New Cupra Raval prototype review: on course to be the Spanish brand’s best EV yet

Verdict

It’s difficult to say what the Cupra Raval needs to do in order to be considered a success, but this is a car that feels like a definite step on from the firm’s earlier electric cars. With the right combination of price, range and tech, Cupra has a good chance of finally hitting the nail on the head with a compelling offering for buyers. Will this ‘hot’ VZ be enough to fill the ‘dynamic’ hot-hatch mantra, though? We’ll need more time to answer that. 

We’ve already seen camouflaged Cupra Ravals, whether centre stage at this year’s Munich IAA motor show, lapping Europe’s toughest test routes or doing the rounds in a carefully curated media drip. But before its full reveal next February, finally getting behind the wheel of one feels important. Not because the Raval will change the world with its electric range, price-point or tech, but because it’s the result of the multi-billion Euro renaissance plan being drawn up at the Volkswagen Group headquarters. 

The conglomerate is under huge stress right across the spectrum, but the plan from VW’s board, under the leadership of Thomas Schaffer, starts in Cupra’s Barcelona-based R&D centre in Spain. We’re amongst the first to drive a prototype built on the new MEB+ platform, a high-volume all-electric architecture that will underpin this new Cupra Raval, plus the VW ID. Polo and Skoda Epiq next year, and a production version of the ID. Cross concept, too. 

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We’re driving the Cupra first because the whole project has been under the remit of the Spanish offices, and it’s where all the cars on this next-generation platform will initially be built. It sounds like a big task for Cupra, but then the ‘core’ VW brand has plenty to be getting on with. 

These new models will exist in the tough B-segment, or supermini class. They’ll sit at around four metres long, which is similar to the current petrol-powered VW Polo and SEAT Ibiza, but they will be wider and taller – the latter due to the batteries being mounted in a pack under the floor. 

Unlike the VW ID.3 and Cupra Born, which are built on the original rear-drive MEB platform, the Raval will have its electric motor mounted on the front axle, powering the front wheels. This has allowed Cupra to condense many of the technical elements under the bonnet, giving it the chance to fit a simple four-link rear suspension design. 

The battery will also be smaller than the 58kWh unit used by the majority of the larger MEB models, although no specific size has been revealed so far. We expect the pack to yield a range of around 250-280 miles. And from the outset, there will be a high-performance model with 222bhp, a limited-slip differential with a kerbweight of around 1.5 tonnes.

It’s this set-up we’re driving in our prototype Raval VZ, something subtly confirmed by the relatively large 19-inch wheels and high-performance tyres. The dashboard is covered and we’re not allowed to get anywhere near it with our cameras, but what we can see looks familiar. Cupra may have been able to develop this car’s chassis and powertrain, but the steering wheel, driver’s display and main infotainment screen are all borrowed from the current generation of cars, which is not a good start. 

Once underway there’s an instantly recognisable tug from the steering wheel, which unlike any VW Group EV before, so clearly identifies this car as front-wheel drive. This might sound like a compromise, but it’s actually the opposite, giving the car some life at low speeds that instantly suggests there’s some firepower under the bonnet. 

Around town and at low-to-medium speeds, there’s an impressive sense of togetherness to all the controls. The steering is light but accurate, the throttle clean and responsive to inputs, and it even rides quite well. There’s none of the ‘bobble’ that afflicted earlier MEB models, although you do still sit a little higher than is ideal. 

Pulling off the motorway and onto the twisting mountain roads that surround Barcelona, a quick switch to Cupra mode reveals a far more engaging side to its driving dynamics. With 222bhp on tap, it’s not the sort of ultra-fast EV experience that some offer in this class – or the one just above – but there’s plenty for the package. Acceleration, now accompanied by a Formula E-inspired ‘engine’ noise, reveals there’s more to this Raval than being a pure commuter vehicle. 

Brake hard and the nose will turn into a corner cleanly. The body has an excellent level of composure, even as the steering weight builds and then ebbs away as the front wheels pull the car out of bends, thanks to that limited-slip diff. It’s a very new feeling for this type of car that is underpinned by a few higher-end pieces of hardware, plus a lot of calibration work. 

The brakes are a particular highlight, because they impress right across the spectrum. That awkward, dead feeling to the pedal as the car struggled to blend regenerative and friction braking is gone. Variable suspension that allows us to knock off some damper stiffness on the rougher sections of road is another plus point. 

Is the Raval enough to be considered a proper hot hatchback? Not quite in our opinion, but does it set the pathway forward for a very well executed electric supermini at its proposed price point? All things point toward it – which is just what Cupra, and by extension the VW Group, need on their path to rejuvenation.