REV puts Cupra's Terramar VZ 2.0 TSI through its paces. How does this gas-powered SUV compared to the plug-in hybrid variant? Our tester likes its sportiness but finds the VZ version to be a bit of a gas guzzler.
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00:00Is the CUPRA Terramar all the SUV you'll ever need?
00:06Rev's Emanuel Schaefer puts it to the test.
00:10CUPRA calls itself the challenger brand, challenging VW.
00:14We're building sportier cars than you do on the same basis.
00:18This is the new CUPRA Terramar, the sportier brother to VW's Tiguan.
00:23And whether it just looks sportier or it really is sportier,
00:27we'll find out right now.
00:28Welcome to Rev.
00:30The Terramar uses the latest version of VW's MQB Evo platform
00:35and has three powertrain options, though no diesel.
00:38The Terramar is available as a gasoline, mild hybrid and plug-in hybrid version.
00:45We're testing one of the combustion engine-only versions,
00:49the VZ265 horsepower.
00:53Accelerates the car from zero to 100 kilometers an hour in 5.9 seconds
00:58and up to a top speed of 243 kilometers an hour.
01:07On paper, the plug-in hybrid, which I got the chance to drive for half an hour earlier,
01:14is more powerful, 272 horsepower.
01:17But that is, of course, because of the combination of electric and combustion engine.
01:23And even though it has more power on paper,
01:26when it comes to acceleration, it is more than one second slower than this version.
01:30And furthermore, it can only accelerate up to 215 kilometers an hour.
01:35So even though our test car has a little less horsepower,
01:38it is the most powerful version of the Terramar you can get.
01:41And it is also really fun to drive.
01:48The name Terramar, by the way, is an homage to the legendary racetrack close to Barcelona,
01:55where the Cupra brand was founded in 2018.
02:00So with that car that somehow makes the portfolio of Cupra whole,
02:07because they didn't have an SUV in that segment up until now,
02:11it is clever to use a name that means a lot to the brand.
02:15At the press of the Cupra button here at the steering wheel,
02:26which, by the way, is really cool to look at, I like it,
02:31you can quickly switch between the drive mode, so normal, sport, or even the Cupra mode,
02:37and then the car will behave differently and also sound differently.
02:41In race mode, the engine noise and also the exhaust sound gets really prominent
02:46compared to normal mode.
02:48And that matches the sporty character that the car has on the outside.
02:55And it's packed to the hilt with tech.
02:59Of course, the Terramar has a lot of driver assistance systems,
03:03which also includes the speed warning.
03:07And that one, I hear it every 30 seconds, every minute,
03:12not because I'm excessively speeding,
03:14but simply because it starts beeping at like three, four, maybe five kilometers an hour
03:21above the speed limit, which happens quite quickly.
03:25Everyone knows it.
03:26But to disable that, you have to navigate through the menu,
03:29which is quite time consuming.
03:31And I'm not a fan of that,
03:32especially because I have seen how to make it better at some other manufacturer recently
03:38that had a button right next to the steering wheel
03:40where you could mute all driver assistance systems with the press of one button.
03:47The Terramar is not just a looker on the outside.
03:50It's stylish on the inside, too.
03:55The interior of the Terramar is really appealing to me.
03:59It looks as sporty as the exterior.
04:02And the highlight, as always with all Cupra cars,
04:06is that Cupra steering wheel, which is standard in every Terramar version.
04:12You have those two buttons right here,
04:14left one to switch between the different drive modes
04:18and the right one to start and stop the engine.
04:20Then you have the infotainment system in the middle, 12.9 inch,
04:24that has been revamped so it is now easily operatable,
04:29easier than it was before.
04:33Another thing I don't really like is the touch operation of the climate control.
04:41They made it better than before.
04:43So no matter in which menu you are,
04:45the climate control will always be visible at the bottom.
04:54The space in the back is quite good.
04:57You have some legroom left.
04:59I have been sitting in the front.
05:01So this is what is left with a person of 1.80 m comfortably sitting at the front.
05:06And you can also move the back seats 15 cm front and back.
05:13Staying true to Cupra's sporty DNA,
05:16the VZ version boasts some other impressive numbers, too.
05:23Compared to the VW base,
05:25the Terramar is 10 mm lower than all of the other versions.
05:31That means it is also a little sportier.
05:35And you can feel that.
05:38Sporty look, sporty driving, everything matches.
05:42Furthermore, it has progressive steering.
05:44That means it is more agile at lower speeds and more stable at higher speeds.
05:50And all of that comes as standard in every version of the Terramar.
05:54One thing is clear, though.
05:56If you drive the car as sporty as it's intended to be driven,
06:00then you will create quite some fuel consumption.
06:03And that despite the fact that the car's official measurement is already way above 8 liters.
06:09So depending on your driving style,
06:11it is way more than possible that the car will consume more than 10 liters per 100 kilometers.
06:24On the plus side for the plug-in hybrid, of course,
06:28you can drive it purely electric.
06:31More than 100 kilometers of purely electric range is really good and up to date.
06:36And while the battery is full and the electric motor supports the combustion engine,
06:41then of course you will have a very low average consumption of fuel.
06:46But once the battery is empty, of course,
06:49you will be left with just the combustion engine,
06:52which is in itself not that powerful and thus making the car look sporty,
06:59but not really drive sporty.
07:01It's the same 1.5 liter 110 kilowatt engine that can be found in the mild hybrid version,
07:07which takes 9.3 seconds to go from zero to 100 kilometers an hour.
07:13Summing up my Terramar experience,
07:15I really enjoyed driving the car.
07:17It is a real beauty, no matter if you look at it from the front,
07:21from the side or from the back.
07:23And that despite the fact that it's an SUV.
07:25I don't usually like SUVs, but that one, really good looking.
07:29And if you get the VZ version, then it's also a really sporty companion.
07:34The entry level price around 43,000 euros in Germany.
07:37If you want the VZ, however, then you have to pay at least 50,000 euros.
07:43All in all, the Terramar is a nice looking car
07:46with pretty cool standard equipment and a sporty feel.
07:49The plug-in hybrid version's purely electric range is really good, too.
07:55On the downside, some variants of the car look sportier than they actually are,
08:00and the fuel consumption of the VZ version is rather high.
08:12So, what do you think of the Terramar?
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