• Heavily styled interior divides opinion – it’s certainly got character
• Lots of touchscreen controls – some more buttons would be useful
• Doesn’t take too long to become familiar with the infotainment

How is the quality and layout?

Cupra’s distinctive personality is perhaps always most in evidence inside its cars – and the Terramar’s interior is no exception. We’re becoming increasingly used to minimalist, often bland, cabins in modern cars that essentially serve as a backdrop for their screens. But here there is definite personality with lots of sharp angles and unusual trim accents in bold metallic finishes.

You’ll either love it or hate it. For what it’s worth, we strongly suspect the pointy, protruding dashboard, which is heavily orientated towards the driver, contributes to the cozy / claustrophobic feeling in the cabin. The material quality is also a touch cheap and tacky seeming in places, or at least that’s the lingering impression it left with us.

Parkers Deputy Editor Luke Wilkinson had this to say about the cabin overall after his initial drive of this SUV:

‘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. Copper 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.’

Infotainment and tech

The Terramar comes well equipped as standard, particularly in comparison to the Tiguan it shares so much with under the skin. However, what it doesn’t get is the Volkswagen’s ginormous 15.1-inch infotainment screen option, instead being limited to a mere 12.9-inches (the same as the standard item in the Tiguan). This is perhaps one reason Deputy Wilkinson finds the Cupra software so frustrating – the screen estate is more limited, and the icons within are therefore smaller.

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Having spent longer with the car than he did, we can balance his impressions out a little. Not only are there shortcuts available from the two main menu screens – which are easily selected – you can actually customise what they are. By modern infotainment software standards, we ultimately found it pretty easy to get to grips with, and certainly didn’t struggle with operating the heated seats, adjusting the safety systems or customising the driving modes.

Switching between Android Auto and Cupra’s own system was basically seamless, too. It is, however, unquestionably true that there are fewer physical buttons in here than there are in several rivals – including the Skoda Kodiaq, which does give you access to several vital functions without forcing you to interact with the infotainment.

Comfort

• Lots of seating adjustment front and rear
• Comfortable for four adults, a squeeze for five
• Not as quiet inside as some family SUVs

The Terramar has chunky front seats that offer a wide range of adjustment and good support, with even entry-level models coming with adjustable lumbar support and a choice of height settings. The steering wheel also offers a large amount of reach and rake (angle) positioning, meaning that it shouldn’t be too difficult for most drivers to find a comfortable driving position.

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As discussed in the practicality section, the rear seats have a sliding bench and adjustable backrest, the latter split 40:20:40, allowing occupants to customise their comfort to a certain extent. The middle rear seat is really only suitable for short journeys, but four average-sized adults shouldn’t have any difficulty travelling for long distances inside. Up to three Isofix car seats can be accommodated – two in the rear and one in the front.

The Terramar’s refinement isn’t quite so impressive, with some wind and road noise making its way into the cabin. You’ll hear the engine, too, but that’s part of the car’s sporty personality, and can be adjusted along with the driving modes. Suspension comfort is covered on the next page of this review.