Colour us excited - because we’re about to get a properly hot version of the brilliant CUPRA Born.
As it stands, the most powerful ‘e-Boost’ versions of the fully-electric Born hatchback come with 230 PS and the ability to get from 0-62mph in around 6.6 seconds.
Now, though, CUPRA is about to introduce a new ‘VZ’ Born - with VZ standing for ‘Veloz’, or ‘fast’, in Spanish.
The Born VZ doesn’t just deliver power of 326 PS - a significant hike in anyone’s book - and 545 Nm of torque, it’ll also reach 62mph from a standing start in just 5.7 seconds.
The fun doesn’t stop there, either.
The VZ models, which will be available to lease later this year, get bucket seats as standard, regenerative paddle shifts on the steering wheel, sportier suspension, better braking feel, and more responsive steering and acceleration.
Large 20-inch alloys are also par for the course.
Speaking about the Dynamic Chassis Control (DCC) on the Born, a CUPRA spokesperson tells us: “At the rear of the CUPRA Born VZ, new dampers and springs combine with the front’s updated damper valve settings and spring design, as well as updated anti-roll bars, to create the DCC Sport suspension that delivers better vehicle body control. The CUPRA Born VZ’s steering package is upgraded with new hardware and software to make it sportier. Dynamic improvements to the vehicle’s braking technology gives the VZ a stiffer, more robust brake feel, increasing its directness and reducing softness compared to standard variants of the CUPRA Born.”
Despite all of that performance, the CUPRA Born VZ will still be capable of travelling up to 335 miles between charges, courtesy of a larger 79 kWh battery. That battery will also accept rapid 170kW fast-charging, which can take the energy from 10 to 80% in less than 30 minutes.
There are two new colour options, both of which sound like posh cider for hipsters; ‘Dark Forest’ and ‘Midnight Black’.
In the cabin you’ll find a panoramic sunroof, a 12.9-inch infotainment system, an uprated 10-speaker sound system from Sennheiser, and ‘Smart Light’ technology (don’t call it ambient lighting, says CUPRA…) which gives ‘visual cues’ to convey certain messages, whether it’s how much charge is left in the battery or whether someone is trying to call you.
When it comes to safety, adaptive cruise control is standard, as is lane assist, remote park assist, and a 360-degree camera.
Rivals to the Born VZ will include the MG4 XPower, the Smart #1 Brabus, and the incoming Alpine A290.
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