The Cupra Born VZ Is The Latest Crack At An Electric Hot Hatch

When the Cupra Born was introduced in 2021, it was immediately positioned as a sporty alternative to the closely related, sensible-shoes Volkswagen ID.3, in line with the Cupra brand’s remit as a performance offshoot of SEAT. The only problem is, it’s never really been that sporty. So far, the most powerful versions have had 226bhp, hardly a big increase on the 201bhp ID.3, and it’s not had much in the way of chassis upgrades to back up the performance badge either.

That supposedly changes with the unveiling of the new Born VZ, and the first signs are promising. For starters, the VZ ups power to 322bhp, while torque is now a meaty 402lb ft. This means the 0-62mph run now takes 5.7 seconds, and the electronically-limited top speed is lifted to 124mph from the previous peak of 99 – a pretty reasonable figure for a small EV.

The VZ still sends that sizeable lump of instant torque to the rear wheels, which should make things quite lively. Battery capacity is slightly increased to 79kWh from the previous peak of 77, giving the VZ a WLTP range of 335 miles.

Thankfully, Cupra hasn’t just turned the power up and left the chassis alone. The VZ gets a new dynamic suspension setup, with entirely new springs and dampers at the rear, and updated damper settings at the front. The anti-roll bars are new, and we’re also promised more responsive steering and firmer brake feel.

There aren’t a huge amount of exterior changes to back up the sporting intent – the VZ receives two new designs of 20-inch alloys, which wear unspecified high-performance tyres, and brings two new exterior colours, including the VZ-exclusive Dark Forest. Inside, it receives the bucket seats from the LHD-market only Leon Cup and Formentor VZ5 models.

The Born VZ is part of an emerging category of all-electric hot hatches. Size-wise, it competes directly with the MG4 XPower, although that car is four-wheel drive and brings more than 100 more bhp to the table. Elsewhere, there’s the bigger, more powerful Hyundai Ioniq 5 N, and the upcoming smaller Alpine A290. It’s also known that Volkswagen is working on a performance GTX version of the ID.3, and we wouldn’t be at all surprised to see it share some or all of the Born VZ’s upgrades.

The Born VZ will be available in the UK in autumn 2024, with pricing to be confirmed during the summer.