Cupra Terramar 2025 review
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TechTranscript
00:00This is the new Cupra Terramar, a stylish but still sensible SUV from the Spanish brand.
00:05I'm here in Spain to drive it and to give you a bit of an indication on what it's like
00:09before it arrives in Australia in 2025.
00:13I like the look of it, I think you will too, and the interior has plenty of great features
00:17as well.
00:18So, if you haven't already, please ring the bell, then you'll be notified when I do my
00:22review of this car in Australia as well, but hey, let's get to it, there's a lot to cover.
00:31Cupra Australia hasn't yet confirmed pricing and specifications for the Terramar for our
00:36market, but they have indicated at this early drive in Spain that a $55,000 price tag is
00:43probably the target for the entry-level version, and I'm expecting that one to be the 1.5 e-TSI
00:49mild hybrid with front-wheel drive, and then you'll probably expect the plug-in hybrid
00:55and the 1.95 e-TSI models to be priced around the same point, just above $60,000 is what
01:00I'm expecting, and yes, that means that there will be some crossover with the Formentor,
01:06the other SUV that this sort of car plays against in the Cupra range, but I think that
01:12you're going to get plenty of specifications as standard.
01:14The brand is all about offering lots of gear for your money.
01:18You can expect these LED daytime running lights with LED headlights, big wheels, there's 20s
01:23on this 1.95 e-TSI model, so 20s, 21s might be a possibility as well, a beautiful interior,
01:30a sunroof could be optional or standard, we don't know yet, but you're going to get some
01:34really nice seats and really nice trim on the inside as well.
01:38So don't expect that you're going to get not very much for your money, I think there's
01:42going to be plenty on offer in this model range, starting at around $55,000.
01:47So, what alternatives could you consider?
01:50As I said, this is the more sensible Cupra SUV.
01:55If you are looking for something that's still got plenty of style, but maybe isn't quite
01:59as practical as this, then maybe check out the Cupra Formentor, I really like that car.
02:05It's in for an update as well with a new look, and yes, with plug-in hybrid technology, punchy
02:10turbo petrol engines, and a bit more of a performance bent compared to this car.
02:15And I think that if you are after a dynamic drive experience, that one could be the best
02:20alternative to this, otherwise you might want to consider the new generation Volkswagen
02:24Tiguan as well, it's got some beautiful interior finishes, some great powertrain options, lots
02:30of practicality, and I really, really like the way it drives.
02:33Not so sure about the look personally though, and hey, if you're still considering something
02:37like this but you are after a plug-in hybrid in particular, I think you might also want
02:42to go and check out the BYD C-Line 6.
02:46There are a couple of options available, it's much more affordable, and I know that it isn't
02:49necessarily the same sort of style-focused car that this is, but it does offer lots of
02:53features for the cash.
02:55Tell me if you'd pick any of those, or a different alternative, in the comments section below.
03:02This is about the same size as most other mid-size SUVs, it's about 4.5 metres in length,
03:08so it's not too big, and it actually doesn't look too big, it's got that sort of lower
03:12roofline aspect that you might expect of a Cupra, and plenty of styling details that
03:17the brand has made.
03:18It's trademark, those triangulated headlights, the big grille finish, and also nice solid-looking
03:25panels around the body.
03:27Big wheels, this one's on 20s with the bronze finish as well, and yes, obviously, or bronze
03:32or copper you might want to call it, that is one of the highlights of this brand and
03:37its, I guess, design finishes that it uses, and I just like the look of it, I just think
03:42it looks really good, but also quite similar to some of the other Cupras, right?
03:47So, even though the brand might be trying to make things look a little bit different,
03:51it does look, well, familiar, let's say.
03:53The back end, very tidy, nice big light bar with the illuminated Cupra badge, and if you're
03:58wondering where the Teramar badge is, it's actually inlaid in the taillight, see there?
04:03That's kind of neat, isn't it?
04:04Alright, let's check out the boot and see how practical it is.
04:08Yeah, plenty of space, look at that!
