Cupra Terramar 1.5 eTSI First Drive Review: A Sensible Spaniard
Cupra’s all-new mid-sized SUV is an exercise in unusual restraint for the flamboyant manufacturer.
BARCELONA, Spain - Don’t know what the Terramar is? Don’t worry, we didn’t too. It’s the latest model to come from Cupra, which itself only became a standalone brand in the Volkswagen Group in 2018.
Cupra is a fast-growing offshoot, a brand we are told that is allowed to be the ‘rebel’ within the Group. There's method to the madness. The Group found that the average new car buyer is now 50 something years old, and the young feel increasingly isolated with legacy brands especially when they’re becoming out of reach.
That’s where Cupra comes in. Their core focus is on design, performance and simply being unconventional. That is apparently what young people these days are looking for, and it is at least reflected in sales figures: Cupra achieved nearly 250,000 in sales in 2024, contributing to a whopping 44% of SEAT’s volume. It’s a bright spot in the Group that seems to be getting all of the limelight at the moment.
So where does the Cupra Terramar fit in?
The Terramar is an important addition to the product portfolio, because prior to it there was only the coupé-SUV Formentor on offer, which is sexy but does have compromised practicality. The Terramar instead is modelled after the Tiguan, perhaps almost too closely.
Really? Isn’t the Cupra Terramar an angry looking thing?
It has an aggressive shark nose at the front, including a massive air dam underneath that hints of a hi-po engine underneath (unfortunately, there isn’t quite one here). The distinctive 3-triangle LED headlights as well as the 3D rear lights and illuminated Cupra logo elevate the Terramar’s looks, especially at night. The side profile is headlined by the character line that swoops downwards on the bottom of the doors, while the copper-accented rims look menacing. If you opt for one of the unique Cupra paints, it really stands out too - think of it as Porsche Paint-to-Sample (PTS), but for the masses.
But if you put all this aside - as we did when we saw a Terramar with silver wheels and boring black paint - the car can look a tad underwhelming. Its overall profile is not a whole lot different from the Tiguan. But maybe that’s a good thing, because you don’t need to compromise any practicality on the inside.
How’s the Cupra Terramar on the inside?
Cabin space and boot space is virtually identical to the Tiguan, so it’s no exaggeration to say that the Terramar is probably the most practical Cupra ever. On that front, it’s already a front-runner as the candidate for the most appealing Cupra for the Singaporean buyer.
The finer touchpoints of the interior are also worth mentioning, with more unique materials employed than the typical VW or Skoda. A lot of effort has been put into differentiating a Cupra from anything else in the market, so it does feel somewhat special, especially with copper accents, a driver-oriented centre console and liberal use of ambient lighting. Cupra has also done a great job with the digital user interfaces, which genuinely feel like in a class of their own, plus they’re easy to use too.
That said, compared to the ‘alien’ and ‘organic’ interior of the Tavascan, the Terramar errs to conservative design. Whether a typical Cupra is expecting more flamboyance is up for debate. But as Cupra’s newest car, I had expected something as awe-inspiring as the Tavascan.
Singapore-bound Terramars also do without the Sennheiser sound system, which is a bit of a downer.
Alright, the interior is a little staid. But how does the Cupra Terramar drive?
Hold on a sec, let’s talk about specifications first.
The Terramars bound for Singapore are equipped with the 1.5 eTSI engine paired with a 7-speed DSG transmission. There are PHEV as well as sportier versions, but they aren’t coming here.
With the aforementioned drivetrain, you get 150 PS and and 250 Nm which brings the Terramar from 0-100 km/h in 9.3 seconds.
That doesn’t sound fast, but compared to the Volkswagen Tiguan (Cat A COE only) as well as the Skoda Kodiaq (same output, but heavier with 7 seats), the Terramar is easily the quickest of the trio. So I guess that counts for something.
On the beautifully paved roads around the Catelloni Circuit near Barcelona, the Terramar felt incrementally sportier than its Group siblings. There’s more precision to its steering, but it was only felt when we were piloting the car around B-roads. The Terramar’s damping is also wonderfully sorted thanks to Dynamic Chassis Control (DCC) fitted to the test car; unfortunately, Singapore-bound Terramars will come with passive suspension instead, which we did not get to sample on this drive.
Power is adequate, but don’t expect sports car pace. It makes leisurely progress even in Performance mode, but that’s not unexpected for this class of car.
Overall, it's a well-mannered SUV with discernable differences to its tuning thanks to the Spanish touch.
I’m interested. How much is the Cupra Terramar and when is it arriving?
Very soon actually, by end-July. No pricing has been announced yet, but given its more powerful engine we can expect it to be slightly more expensive than the Tiguan in Singapore.
However, right now Cupra is offering pre-launch discounts of up to $18,000, so that may level the playing field a little. If you want more flair in your SUV while remaining sensible, the Terramar is worth a look.
Photos by James Wong
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