Cupra organized a presentation in Finland to test, on an ice circuit, its two most emblematic models: the new Cupra Born, the brand’s electric car with a sporty spirit, and the Cupra Formentor VZ5, its most powerful crossover.
One is an electric compact, and the other is a crossover with a conventional, thermal engine. But both coincide in their sports spirit and aesthetics and in their intention to offer a degree of emotion that you can hardly see in any of their rivals.
Northern Finland is a unique place to enjoy driving on snow and ice in the dead of winter. Finnish Lapland offers innumerable roads and tracks that cross forests and lakes to link the few populated areas that exist in this semi-uninhabited corner of the planet, bordering the Arctic Circle. It is a place of great scenic beauty, and fantastic for filming on snow. That was the first thing we did, a short route with the Cupra Born around Rovaniemi.
The roads and secondary tracks in this part of Finland are very narrow, just two cars fit. You have to drive without approaching the edges of the road, because it is easy to get caught if you step falsely on a ditch.
Driving safety was given to us, above all, by the set of studded tires that equipped our Cupra Born, some Nokian Happapelita.
It is curious to see how the countries of northern Europe have been the ones that have promoted electric cars, when precisely the weather conditions harm this technology. Batteries suffer from low temperatures.
The days I drove the Born around Rovaniemi we were at -2.5º, on a hot day for that time of year. The autonomy was enough to make a route of about 200 kilometers, with a 75% charge in the batteries. Keep in mind that I rolled with the heating on and the heating on the seats and steering wheel.
If we need to recharge, the Cupra Born can tell us, through the screen, where the recharging points are along the route, and how long we will need to recharge the battery at each of them But if what we want is to improvise the search of a terminal, their thing is to use the Easy Charging application, which Cupra facilitates. Illustrate with images from the “app chargers” file.
A Cupra Born with sporting spirit
The Cupra Born that we drive in Finland were top of the range: 204 hp electric motor, with 58 kW/h battery and e-boost package, which increases power from time to time up to 231 hp at the touch of a button on the steering wheel.
It also equipped the largest wheels, 20 inches, with 20 mm tires. wider one of the available options. It is the sportiest configuration that this electric can present, which even offers the possibility of disconnecting the stability control within the Cupra driving mode, the sportiest.
This is especially interesting if we want to play with the car on a circuit, and make it skid from the rear axle. Because this electric is rear-wheel drive, and this marks its personality.
Cupra took us to the Driving Experience in Rovaniemi, a center with various icy tracks, where driving courses are given and competition tests are carried out.
It’s really fun to “play” with the car on a frozen track. Having a good weight distribution, almost 50/50, it has a very predictable and controllable dynamic behavior. And being rear-wheel drive, you can slide the rear axle at will. Another positive point is its good turning radius, as it does not have transmission elements on the front axle; Although perhaps it lacks a little more “punch” when the greatest power is requested from the engine. It seems that it always ends up slowing down the delivery of torque for safety, even with Cupra mode activated. This makes his behavior not wild.
In Cupra mode, stability control works hard to prevent the car from sliding excessively. But this electric allows to partially disconnect this electronics. It is the ESC Sport mode or completely, ESC off.
The Born is an electric car that offers good possibilities for sporty driving, thanks to its powerful engine and balanced chassis. It has that sport point that its cousin Volkswagen ID3 does not offer (link to the Volkswagen ID3 video test). Although of course, it is also paid.
A Cupra Born full equip costs 43,140 euros, although the most basic version of this electric, without extras, starts at 38,710 euros.
With the Cupra Formentor VZ5 on an icy circuit
The days in Finland are short. It gets dark relatively early, the day does not give for more. On the following day, he played the highlight of the event: the test with the Cupra Formentor VZ5, a “brown beast” with four-wheel drive, 20-inch wheels, adaptive chassis with electronically controlled damping, larger disc brakes with Akebono calipers from six pistons, electronically lockable rear differential and a very racing aesthetic that masks its crossover philosophy and transforms it almost into a sports compact. Sporty in sight and in practice.
The Formentor VZ5 mounts a 5-cylinder gasoline engine, which offers 390 CV and a maximum torque of 480 Nm. An engine that sounds wonderful, and although we could not squeeze it in Lapland, we already know what it is capable of. Gerard Farré has already tested it on the circuit, in a video test of the Formentor VZ5 that you can see by clicking on the link.
With the Cupra Formentor VZ5 we started the day doing a route through one of the sections of the Artic Rally, a private track, not open to the public, beautiful, and very fast.
And although we already liked the Cupra Born on Finnish roads, the Cupra Formentor VZ5 is something else. It transmits more emotion behind the wheel, it is a more exciting and fun car.
The light “walk” around Rovaniemi was just the starter of the main course that Cupra reserved for us on the ice circuit. There I was able to test one of the exclusive features of this crossover, ideal for the most burned out driving: the Drift mode.
Drift mode, absolute fun
The Cupra Formentor offers various sports driving modes. Cupra mode with or without stability control disconnection, and Drift mode, which takes advantage of the rear electronic double differential to give 100% torque, if necessary, to the outer wheel to help drift. It’s the height of fun for those of you who like to slide the rear axle and take the car sideways in the corner. Although you have to be careful, because the rear axle always wants to overtake us.
Unlike driving in Cupra mode, Drift mode “forces” the displacement of the rear axle, and makes skidding easier. This “Drift” mode requires a period of adaptation, because very quickly the rear of the car moves, and you need to be very careful with the throttle and steering. It is a way, from my point of view, a bit forced, but very fun to which you get the hang of it. Personally, I prefer to drive the Formentor VZ5 in Cupra mode with the ESC off, because the drift is more natural. The advantage, in any case, is that in the Formentor VZ5 we can choose between one program or another, depending on our preference at that time. It is something that makes this sports crossover different and unique.
I did the circuit layout in second gear. Think that this 7-speed DSG gearbox is a “good” sports gearbox, one of those that blocks the gear until the ignition cuts off. So there was no fear of stretching, because in the change we send. He doesn’t do weird things.
Cupra will build 7,000 units of the Formentor VZ5, numbered, at a list price without possible discounts, 65,340 euros.
Although it is not a cheap version, it will contribute to the good sales success of the Formentor, a crossover that will be seen in 2024 accompanied by the Cupra Tavascán and in 2025 by the Cupra UrbanRebel.