04:10That is a sizeable boot space for a car of this size, and it has plenty of practicality
04:15elements as well.
04:16You've got shopping bag hooks, you've got lights on both sides of the boot, which I
04:20like, another shopping bag hook there.
04:22Some little storage sections on the side, and a tyre repair kit in this particular car,
04:28but there is space for a space saver spare, so hopefully we get one in Australia.
04:33And also, you can lower this boot floor down to give you even more boot space, and there's
04:37another trick I want to show you, just one sec.
04:41There's extra space in front there, if you slide those seats forward, that means you
04:45get a bit more space to play with.
04:47I'll put this boot floor back up so you can see maybe a little bit more indicatively.
04:52It's just a shame that there isn't something that sort of bridges that gap between the
04:56seats, but hey, if you've got something maybe oddly shaped, a little bit long, maybe a little
05:00bit awkward to fit in the boot, it might fit behind those seats.
05:04But let me just show you the penalty you pay if you do have those seats all the way forward.
05:09Hmm.
05:11Not ideal.
05:12Alright, here's your point of view perspective of this left-hand drive version of the Cooper
05:19Terramar, and just like the other Cooper models, I like the interior finishing here.
05:24I like this design.
05:25I think it has some great and interesting elements to the finishes and the textures
05:31in here.
05:32So, things that I really like is this dashboard design, which almost looks like stone on the
05:38top there.
05:39Of course, it isn't stone, it's a plasticky finish, but it is still very nice, and also
05:44this horizontal spine element that runs across the body of the car really does give it a
05:50whole new feel compared to some of the other vehicles in its segment.
05:55There's also this boomerang finish down here, which looks fantastic, and it sort of divides
05:59the cabin between the passenger zone and the driver's area.
06:03And look, I really like the way that this car sets itself up for the driver, essentially.
06:09Like, you've got great adjustability, all the controls are pretty logical in terms of
06:14what's on the steering wheel in particular.
06:16So for instance, you've got this digital instrument display, you can adjust things like your lane
06:21keeping assistance, and your speed warning, and also your travel assist using the controls
06:28on the steering wheel.
06:29So you use those controls to dial that off or on.
06:32And I think that that's fantastic because it means you don't necessarily have to go
06:36through the screen to do it, but you can if you want to, and you can set favourites on
06:40the screen as well.
06:41So that's kind of neat.
06:43And the screen itself, I mean, it does take a little bit of learning because there's lots
06:47and lots of menus here.
06:48It's a rich screen with lots of availability of options and things that you can change.
06:55Like for example, the lighting has multiple ambient light settings on the inside of this
06:59car.
07:01And the car settings, yes, there are plenty of ways to adjust things there as well.
07:05You can have a look into some of the status elements for the car as well.
07:09And yes, it's just a deep, deep screen because there's a lot of different content available
07:15here.
07:16And the driving modes can be dialed up through there, or you can dial them up using this
07:20CUPRA button on the steering wheel as well.
07:23And that'll show up just on the screen there when you change it.
07:26So it'll show up on that screen to show you when you're changing.
07:29And the little icon shows up on the driver info screen at the top there, as you can see.
07:34So all of that just comes pretty easily, I reckon, and does bring this car in line with
07:39the other CUPRA models in the range.
07:42And it still has that same old complaint that I have, that you don't get dials down
07:47below the screen.
07:48But you do get a home bar for your climate control, and you can slide these little sliders
07:53to adjust the temperature if you want to.
07:56And yes, also the climber button there, so you need to adjust your fan on the screen.
08:01So I mean, for me, I'm a bit of a fiddler.
08:05I like to have the settings how I want them.
08:08I wish there was a dial down below that you could adjust the fan speed, or even a button,
08:12but there isn't.
08:13There is a volume slider though, and those are illuminated for nighttime driving as well.
08:17So also you've got a wireless phone charger down here, a couple of USB-C ports, cup holders
08:23there, a little storage tray there where you might want to put your key, and in here there's
08:27a covered centre console bin with a key and Marshall from Paw Patrol.
