CUPRA Terramar in for review - what would you like to know?

[Tell]

That's going to be the hybrid side taking up the slack on free electricity (well on Octopus Agile at the right time)... Sunday was good if you had an EV they would have paid you to charge it. 2p kwh. Digress. That figure will be the hybrid electric / petrol mix. You'd do your weighted calculations. Suppose to get 90 miles or something on a hybrid battery before petrol kicks in.

 

[vectra]

That's going to be the hybrid side taking up the slack on free electricity (well on Octopus Agile at the right time)... Sunday was good if you had an EV they would have paid you to charge it. 2p kwh. Digress. That figure will be the hybrid electric / petrol mix. You'd do your weighted calculations. Suppose to get 90 miles or something on a hybrid battery before petrol kicks in.

I don't understand these phev and hybrid systems.
Am I correct in saying
Battery works with the engine giving very good mpg.

OR

Is it the car runs on battery until it is depleted and then the engine kicks in?

I am totally lost with them.

 

[Syphon]

@Syphon
That 66.9 mpg.
Was that normal driving or slow speeds?
I would like to know how economical it would be at a constant 100kmh ( 60 mph )And motorway speed 12 kmh ( 80? mph ) for a good distance.
Thanks if you can oblige.

That journey was full battery when leaving Milton Keynes then mostly motorway to me near Bristol and then me dropping the driver at the train station on mainly B roads

 

[Tell]

I don't understand these phev and hybrid systems.
Am I correct in saying
Battery works with the engine giving very good mpg.

OR

Is it the car runs on battery until it is depleted and then the engine kicks in?

I am totally lost with them.

Described as a plug in hybrid

The New CUPRA Terramar 2024 | Plug-in Hybrid SUV Model | CUPRA UK

Read about the new e-Hybrid CUPRA Terramar's performance, technology, interior and exterior car design.

www.cupraofficial.co.uk

So plugin means you can charge up the small battery as opposed to EV that have much bigger batteries and longer range. The battery on these will give you a 76 mile range according to the web site and you can get a Cupra charger with logo . (Pay for that bit I guess going to be all listed.)

Phev ones don't need a charger they do regenerate off running them about on petrol whilst the e-hybrid ones are crossover type of EVs. If you are a true petrol head PHEVs are hybrids but hide it better for those that can't abide plugging in. Regenerative breaking to charge up the installed battery and alternator for that.

The 70 mile range is obviously good on school runs and local shopping trips, going to work if local whilst not giving you range anxiety that some get with EVs where the likes of the Terramar will give you about 280 miles in tests.

This is where Honest John of Daily Telegraph fame use to say don't do all your motoring on battery else you'll never be able to start the engine when you need to. They may have sorted that one out now. People wouldn't toggle the car back to running on petrol then wonder why they couldn't start it. If you plug back in after use you won't get a flat battery.

 

[Tell]

That journey was full battery when leaving Milton Keynes then mostly motorway to me near Bristol and then me dropping the driver at the train station on mainly B roads

Weighted averages... I thought I'd slip in that modelling concept . Basically they are EVs light and that big petrol engine for people who like it that way. Probably more useful for holidaying and doing long commuter runs but won't save the planet like EVs. No range anxiety and charging delays when you want to get away.

Probably whizzed you round the MK roundabout system fast but no under bonnet noise...

 

[vectra]

That journey was full battery when leaving Milton Keynes then mostly motorway to me near Bristol and then me dropping the driver at the train station on mainly B roads

Jeez, that sounds very good.
You see Ideally I wanted to move to full EV this year, but unfortunately with the raised floor it makes the drive very painful for me. ( suffer with back issues )
I am going to take the Tavascan for a drive but I'm not expecting any miracles as I have already driven the ID4 / ID5 / Ford Explorer. Each one of them gave me pain in the lower back and while I might get away with that just spinning around short trips, our son lives 260kms away which would be a major risk for me to buy one.

This is why I considered the phev Terramar as I don't lose floor height and keep the couch like sitting position. I do like the seat at it's lowest position as I just couldn't drive around with my head stuck to the roof when it is raised.

