BACK in the day, CUPRA was just a trim level on a SEAT, offering the promise of a little more prestige than the standard offering.

I fell for it – I had a SEAT Leon CUPRA because it was a more affordable option than a Golf GTI, and just as good.
But not any more. The badge now adorns a standalone range of Spanish machines, offering buyers something with  a stylish and sporty image.

There are obvious links with the VW parent company, as much of the underpinnings and components are shared across the group.Take the new Terramar crossover sampled here. Loosely based on VW’s Tiguan, it’s had a spell in the Spanish sun and the designers have had along lunch with a few glasses of Sangria – and they’ve come up with a car that differs in many ways but at the end of the day uses the group-wide DNA to make it a very competent family car. It sits above the Formentor in the range and is set to replace the Ateca.

It certainly looks the part with its sculpted bonnet, distinctive running lights, full width lightbar at the rear and 19 inch machined alloys. Mechanically similar to Tiguan, visibly it’s not, and it sits a bit lower too.
Inside there’s definite evidence of CUPRA’s sporty aspirations. The heated front seats are sculpted and very supportive, the copper coloured starter button is on the steering wheel and there’s a lot of subtle lighting around the cabin when it gets dark outside.

The interior looks good with its high-set centre console, the 10.25 inch infotainment screen angled towards the driver and a whole load of signature copper-coloured trim pieces, some a bit more subtle than others. That smart wrap round interior lighting gives the cabin a cosy feel, and V2 variants come with a top view camera (essential for successful parking) which has front and rear view cameras, and a head-up display.The sliding rear seat gives you a choice between legroom or luggage space and set back to its furthest extremity there’s 540 litres of boot space – adequate for most of us.

Quick steering and its fairly firm suspension make it a car that’s just very pleasant to drive on a decent twisty road when it’s sporty pretentions show up best. Around town the feel is firmer but not uncomfortably so.

Kerbweight if you’re interested in towing is a useful 1638kgs.

Underpinning it is an updated version of the VW group’s MQB platform, and there are mild hybrid and plug-in hybrid variants available.

But Terramar will be the last CUPRA available with a normal combustion engine, the popular VW group 1.5 litre unit, as the brand is heading all electric in 2030. Get one while you can! 

CUPRA Terramar V2 1.5 eTSI

Price: £40,175 (£43,400 as tested)
Engine: 1.5 litre, four cylinder
Power: 148bhp
Torque: 184 lb/ft
Transmission: 7 speed DSG
Top speed: 127mph
0-62mph: 9.3 seconds
Economy: 47.1mpg
CO2 emissions: 137g/km

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