New Car! - Cupra Tavascan V2 UK Review

Tavascan V2 Cobalt Grey

Hi, This is our second (ish) EV and we decided to go for something different. We previously owned a Kia EV6 GT line RWD and have enjoyed owning an electric vehicle which is mainly used as our family car by my wife.

When it came to selection the newer EV6 was a choice, but we wanted something different. In the running were the BMW i4 (my favourite) , the Cupra Tavascan, and the Renault Scenic E-Tech. At the time of selection the Tavascan was so new we were unable to test drive one , although we were able to see and sit in one at a local dealer.

So we took the plunge (after much sulking about the BMW i4 on my behalf) and raised an order through Tusker via work.

I wanted to do a quick review of the first few weeks of ownership, apologies for the stock photos. Ill get some actual pictures of the car. The model we selected was the V2 as Mrs H wanted heated seats and steering wheel. We chose the cobalt grey (I think I prefer the Tavascan blue which wasn't in stock, and the white silver also looks nice).

Communication from Tusker and also the supplying dealer Group 1 automotive (Hatfield) was good and although car was a little dirty and with no floor mats arrived with 30 miles on the clock. With some goodies from Tusker/Cupra - Phone cables, emergency kit and weird Cupra bracelet that would fit a child and a carbon effect key cover.

The car from all angles looks great with a sporty aggressive stance and stands out from the crowd. This is one of the main factors for us choosing as some competitors, especially the VW group, look so dull. The Renault

Scenic E-Tech looks like any other SUV (but very well equipped).

So in the limited time we have had the car here's the positives and negatives we have encountered

Positives;

• The car looks great and I still haven't seen another one on the road.

• The ride is smooth and its a nice car to drive (apart from the break pedal - more on this in negatives)

• Its spacious and comfortable with a large usable boot.

• The Sennheiser sound system is very good

• Front seats are supportive and heated seats and wheel are good

• Panoramic roof is good as the car would feel quite dark/claustrophobic without it

• Interior is individual and has character - bronze accents are nice - mood lighting nice/tacky, as are puddle light - its personal choice, but so far i dont mind it

Negatives:

• Built in Nav system unusable - on a trip to Milton Keynes at the weekend it didn't recognise the M1, Luton and parts of MK, and was advising me that I was speeding and should be doing 30 miles per hour in a 70 zone on the M1 - Apple car play does work wirelessly but thought this was poor for a new car. Just kept stating Data unavailable.

• Break Pedal - Dangerous. There's a weird feel and transition between regen breaking and normal breaking. The best way to describe it is that its like you press the pedal and it doesn't work , then you have to panic and press harder. If you are thinking of a Tavascan please test drive - I'm sure you will get used to it and not sure if there is something they can do to remedy this via recall or software update - but its BAD.

• Heads Up Display - I find it a little distracting but Mrs H hates it, luckily it can be turned off

• Remote boot opening - swipe you foot to open, its so inconstant on whether it works, sometimes the electric tailgate stops mid close and re-opens itself. No button in the car to press - so you either have to use the key fob or get out of the car or look like a fool swiping your foot around.

• Unlocking/door handles - the driver door unlocks when the fob is in proximity but even with a double click on the fob the other doors don't/wont open. There is a weird 2 phase opening mechanism that feels like you are breaking the handle. To unlock all other doors from within the car there is a button on the door you can press but again this doesn't always work - meaning passengers are standing in the rain whilst you mess about with it all.

• Range - its particularly cold in the UK at the moment. But the EV6 had a claimed range of 328 miles, we saw 320 in the summer and around 200-250 in the very cold conditions. Today with 47% charge remaining it was showing a range of 72 miles. This is very poor. The claimed range for the car is 353 miles.

• The Cupra App - looks ok and is fairly basic but doesn't always connect to the car - yesterday I tried to start the remote defrost/heating but the app wouldn't connect - so had to go out and scrape the ice off (3rd world problems heh?)

• Bings and Bongs - I know a lot of these are mandatory - the speed one being the most annoying and needs to be turned off each time you start the car by swiping down from the top of the screen - this option has disappeared from my wife's profile

• Haptic buttons - the steering wheel buttons are the haptic ones that everyone hates on the VW cars. They are ok but easily hit by mistake when driving.

• Interior - the seats are nice , in the front the central "Spine" console feels a bit plasticky and robs usable storage space, apart from housing the phone charger, the rest of the space below is wasted.

• Headlights - super bright and clear - have been flashed twice by oncoming cars who though I had full beam on. A few other owners have mentioned this on the forums.

So I appreciate that there are more negatives than positives. But its a new car and platform and as with the EV6 I'm sure there will be updates to address some of the issues.

The main issue I have is with the break pedal and real world range at the moment.

 I hope you fid this interesting - some of these observations have been made in some of the review videos I have watched. And obviously if you are interested in a Tavascan then test drives are now available. I do another blog in a few weeks. Please feel free to contact if you have any questions.