Keep me posted if you plan on more driving and charging and maybe your weekly average of mpg please?
I would be very grateful.
Thank you

 

[Tell]

Jeez, that sounds very good.
You see Ideally I wanted to move to full EV this year, but unfortunately with the raised floor it makes the drive very painful for me. ( suffer with back issues )
I am going to take the Tavascan for a drive but I'm not expecting any miracles as I have already driven the ID4 / ID5 / Ford Explorer. Each one of them gave me pain in the lower back and while I might get away with that just spinning around short trips, our son lives 260kms away which would be a major risk for me to buy one.

This is why I considered the phev Terramar as I don't lose floor height and keep the couch like sitting position. I do like the seat at it's lowest position as I just couldn't drive around with my head stuck to the roof when it is raised.

Keep me posted if you plan on more driving and charging and maybe your weekly average of mpg please?
I would be very grateful.
Thank you

I'd interest in your comparison between Tavascan and Terramar. My concern is how much floor space up front disappears with an EV battery under there or not as you say. Cupra dealers are thin on the ground round here so that's going to be a treat later in the year. It's the desk chair seating that's best for my back than lounge seating. When the sciatica strikes you want to minimise the reoccurrence dragging yourself out of a seat in pain.

 

[vectra]

I'd interest in your comparison between Tavascan and Terramar. My concern is how much floor space up front disappears with an EV battery under there or not as you say. Cupra dealers are thin on the ground round here so that's going to be a treat later in the year. It's the desk chair seating that's best for my back than lounge seating. When the sciatica strikes you want to minimise the reoccurrence dragging yourself out of a seat in pain.

Hopefully in the next couple of weeks I will be visiting my dealer again as he is roughly 100kms away from me.
I must await what deal he can offer me as well on my Formentor towards a Tavascan.

 

[vectra]

Another question.
Does it have the bigger brakes?

 

[vectra]

Just one last question.
Have you noticed any downside in economy driving if the battery was depleted?
Or would the economy be similar to the regular non phev model you think?
Thanks

 

[Tell]

Well we'll let @Syphon answer that... well phev carry an electric motor and battery, so greater weight. I guess you can work the extra weight out from tables. Probably consumption figures available as well with and without. The selling point is lower running costs on home charging. You'd hope to offset that against the increased petrol mpg with that extra weight.

 

[Tell]

Reckon you play about with the figures in table 1 and 3

https://www.seat-cupra-mediacenter.com/content/dam/seat-media-center/models-all-brands/cupra-models/cupra-terramar/technical-data/Techninal-Data-CUPRA-Terramar.pdf

 

[jim64]

Seems there is a slight delay in my delivery, I was hoping for this review within the week, there is a slight delay on this as well

Which will come first? I need some questions answered

 

[Tell]

Ah good things take time Jim.

I'm interest in the seating position verses the Altea. Whether it's a more low slung car or whether it's the Cupra Altea model replacement. I see there is an Elrog that does 0-62 in 5.6 seconds and 340 bhp... I won't get thanked for the link.

Škoda Elroq vRS to boast 340hp of power and 340 miles of range

Škoda is launching a vRS performance version of the Elroq six months after the electric compact SUV debuted. Rolling out from the summer, it will be the

fleetworld.co.uk

That's not bad for an EV . My watching eye as EVs develop.... did walk round the standard one the other day. It's the Karoq version on an EV which is their Ateca getting into Cupra territory one suspects.

 

[jim64]

let's hope the below are not true.. Getting my 272 soon. Found this in a review:

"Then there’s the powertrain itself, which just doesn’t have the character befitting its billing as the most powerful Terramar variant. The electric range is impressive, indicating 55 miles of the stated 62 available at the start of our drive and you can set it to prioritise electric drive and decide how much recovery you want via the touch screen. You can DC charge the Terramar PHEV at up to 50kW. The electric motor adds a degree of potency and response low down – with max torque arriving from 850rpm as opposed to 1650rpm – and in normal driving it manages its battery use well."

"But it doesn’t have the feel of a performance powertrain, with the 128bhp 1.5-litre TSI sounding very out of depth, partly because it’s managed poorly by the six-speed transmission (the 2-litre uses the seven-speed). The six-speed is sluggish, almost to the point of not resembling a twin-clutch. The handover between electric and ICE is smooth enough, though prods of the accelerator call the 1.5-litre engine into action quite unceremoniously."