08:32And also these seats are very comfortable, they're very nicely sculpted, and this material
08:36finish is lovely as well.
08:39You've got bottle holders in the doors of course, and a reasonably sized glove box as
08:44well, and so I think that the practicality elements and the design elements are all covered
08:50in this car, and also, yes, you do get a big glass roof.
08:55Well this car has a big glass roof, we'll have to wait and see on what grades it comes
08:59standard, but let's jump in the back seat and see if it's comfortable too.
09:03Alright, so the back seat experience.
09:05This seat is set for my driving position at 182cm or 6ft tall.
09:10Just look at that, ample space there, plenty of room for my feet to wiggle, and also plenty
09:15of legroom as well.
09:16So the other thing is, this seat can slide forward, which does allow you more boot space
09:21if you want.
09:22It's kind of like some other cars in the Volkswagen Group range for that aspect, and also when
09:28I'm showing you how much headroom I've got, you can see for yourself, plenty, and you
09:32can recline or incline the seat back if you wish as well.
09:36So it is fairly practical when it comes to the seating stuff, and there's other practicality
09:41elements that you will appreciate.
09:43There's climate control in the back, directional air vents, you've got decent sized bottle
09:47holders in the back doors, ISOFIX points and three top tethers, and also a flip-down armrest.
09:54No ski port in this one, which is a bit disappointing though.
09:57Another thing that maybe isn't as high-end premium as you might be hoping is these scratchy
10:03plastics on the tops of the doors, but at least the elbow pads are soft and you get
10:07this ambient light section in the back door as well, so your kiddos will love it.
10:11They might not love that they don't get map pockets though, but you might love that they
10:15get plasticky things to kick to their content on the backs of these beautiful seats.
10:19I think it's a very practical car, I think it definitely nails the brief when it comes
10:23to offering style and substance in an SUV like this.
10:31So, as I said, there's probably going to be three powertrains on offer in the Teramar
10:35line-up.
10:36There might be more, we don't know yet, but I'll tell you what I know so far.
10:39So this one here is the 2.0L with 195kW, it's the same engine that they use in the new Tiguan
10:46R-Line models for Australia, and in some other applications across the Volkswagen group.
10:52And yes, 195kW is a lot of power for a car like this, and it's a pretty punchy engine
10:57with a dual-clutch automatic transmission and all-wheel drive.
11:01Now there's also going to be a 200kW plug-in hybrid model as well, so it's got a turbocharged
11:07petrol engine, an electric motor, a battery pack, pretty big battery pack in fact, you'll
11:12see the range for that one on your screen now, and it's also going to be front-wheel
11:17drive only, so that might rule it out for some people, but hey, there's also probably
11:21going to be that mild hybrid model which will save you money, because it'll be the
11:25most affordable version in the range, but hey, like I said, make sure you've hit subscribe
11:30and rung the bell, and I'll bring you more details on what is exactly going to be offered
11:34for our market when I drive this car in Australia in 2025.
11:40So, what's the Teramar like to drive?
11:43It has that Cupra feel to it, which, if you haven't driven a Cupra, you might not know
11:48that they do tailor their cars to be different to the donor products, so like Volkswagens
11:53and Audis that share a lot of the hardware that this car has, the tune that's been applied
12:00to this car is different, so as a result of that, you get a different feel to the steering,
12:04you get different ride, comfort and compliance levels as well, but also a bit of a different
12:10character overall when it comes to how it drives.
12:14Now I have to say though, I've driven a few different Cupras over the last couple of days
12:18and this one feels the most like a Volkswagen or an Audi in terms of the overall impression
12:25I'm getting from the drive, and I'm not saying that's a bad thing at all, it certainly probably
12:29suits the buyer of this car a bit better because I suspect that if you're thinking about a
12:34Teramar, then you might have thought that the Formentor isn't quite for you, for instance,
12:39so the Formentor just has a more, I guess, engaging drive experience, where this is slightly
12:45more sedate, but I don't think that's a bad thing, I'm telling you this could be the sweet
12:50spot for some people that maybe want a sporty looking SUV, but don't necessarily want it
12:55to be really, really sporty or unrelenting to drive with every day, and in that regard,
13:01this car, I think, looks like it's going to nail the brief for this brand.
