Living with a… Cupra Tavascan (Month 3)

Once just a sporty trim line in the Seat range, Cupra has evolved into a successful premium name in its own right, and arguably done a better job expressing its extrovert Spanish identity than its host brand. This Tavascan is the latest, and joins the Born in Cupra’s all-electric line-up. Built on the same VW foundations the VW ID.3, VW ID.4 and closely related VW ID.5, the Tavascan’s electric underpinnings can also be found in the comparable Enyaq coupe, Audi Q4 E-Tron and even the new Ford Capri. Credit therefore due to Cupra for making such a distinctive mark on the shared bits, let alone standing out in a very crowded sector of the market. Is there substance beneath the sporty looks, though? We’ve got six months of living with it to find out.
Skip to: Month 1 – An electrifying start Month 2 – “What did you do in the trade war, dad?” Month 3 – Financial ruin, electrified

40-something petrolhead family guy with growing kids and a busy home and work life needing a car as capable on the school run as it is on long runs – if it can entertain on a twisty road and stand out from the crossover and SUV mainstream then all the better!

Dan says: “Cupra hasn’t just made a more stylish job of the shared ID.5 foundations, it’s also made the infotainment system funkier”

How much has it cost you?

A little bit in extra domestic electricity, though because I’m still a Luddite without a smart meter I can’t be exactly sure. I can sense Erin rolling her eyes from here. At least it’s not as much as the public chargers I’ve also been using on occasion.

Where have you been?

The Tavascan arrived a couple of days before breaking up for Christmas and its wheels had barely touched the road outside the house before it was loaded up and heading off to my mum’s place in Wales.

What have you been carrying?

Having decided not to take the bikes this time the Transit wasn’t required for the Christmas road trip, though there came a point when I saw the number of presents we had I thought the Tavascan might fail its first test. Thankfully the boot floor has two levels, and in the lower one there was enough space family clobber to the power of four, a guitar and aforementioned gifts. And the turkey.

Delights?

I almost feel sorry for VW that, having gone to the effort and expense of engineering an electric platform, the subsidiary brands it shares it with have done a better job. I mean, the ID.5 is a perfectly decent vehicle. But the Skoda Enyaq Coupe Mark’s been running is a cooler twist on the same bits. And this Cupra takes that idea and runs with it. Not sure the same extends to the Ford Capri I swapped out of and also shares the same bits underneath. But that’s another story!

Frustrations?

Cupra hasn’t just made a more stylish job of the shared ID.5 foundations, it’s also made the infotainment system funkier, and easier to use. Having previously run a Born and then a Leon I’m familiar with the system and its logical and colourful menus, so that helps. But it works well. Shame some of the worst bits of the ID family have made it through though – looking at you touch-sensitive controls for heating, volume and steering wheel switches for cruise and the rest. Ugh. And don’t get me started on the multi-purposed window switches.

This month in a nutshell

Trying to figure out why having added a shortcut for disabling the annoying (and frequently wrong) speed limit alerts to the swipe-down favourites menu it’s vanished by the next time I get in the car. Infuriating!

Mileage: 649 Fuel consumption: 2.5 miles/kWh (running average)

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Dan says: “The Tavascan is the first long-term test car I’ve run that has found itself on the front line of an international trade war”

How much has it cost you?

Less than the Tavascan is apparently costing Cupra, this being the first long-term test car I’ve run that has found itself on the front line of an international trade war relating to EU tariffs on cars – like this one – built in Chinese factories but sold in Europe. Short version? Cupra is begging for an exemption for the fact the additional 20 per cent levy is costing it literally hundreds of millions of euros and could lead to job losses. Or mean the Tavascan is taken off sale completely to prevent further damage to the bottom line. Yikes.

Where have you been?

The usual stuff – a couple of early morning airport runs, then the usual routine of local errands for the school run, dad taxi to clubs and suchlike. Repeat to fade…

What have you been carrying?

