2. For the top 2.0 TSI VZ version, it's 32mpg and 191g/km. In eHybrid PHEV form, the CUPRA Terramar can travel for more than 70 miles on a single charge. The battery is fast charge compatible at up to 50kW (DC charge) while on the road, or at home using a 11kW wallbox. The eHybrid's ridiculous quoted WLTP-rated combined cycle range figure is 564-706mpg; CUPRA quotes a more real-world 'charge-sustaining' figure of 46-48mpg.
As for servicing across the range, well as usual with Volkswagen Group models, there's a choice of either 'Fixed' or 'Flexible' maintenance packages. You'll choose the 'Fixed' approach if you cover less than 10,000 miles a year and with this, the car will typically be looked at every twelve months. If your daily commute is more than 25 miles and your Terramar will regularly be driven on longer distance journeys, you'll be able to work with a 'Flexible' regime that can see you travelling up to 18,000 miles between garage visits - or every two years, whichever is sooner. And warranties? Well the standard package is three years and 60,000 miles.
Summary
You can't help thinking that the Terramar might originally have been conceived as a SEAT, before the countdown started towards the end of that marque's existence as a purveyor of conventional cars. We also can't help thinking that this car might have suited SEAT badging a little better. It tries its best to uphold CUPRA's sporty copper-coloured brand virtues, but most Terramars simply won't be like that, particularly the PHEV ones.
Which leaves only the styling and the copper-themed packaging to differentiate this model from the Skoda, Volkswagen and Audi mid-sized SUVs it shares virtually all its engineering with. If that's enough and you can see the point of paying more for this car over CUPRA's perfectly acceptable and only slightly smaller Formentor model, then the sweet spot in the Terramar range probably lies with lower-order versions; cars that lack the rather dull, clinical feel of lower-spec Karoq, Tiguan or Q3 models. So there's probably a place in the market for the Terramar. Just not the place that a decade ago, we thought a CUPRA model like this would be.
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