Cupra Tavascan review

Cupra talks about a simplified commercial offer. Translation: not a very wide range. There are just two powertrains: RWD (called Endurance) and AWD (called VZ). Then a series of options packs.

Endurance starts with 19-inch wheels, but the 'immersive pack' takes those to 20s and adds Sennheiser sound, better ambient light and surround camera. That's all standard on the VZ.

Both powertrains ask for a 'winter pack' before you get a heat pump or heated seats. Sounds dull but you want it. An 'extreme pack' gives deeper bucket seats and 21s with performance tyres.

'Adreneline pack' includes matrix LED headlights, HUD, and glass roof. It also adds adaptive dampers on the RWD car; they're standard on the AWD.

So, um, how much does it cost?

Cupra UK tells us £47,300 is the target, but prices haven’t been confirmed yet. That figure would be competitive, or better, than rivals. All those packs might be tweaked by the time orders open in the UK in July, too.

To repeat the WLTP range stats: 355 miles on 19-inch wheels for the RWD and 320 for the AWD in 20s. Real world, multiply those by 0.7 for no-traffic winter motorway driving and 0.9 for mixed roads in summer.

Peak DC recharge rate is 135kW which isn't too fancy, but Cupra says it can sustain that for a long time, so you can make good use of, say, a 150kW charge post and get from 10-80 per cent in less than half an hour.

There's three-phase AC charging, but disappointingly it's only 11kW not 22kW, so you're still taking eight hours to full. That said, many rivals don't have three-phase input at all, so are stuck with 7kW for their AC input. Besides, 7kW is likely the maximum power your home can deliver anyway. So call it 11 hours on one of those home or street charge ports from dead flat to 100 per cent juiced.

The Cupra app can also give you access to all the VW Group's partner charging networks. That's handy, but it often adds a premium per kWh compared with what you'd pay going to the networks direct. That's a common problem with manufacturers' agglomerating apps.

The Tavascan isn't made in Spain, or Germany with its VW Group cousins. It's from China, like most of your other consumer gadgets. There's no direct Chinese Government stake in the plant, unlike with MG.