Cupra Born VZ amps up the power and sportiness of the original

20 February 2024

The Cupra Born was the brand's first EV, being unveiled in 2020 not very long after Cupra was spun off from Seat. It's had some time on the market and now a new version is being introduced: the Born VZ. "VZ" stands for "veloz" which means "fast" in Spanish but is also the name of a Toyota MPV sold in some parts of Asia.

"Fast" might be overselling it here, but the VZ is definitely faster than the 'vanilla' Born. This hot hatch iteration delivers 240kW of power and 402 lb-ft of torque and hits 62 mph in 5.7 seconds. Its top speed is 124 mph which is a whopping 25 mph more than what the normal Born can achieve.

If you're into percentages, here are some more for you: it has 40% more power too, and 75% more torque. As with any other 'hot hatch' like car, this one has undergone a massive 'sportification', for lack of a better word.

It has 20-inch wheels, a bunch of VZ badges all over, new colors (Dark Forest and Midnight Black), bucket seats as standard, regenerative paddle shifts on the steering wheel with three levels of recuperation, a new sporty suspension (of course), more responsive steering, "improved brake pedal feeling" and even "a robust rear brake" to deliver "superior dynamic performance" according to Cupra's official press release.

We're not sure why a good brake pedal feeling and a robust rear brake should be confined to the most expensive model in the range, but we digress. Inside there's a 12.9-inch center touchscreen, 0.9" bigger than in the normal Born, paired with "a new retro illuminated touch bar to adjust interior climate and volume". You also get a 425-watt Sennheiser 10-speaker audio system.

Oh, and let's not forget the Smart Light tech which "isn't ambient lighting, but a new dimension in human-machine communication" with horizontal "full-LEDs" wrapping around the width of the dashboard providing a breadth of color-coded information at a glance.

Range is estimated at 354 miles WLTP from a 79 kWh net battery capacity that is 2 kWh more than in the non-VZ Born. DC fast charging goes up to 170kW, taking 30 minutes to go from 10% to 80%, while AC is 11kW maximum.

Notable features include Remote Park Assist which lets you finish parking with your smartphone, and Trained Parking Assist, that lets the car learn how to park in regular spots by storing the characteristics and trajectory in a map.

The Cupra Born VZ will be launched in the third quarter of this year, so from July to September.