Cupra has announced that a more potent version of its Born hatchback is on the way, which will be the brand’s most powerful model to date.
Called the ‘VZ’ – which stands for ‘veloz’, Spanish for ‘fast’ – this high performance version of the electric Born hatch comes with a 40% horsepower boost over the former range-topper, the 230hp Born ‘e-boost’ powertrain, as well as some improvements to the driving dynamics and some minor cosmetic alterations.
The hot hatch can reportedly muster 322hp – slightly more power than the petrol Volkswagen Golf R – and complete a 0-62mph sprint in 5.7 seconds – one second faster than the Born e-Boost. The electric hatch’s top speed has been increased too, from 99mph to 124mph.
Other areas of mechanical improvement include the steering and suspension, which Cupra says are now ‘sportier’, and the braking which is reportedly more robust in the rear to handle the higher performance.
Cupra is keen to add that this “performance isn’t achieved by sacrificing efficiency”, as the Born VZ can deliver 335 miles on a single charge. The battery pack has been improved and now offers a net capacity of 79kWh – up from 77kWh – and is compatible with 11kW AC and 170kW DC charging points, the latter charging the battery from 10% to 80% within 30 minutes.
There aren’t many visual differences between the VZ and the regular Born at first glance, but the VZ sits on large 20-inch alloy wheels with wider performance tyres. The performance model is also available with two exclusive exterior colour options beyond the standard palette – ‘Dark Forest’ and ‘Midnight Black’.
Inside, the VZ is the only Born model to come with bucket seats as standard, with a “lower seating feeling to deliver a more ergonomic, sporty driving position.” The model also gets a larger 13-inch ‘floating’ infotainment screen in the centre of the dashboard, as well as the new illuminated climate-control slider bar.
The CUPRA Born VZ will be officially launched in the UK around Autumn time, and British pricing and specs will be confirmed in the Summer.
Cupra adds that it has also recently slimmed down the regular Born range – dropping the entry-level 204hp powertrain, leaving just the 230hp variant (with either a 58kWh or 77kWh battery) which is available across three trims (‘V1’, ‘V2’ and ‘V3’). To compensate for this removal, Cupra has also dropped the price of the new lead-in model, the V1 58kWh 230hp, making it the cheapest Born model to date.
The Cupra Born currently holds a New Car Expert Rating of A, with a score of 81% in our Expert Rating Index. It has excellent results in every category, with the only caveat being that we don’t yet have enough data to issue a reliability rating.
