So far, the Born has shown flashes of its fun nature. It’s brilliantly agile and the car’s rear-wheel-drive layout makes it a hoot in the corners, yet it’s also comfortable. There’s a driving mode for every situation, too: Range, Comfort, Individual, Performance and Cupra.
The last of those is the hottest and is easily selected via a conveniently placed button on the steering wheel. It sharpens the accelerator response and adjusts the strength of the regenerative braking for an all-round more engaging drive.
My car is fitted with the 58kWh battery, which gives it an official range of 262 miles, but there’s also a larger 77kWh pack that’s good for 342 miles. It can accept charge at a maximum rate of 120kW (this rises to 135kW for the 77kWh battery), which is enough to get it from 5-80% capacity in 36 minutes.
Prices start at just £35,495 for entry-level V1 trim, whose standard equipment includes LED headlights, a reversing camera, dual-zone climate control, 18in wheels and a heated, leather-wrapped steering wheel.
My one-rung-up V2 car is priced from £37,265 and features 19in wheels, heated front seats, an augmented reality head-up display and, to really seal the deal, heated washer nozzles. That’s a good level of kit, and apart from wireless phone charging, it’s pretty much all that I would be looking for in a new car.
