The Cupra Raval has been unveiled as the first in a new wave of small Volkswagen Group EVs that will take the fight to the Renault 5 when it arrives in the UK this summer, priced from less than £23,000.
The low cost is made possible by its MEB Plus underpinnings, which it will share with its upcoming Volkswagen ID Cross, ID Polo and Skoda Epiq siblings.
MEB Plus is a development of the structure already used by cars such as the larger Cupra Born, but reworked to reduce costs. Changes include swapping from multi-link rear suspension to a simpler torsion beam.
The Raval is 4.05m long, 1.78m wide and 1.52m tall, which makes it slightly larger than the Renault 5. It is positioned as the sportiest of the Volkswagen Group's incoming small EVs and its suspension is 15mm lower and 10mm wider than the basic configuration of MEB Plus as a result.
Despite its compact dimensions, it has a large boot, measuring 430 litres – bigger than that offered in the bigger Born. That is thanks to a large underfloor compartment similar to the Gigabox in the Ford Puma Gen-E.
New Cupra Raval: Specs
In a bid to give the Raval line-up broad appeal, Cupra will offer it with four trims, four powertrains and two battery packs.
These choices also give an indication of what to expect from its Volkswagen and Skoda siblings, which are due to be revealed in the coming months.
Entry-level Core cars pair a 114bhp front motor with a 37kWh lithium-iron-phosphate battery for a claimed range of around 185 miles. It can be charged at up to 90kW for a 10-80% refill in 27min.
The V1 and V2 trims offer 133bhp as standard, with the option to raise that to 208bhp.
A 52kWh nickel-manganese-cobalt battery can also be chosen, which boosts the claimed range to around 280 miles. The maximum charging rate with the 52kWh pack rises to 130kW.
At the top of the line-up sits the Raval VZ (for 'Veloz, Spanish for fast), which will be Cupra's rival to the Alpine A290, priced at around £37,000.
The VZ is fitted with the 52kWh pack and raises the motor's output to 222bhp, which is delivered to the front wheels through an electronic limited-slip differential. That nets a 0-62mph time of 7.0sec and a top speed of 108mph. With the extra power comes a reduced range, from around 280 miles to nearer 250 miles.
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I agree that the design of the Renault 5 is more distinctive and lovable but the marginally bigger size of the Cupra may just make it the more sensible choice. I am however surprised and disappointed that the car shares the stupid sliders and haptic controls of the Born rather than its ID Polo sibling. I also wonder how well it will ride and handle without the multi link rear suspension of the R5 and Mini Cooper. I know the VZ will have all the goodies but £37k is a bit on the expensive side especially when you see new Cupra Born's listed on Autotrader with a £10k discount.