New top-spec Cupra Tavascan takes brand above £60,000
Tavascan range is topped by a 335bhp, 501lb ft four-wheel-drive model
Spanish firm's Chinese-built Polestar 4 rival opens to order next month, with prices ranging from £47k to £61k
Cupra is heading into a lofty new price bracket with its new Tavascan crossover, with the range-topper nudging past £60,000 to rival the Polestar 4 and Audi Q6 E-tron.
The Cupra Tavascan is the brand's second bespoke model after the Formentor. It is based on the same MEB platform as the similarly sized Volkswagen ID 5 and Skoda Enyaq and built at the VW Group's Chinese factory in Anhui.
It opens to order in the UK from 11 September, ahead of deliveries beginning in the coming months, with a choice of either a rear-drive powertrain or a performance-focused twin-motor version.
Prices open at £47,340 for the entry-level car, which packs 282bhp for a 0-62mph time of 6.8 seconds, and is the most efficient model in the range, getting 352 miles of range from a 77kWh battery that can charge at up to 135kW.
The 4WD powertrain boosts the price to £55,935 and ramps power up to 335bhp for a 0-62mph time of 5.5 seconds. That price buys the Tavascan VZ1, but top-spec VZ2 trim takes the Tavascan to £60,835 - far outpricing every other Cupra model currently on sale and lining the range-topping Tavascan up as a rival to certain versions of the Polestar 4, Genesis GV60 and Mercedes-Benz EQE.
Precise details on specification and availability remain to be confirmed, but customers can place a £99 refundable pre-order reservation now in order to be prioritised for one of the first 50 UK-bound cars.
The Tavascan is a a crucial pillar in Cupra's plan to push upmarket, further differentiating the brand from its parent company Seat, whose models it has historically tuned for a performance focus and rebadged as its own.
The brand plans to expand its premium offering in the coming years with a line of dedicated premium EVs that will spearhead its push into the US market, including a second-generation, electric-only Formentor.
A production version of the Darkrebel sports car concept remains on the table, too, and would serve as a brand-building halo that emphasises Cupra's distinct positioning as a design-oriented, electric performance brand.
**Cupra Tavascan: design, specification and performance**
The Tavascan offers a major premium interior uplift on the smaller Cupra Born and the Cupra Forementor – the firm's other two bespoke vehicles – with gold trim, flecked lighting and a central 'spine' that mirrors the car’s front end.
It also comes with the same 15in infotainment touchscreen as found in the new Volkswagen ID 7 and a Sennheiser speaker system. It uses the same digital driver's display as the smaller Born – itself based on the Volkswagen ID 3.
The Tavascan is only subtly distinguishable from the bold concept that previewed its design in 2019, retaining that show car's hammerhead-style, angular front end, with a large grille and a distinctive three-triangle light signature, as well as its raked roofline and a boot-width rear light bar.
These design cues will be carried across to future models such as the upcoming Terramar hybrid SUV (the brand’s final ICE car) and the production version of the UrbanRebel city EV.
“There are so many purely rational electric cars coming to the market. That’s not what Cupra is about,” said boss Wayne Griffiths, likely hinting at the designed-for-purpose Tesla Model Y, which dominates the electric SUV segment in which the Tavascan will compete.
“In 2019, we had a vision to reinvent electrification: we wanted to show the world that electric cars could be fun and sexy, with a great design, while providing unique sportiness. Back then, maybe it was only a dream. Now with the Tavascan, our dream comes true.”