Mainly children. Which is making a right mess of the Cupra’s otherwise lovely interior, given the time of year and fact they’re always fresh from somewhere muddy.

Delights?

Heated bits! The Cupra has heating for both front seats and steering wheel, which (call me a wimp) is an absolute godsend at this time of year. While I don’t usually bother with test cars downloading the vehicle app is more worthwhile with electric ones, for the ability to monitor battery levels and control charging routines. An added bonus in winter being the ability to pre-heat the car before departure, smugly watching the frosted-up windows clear themselves and steam rising off the car from the kitchen window as it heats up.

Frustrations?

Big, snazzy wheels like the Cupra’s copper-coloured 21-inch rims are one of the banes of modern motoring life. They might look good in the showroom but out there in the real world they ruin ride quality and make every parking manoeuvre a test of nerves. That the Tavascan’s nearside front now has The Mark of Shame from driving over what looked like a lump of snow but was, in fact, a kerb causes me emotional distress every time I walk up to the car and clap eyes on it.

This month in a nutshell

With a motor on each axle this Tavascan is effectively four-wheel drive, and even with the big wheels and fat tyres proven itself very effective in the snow we had earlier in the month. That doesn’t help you when it comes to slowing down, of course, and aware that it’s a big, heavy car I’m careful to use the B mode or maximum regen on the paddles to simulate the engine braking I’d use in a combustion-engined car when driving on snow, given this means far more control than using the regular brakes.

Mileage: 1,293 (total) Fuel consumption: 2.2 miles/kWh

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Dan says: “A couple of public charging sessions this month have been something of a rude awakening”

How much has it cost you?

With home top-ups absorbed into the domestic energy costs (pure denial on my part) a couple of public charging sessions this month have been something of a rude awakening, especially at over 80p per kWh. True, one of these sessions was at a motorway services and, just like petrol or diesel, you can expect to pay a premium in the circumstances. Which is one of those things you have to take on the chin. But harder to accept when it’s a council-installed charger in a local town-centre car park, as the second hook-up was. There are various factors at play here, one of the biggest being the full 20 per cent VAT you pay on energy from public chargers against the five per cent on your domestic supply. No wonder electric car campaigners and industry bodies want to see this equalised to level the playing field for those without home charging, and help boost flagging EV adoption. Can’t come soon enough, because ‘fuelled’ away from home an electric car can be more expensive per mile than a combustion one.

Where have you been?

See above, but a 300-mile round-trip to a job at Silverstone meant two wallet-stinging public charges. The faff of having to update my Gridserve app and trying to remember my password before being able to plug in aside (yay, electric car life) I was able to integrate the charging stops into my route without any real impact on journey time, so at least that bit works OK. More generally the Tavascan is a nice way to rack up miles as well, thanks in equal part to its quiet electric power and banging stereo.

What have you been carrying?

Turns out you can fit a (disassembled) single bed in the back of a Tavascan, some furniture trading as part of a bedroom refurb for one of the kids seeing me off to collect one of Mrs Trent’s recent Marketplace purchases. True, there were bits of bed frame digging me in the ribs but it was a short trip and it passed the test.

Delights?

My electric car conversion happened a while back but this is the first time my wife has had to live with one as the main family car and, in the usual way, what first seemed alien and a bit stressful has become less so with familiarity. Fear of the unknown seems to be one of the biggest barriers to going electric but, as we’ve both learned, it quickly becomes the new normal.

Frustrations?

Browsing the tech data in the online brochure (I’m great fun at dinner parties) I see twin-motor Tavascans like mine have a much wider turning circle than single-motor ones. Why should that matter? Well, there’s a nasty 90-degree turn to get to the back of the house where the charger is, and I’ve never yet been able to do it in one. Here’s my excuse, ditto for the fact I struggle more with parallel parking than I usually would.

This month in a nutshell

Impressive space and long-distance comfort, less good in a confined space.

Mileage: 2,245 miles (total) Fuel consumption: 2.6 miles/kWh (average for loan)

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