CUPRA TAVASCAN

Eye-catching new electric family SUV is a sporty alternative to the Volkswagen ID 4

- MARK TISSHAW

TESTED 15.5.24, CATALONIA, SPAIN ON SALE LATE 2024 PRICE £54,000 (EST)

The Cupra Tavascan is a close relative of a fairly safe bunch, sharing its footprint and hard points with the Audi Q4 E-tron, Skoda Enyaq and Volkswagen ID 4. But whereas those three are the types to hold down 9-5 office jobs and have their haircuts booked on a rolling basis every six weeks, this one is more likely to have never got back from its gap year and be facing questions from the Australian authorities about its visa status.

The Tavascan is the third model to be created solely for the sporty, upmarket brand carved out of Seat and the second of those to be fully electric. Following five years after a concept of the same name that was described as "the brand's dream", it will go on sale in July, before deliveries start at the end of the year, with production exclusively in China - a first for a Seat SA car.

The market into which the Tavascan is being launched is perhaps the most burgeoning out there. It's easier to name car makers not introducing a 4.5m-long electric car that's more raised than a traditional family hatchback (due to the need to store batteries in the floor) but lower than a traditional SUV (due to the need to maximise range and therefore aerodynamics).

The Tavascan is 4644mm long, with a 2766mm wheelbase, 1861mm wide and 1597mm tall dimensions all largely familiar from those other Volkswagen Group electric crossovers based on the MEB platform. It's larger than the Cupra Formentor and doesn't quite have the nothing-else-like-it presence of the yet it's still a statement design.

There are two versions: a singlemotor, rear-wheel-drive one with 282bhp and a dual-motor, fourwheel-drive one with 335bhp. It's the latter we're testing, badged VZ.