Written by Luke Wilkinson Updated: 6 January 2025

Overview

Cupra’s finally tackled the booming mid-sized family SUV market with this – the Terramar. Unlike the brand’s most recent SUVs, the Formentor and Tavascan, it’s a proper SUV with a boxy boot rather than coupe rear end. Plus, unlike the aging Cupra Ateca (which was technically a SEAT product first) it benefits from the Volkswagen Group’s latest technology.

Perhaps more surprisingly given Cupra’s recent focus on electric cars, the Terramar is only available with petrol, mild hybrid and plug-in hybrid powertrains. It proves the market isn’t quite ready to make the switch to electric cars yet – and that Cupra is still hedging its bets on combustion power while legislators argue about whether we can meet our EV targets.

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Despite its striking looks, the Terramar is built with some familiar components. It shares its underpinnings with the new Volkswagen Tiguan, inheriting that car’s 1.5-litre and 2.0-litre petrol engines, along with its automatic gearbox, hybrid technology and optional four-wheel drive system.

The question is – has Cupra (the supposed fun-loving wild child of the Volkswagen Group) managed to pull off the same trick it did with the Born EV? That’s to say: has it managed to make something exciting and special from Volkswagen’s mass market mechanicals? Keep reading to find out. And if you’d like to learn more about how I pieced together my verdict on the Terramar, check out our how we test cars explainer page.

What’s it like inside?  

I’ve now pieced together a bingo card for Cupra cabin design – and I’d scored a full house with the Terramar before I’d even left the car park. Cooper trim? Check. Chunky sports seats? Naturally. Volkswagen infotainment technology skinned with an awful new theme that’s both uncomfortable to read and more difficult to use as it removes lots of the handy functionality we love about the Group’s latest interiors? Present and correct.

I know it sounds like I’m having a moan for its own sake on that latter point, but the Tiguan’s infotainment system is excellent. It was criminal of Cupra to try and improve on it. I miss the hot keys at the top of the screen that allow you to jump to functions such as the driver assistance technology and turn of any offending items with a single prod.

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And please, don’t write in to tell me that I should just leave all the safety tech on. I spend a lot of time driving on narrow rural roads, where lane assist can be downright dangerous as the car will fight you when you’re steering into the verge to dodge an oncoming car. That’s means you end up being forced into the accident you were trying to avoid.

Apart from this minor foible, though, the Terramar’s cabin is rather good. Build quality stands up to the rest of the cars in the Volkswagen Group, the design isn’t too adventurous (so it won’t put off those stepping out of a Skoda or an older BMW X3) and I like the configurable digital gauge cluster – especially when it’s set to the display that apes the massive rev-counter offered in the Volkswagen Golf R.

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This is a big car, too. Leg and head room in the back is generous, while the non-plug-in hybrid models match the Tiguan’s boot space of 652 litres. That’s 32 litres more than you get from a Hyundai Tucson and 90 litres more than the Ford Kuga. Just bear in mind that you’ll lose 162 litres of boot space by opting for one of the Terramar PHEVs.

Cupra Terramar engines

Currently, there are five engines in the Terramar range. The cheapest model is powered by Volkswagen’s familiar 150hp 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine. Above that, there’s a 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine with 204hp and four-wheel drive.

Step up again and we arrive at the first of two plug-in hybrids, both of which are based on Volkswagen’s 1.5-litre petrol engine. The cheaper option has a combined output of 204hp, while the more expensive unit produces a total of 272hp.

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Interestingly, that latter unit’s extra power comes from a more aggressive tune on the engine, as both share the same 116hp electric motor and 25.8kWh battery pack. Cupra also reckons both can drive for up to 76 miles on electric power alone. We’ll put that to the test when we drive the PHEVs later this year.

At the top of the range is car we drove. It’s another 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine – but this time, it’s the same unit found in the Volkswagen Golf GTI. It produces 265hp and 400Nm of torque, which Cupra says is enough for a 0–62mph time of 5.9 seconds. But, as I’ll now explain, it never feels as quick as those figures suggest.

What’s it like to drive? 

Well, it’s no hot hatchback. But as big family SUVs go, it isn’t too bad. Cupra lowered the Terrarmar by 10mm compared to the Tiguan which, when teamed with its slightly firmer dampers and standard rear multi-link suspension, means it can corner confidently. It’s nowhere near as good as the BMW X3 – but then, the cheapest X3 is around £10,000 more expensive than the base-model Terramar. So, pick your poison.

It’s not a car you need to wrestle to get the best from. The controls are light and the sheer amount of mechanical grip from the suspension and tyres means you’ll never need to worry about backing it into a hedge on your favourite B-road. This feeling of security was reinforced by my car’s four-wheel drive system, which barely allowed the tyres to chirp when applying the power on the way out of a corner. It’s a very predictable machine.

But even the most powerful 265hp model never really feels that fast. Perhaps the Cupra Leon I drove beforehand had recalibrated my internal G-meter, but I couldn’t tell I had 400Nm of torque under my right foot. A top-spec Skoda Superb Estate feels much brisker, despite the fact it has more space inside for passengers and a bigger 690-litre boot.

The steering didn’t exactly win me over, either. Like most cars on this platform, it’s direct and responsive but woefully numb. I also found it a little too light in its standard driving mode, but I could fix that by poking the (rather entertaining) drive mode button on the steering wheel and switching the car into its sportiest Cupra mode.

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Ride quality is pretty good, too. I’m yet to try a basic car on passive dampers – my car was fitted with adaptive dampers which offered a surprising amount of adjustability. The damping is always a little firmer than the equivalent Volkswagen or Skoda, but it’s never truly uncomfortable. In their softest setting, the Terramar breathes with the road well, with only the harshest crater clattering through the cabin.

Cupra mode is much, much firmer – but you’re getting far superior body control as a trade-off, so I’m more than willing to live with it. A Hyundai Tucson is perhaps more comfortable more of the time, but it doesn’t corner as keenly. So, if handling is important to you in a sub-£40,000 family SUV, the Terramar might just edge ahead.

What models and trims are available?  

Cupra has a rather baffling array of trims levels. Buckle up, I’m going to walk you through them. The range opens with the V1. It’s the sub-£40,000 version (which means it ducks under the government’s annual luxury car tax) – and it comes with 18-inch alloys, LED headlights, automatic windscreen wipers, privacy glass, a 10.25-inch digital gauge cluster, a 12.9-inch infotainment system and a wireless smartphone charger.

Above that, there’s the V2. It’s priced from a £40,175 and gains 19-inch alloys, a configurable digital gauge cluster, a 360-degree parking camera, park assist and a funky wraparound interior ambient lighting system that can warn you of drivers in your blind spots or relay navigation instructions.

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Next up, there’s the VZ1. It’s the first of Cupra’s sporty specifications, reserved for the two most powerful engines in the Terramar range. It shares most of its specs with the V1 model, but prices start from £45,095 to account for the more potent engine. Still, it gets a couple of upgrades such as Matrix LED headlights and adaptive dampers.

Finally, we have the VZ2. It’s priced from £47,745 and is loaded with all the toys you get on the V2 model, along with 20-inch alloys and burgundy leather sports seats. You can also choose to add optional extras such as a panoramic sunroof or upgraded stereo.

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For a limited time only, Cupra is also selling two limited edition versions of the Terramar called the VZ Edition and the America’s Cup Edition. The former is powered by the brand’s 272hp PHEV powertrains, while the latter gets the firm’s 265hp petrol unit. They both wear every option available on the Terramar – but they both cost more than £50,000.