"It just doesn’t seem right, even down to the downright weird sound augmentation, which in Cupra mode – selectable via the Cupra button on the steering steering wheel – sounded like a big American diesel V8 feeding a slurring CVT. Though it gave us a good laugh to begin with, that probably wasn’t the intention… A far cry from the splash of chirruping turbocharged theatre mixed in with the gruff exhaust vocals of the 2-litre, though less intense Performance Mode’ was fine.

The added weight affects everything, from the steering, to the handling and confidence you have at speed, feeding into the overall sense that the PHEV is far from all the Terramar can be. Good for company car tax reasons and convenient with the electric element it may be, but it doesn’t come close to the 2-litre to drive."

From: https://www.evo.co.uk/cupra/terramar

Ok feeling quite demotivated now. Please get the review soon. Sluggish DSG?

Coming from a 1.5DSG Formentor. I even calculated the Krg/hp ratios before deciding to buy the Terramar. Ratios were good especiall when powertrain is fully utilized. I drove the 204phev Terramar for 2 hrs, felt the inertia but also acceleration wise was nice to feel and hear. Performance or Cupra modes should, in principle, defy the above review. Let's see..

 

[Syphon]

Thanks for all your questions so far. I will get to them. Video edit nearly finished, yes the performance was a bit disappointing and quite laggy, no urgency from the electric motor or engine either stand alone or combined. The 2.0 litre petrol would be my recommendation if a hybrid wasn't essential.

 

[jim64]

And you compare to an average vehicle for example? Vs a 150hp formentor what should I expect?

 

[Tell]

You got the added weight of the hybrid. Cupra people were never too happy with the 1.5 TSI DSG on the Ateca side being a "real" Cupra. So the added weight added in will probably irritate diehard ICE people.

If you are not a diehard petrol head it's probably fine. This starts to rotate around the identity of Cupra being the sporty brand and how much you trade that. I can see a hybrid has many advantages in running costs.

I'm planning at some stage to leap direct to an EV and skip the hybrid stepping stone but I don't renew my cars too often. Quite like the Elrog figures so if Seat badged that up as a Seat they may have a winner... mind you could be why their CEO walked. We'll have to wait. They shouldn't have split the brands and put the dealerships more thin on the ground. That was a mistake.

Look with interest to the review.

 

[jim64]

it took me quite some time to decide trading my Formentor 1.5DSG to the Terramar PHEV 272. On paper it's 6.8Kgr/hp vs 9.8 in the Formentor and ofc 7.3 seconds from 0-100. For sure the weight is increased, i test driven the 204PHEV Terramar plus the 268hp petrol, quite different cars with completely different running costs though. I don't want to pay the extra tax + fuel for the 2.0 petrol version (also more expensive model) just for the sake of lighter car with super acceleration, otherwise i would go to the 333hp Formentor. The reason is that i won't be driving as fast with a kid inside and speed limits at 130Kmh at best. I am not saying they are not fantastic cars; the 310hp Formentor was a driving experience like no other for me.

Going back to the 272hp one, i have a closed garage at home where i can charge overnight, VZ trim gives me lots to play around. I was demotivated today by some comments, indeed the 204hp i drove was feeling heavier than my 150hp Formentor, acceleration wise was not bad though. I am expecting faster accelerations from the 272 one. Now a lagging DSG; i didn't notice anything like that but time will tell.

Very soon, probably tomorrow, i will get my 272 Terramar. I intend to do a 3hr drive in a very well known to me combination of highway + twisty country road trip in order to be able to compare directly. Let's hope i won't be disappointed. I need to understand the optimal way to use PHEV advantages, saving some battery for when is needed, recuperate at some point, take advantage of petrol only in highways etc. It presents me with a challenge which was why i wanted to switch. Plus the 62K Km on the Formentor in 3 years, RV will drop substantially in a year with loss of warranty as well; had to change now, didn't like lots of alternatives (X2 is pricier, Gulia is at 70K E, i only like very few cars tbh). Let's see, i will update this post for sure.

And thank you all, this community is heartwarming and helpful.

 

[Syphon]

Review is up: https://www.seatcupra.net/cupra-terramar-vz-first-edition-e-hybrid-video-review/