13:06Now I have driven this car a little bit, not as extensively as some of the other Cupras
13:10that have been on this drive as well, but my first impressions, as I said, are that it does
13:15feel a bit more sedate, but you can adjust things, obviously, if I put it into the performance mode,
13:21yes, it does make things, well, more performancey, yeah, it's fast, there's no doubt about that,
13:28195 kilowatts is plenty for a car of this size, and it sounds good too, doesn't it?
13:35That's obviously an artificial noise that's being piped into the cabin, but it is a nice noise,
13:42and this is fast, like, there's plenty of performance here, I don't know that you'll need
13:47any more than this if you're a bit of an assertive driver, and yes, in that drive mode,
13:52you do also get a bit more weight to the steering, a bit more directness on centre,
13:57and the ride firms up as well, because it's got adaptive suspension in the car that I'm testing,
14:01not sure whether that'll be standard across all the versions available, but you can expect it in
14:06high-spec models at least. This is fun, man, this is a really fun car to drive for a mid-size SUV,
14:13and if you've always thought, well, I'm not so sure that any of the other ones will tick the box for
14:18me in terms of the fun factor, this one might, and I'll just also add that this car, because it's a
14:27conventional internal combustion engine vehicle, it does have better brake pedal feel than the
14:32plug-in hybrid models that I've been driving. Now, I haven't driven the plug-in hybrid version of this,
14:36but yes, it just gives you a bit more sensation through the pedals and a bit more, I guess,
14:43faithfulness in the fact that it will pull up when you want it to, and those brakes do pull up pretty
14:48well. Now, it's also got some electronic smarts to help you turn corners with a little bit more
14:55tightness, so it's got this cornering braking system, basically a torque vectoring system,
15:01that will nibble at the inside wheel to help it feel like it's going to turn a little tighter
15:06to eliminate understeer, essentially. So, it does that pretty well, it's pretty convincing to drive,
15:12and on the whole, I'm actually really convinced by this car. Now, I mentioned earlier that you do
15:17have a few ways to turn off the safety systems in this car, and I really appreciate that,
15:22but there's one other thing that's been added to this car that hasn't been in some of the other
15:27Coopers that have come before it. It's got an eyesight monitoring system that will basically
15:32tell you if it thinks you're distracted, and if you've watched any of my other reviews with that
15:36sort of technology, you'll know that I think that it gets it wrong a fair bit, in most other
15:41applications at least, and in this one, if you're just trying to find something on the driver info
15:45screen or trying to put in an address on the main screen, it will also tell you that you're too
15:52distracted. So, that's not fantastic, and also it might lock out the controls for the main screen
15:59if it thinks you're being too distracted. So, it's a bit of a nanny state one, that.
16:05Okay, during my time in the Teramar, it hasn't just been me driving, and it hasn't just been me
16:10in the car. So, the figure that you see now might be maybe less indicative of what you might
16:16actually see in real world situations. There's been some enthusiastic driving by a mix of
16:21different people, so yes, the number that I saw displayed, 12.6 litres per 100km, could be a little
16:28higher than what you might achieve in real world driving. But then again, hey, the mild hybrid
16:33version if it comes, or the plug-in hybrid, might make a lot more sense for you if you are after
16:38something that has a bit more of a frugal mindset. But, this one's got a bit more performance, so
16:45you can decide.
16:47I reckon the Cooper Teramar could be a fantastic option for people who are looking for a sporty,
16:51stylish, and still smart SUV with plenty of family practicality elements to it as well.
16:57Do you like it? Let me know in the comments section, and also tell me what you think it
17:00should cost. I'd love to hear from you. If you haven't already, please like, subscribe,
17:03and ring the bell, and I'll see you in the next one!
17:16you