When a car company introduces a new brand, it takes a bit of time for the car-buying public to get to know about it and its range of cars. Advertising helps and word of mouth is also very good, but nothing beats seeing the car ‘in the flesh’ on the road or in shopping centre car parks.
Cupra is a sub-brand of Seat and they have been selling their cars in Ireland for four years now. They are reasonably happy that they have gained just one per cent of the market. They were not helped by Covid, but Brand Director Gaspar Alcaide says they expect to at least double that figure by the end of the year.
They are aiming to increase their sales by targeting males in their early forties who have a higher disposable income. And with some exciting models like the Tavascan, which I drove last week, the Formentor, Terramar and a new version of the Born, they should climb the sales charts. All these cars are electric or plug-in hybrids.
Last week I got plenty of compliments and admiring glances while driving the classy looking Tavascan. Neighbours were asking what was the actual name of the car; they reckoned it was a Cupra, but Cupra don’t have the model printed on the back or front of any of its cars.
The Tavascan offers a claimed range of 569km, but that will depend very much on driving conditions. You can get from zero to 100kmh in just 5.5 seconds if it’s speed you are after. And when it comes to charging, at a fast charger you can get from 10 to 80 per cent charge in the battery in just 28 minutes. And thanks to the ESB fast chargers at Newcastle, county Dublin I can verify that time is correct.
Like most new electric cars, the dash is dominated by a huge infotainment screen. But the 15-inch screen on Tavascan is more user-friendly that some recent models I have driven. And you can open the glove compartment by simply pressing a button, not from the screen!
The interior is fairly dark, but there are some nice touches of copper on the dash and on the inside of doors which certainly brighten the overall décor.
There is an unusual looking Y-shaped divider between the driver and front seat passenger. It reminded me of an Octopus, but my son pointed out that an Octopus has legs. You can rest your hand on the divider, but be careful as the switch for the hazard lights is located in the middle of the divider.
There is plenty of head and leg room for five well-built adults – and you get a decent size boot with 540 litres of luggage space.
Seat has traditionally named its cars after towns and districts in Spain. And it’s the same with Cupra, who have named their Tavascan, after a village in Catalonia. I have visited the Cupra plant at Martorell on the hills above Barcelona and it’s very impressive and they also produce some very impressive motors.
Have a test drive – I think you will be impressed – and you don’t have to wait until you are 40.
Right now, Irish customers have a choice of two Tavascan models, Endurance Type 4 and Endurance Type 6 and both are powered by a 77kWh battery generating 286bhp. Cupra are offering a special booster price of €44,365 for the Type 4 and €54,765 for the Type 6. The price of the model I tested was €48,150.
