It’s pricey, but I still think the Cupra Raval VZ Extreme is one of the best small EVs out there

As someone who adored the Cupra Born for its neat design and delicious drive appeal, I was super keen to try the Cupra Raval. I had a brief drive in it a while ago and it promised much, so getting to spend some quality time in the Raval VZ Extreme – arguably the best of the new model bunch – was fab. There are cheaper variants of this five-door supermini with trim levels that include Raval Origin, Raval Plus and Endurance. Prices start with the keenly priced Origin at £23,785 fitted with a 37kWh battery.

This is followed by the similarly powered Dynamic, Dynamic Plus and VZ models, which are offered with a 52kWh battery, but the Cupra Raval VZ Extreme is the one to go for. It costs £36,310 mind… However, there’s a whole lot more going on. Performance-wise there’s more power to play with thanks to 222bhp and a 0-62mph time of 6.8 seconds. The setup is more interesting too as it features an electronic slip differential and dynamic sports suspension along with a squatter stance, thanks to being 15mm lower. It’s 10mm wider too.

What’s more, the Cupra Raval VZ Extreme is a real looker. The car uses the all-new dedicated Volkswagen MEB+ electric platform that is also acting as the basis for the VW ID Polo and Skoda Epiq, but the big difference is the super cool edge of the design job. On the outside, the Raval VZ Extreme boasts a striking Manganese Matt green paint finish, supplemented by Sulfur Green 19in alloys. On the inside? Well, the look is wild and topped by some brilliant bucket seats.

The Styling

Design is one of the main reasons for buying a Cupra and the Raval VZ Extreme is the perfect example of that. The styling is quite bold on the outside, with that matt paint finish and chunky alloys giving the supermini a really purposeful look. I thought it looked great all the way around, with a stance that is certainly Cupra and styling flourishes that added a genuine sense of fun to proceedings.

Up front, a standout were the matrix LED headlights, which feature a real attention to detail in their construction and, on the VZ Extreme at least, have a neat electronic signature on startup. The back end looked mean too, with more clever styling around the lights, sandwiched by an over-the-window spoiler and, down below, some diffuser-style fussiness.

Meanwhile, the interior of the VZ Extreme was another treat. It was quite brash in there, with lashings of what looked like anodised green-ish aluminium, which was actually plastic in the main, contrasting to great effect with the fantastic ‘Cup’ bucket seats. These sculptured beauties were wonderfully comfortable and hugged me tightly through the bends. Equally, though, they looked really inventive as did other parts of the cabin where Cupra has mashed up a mix of innovative materials and manufacturing techniques to deliver a decidedly unique ambience.

The back row of seats had a continuation of the theme, albeit rather more muted and space levels weren’t bad at all. I think the Raval’s seating setup would keep an average family content on everyday journeys. Boot space, at 441 litres without any seat flipping was, I thought, pretty good too. I’m keen to see a more basic trim as I’m assuming the big difference in price is going to make a substantial difference to the look and feel of the Raval’s interior.

The drive

I think it’s safe to say the front-wheel drive Cupra Raval VZ Extreme is a different kettle of fish compared to the lowlier models. While they’re going to be perfect for many folks, if the thought of driving a hot hatch, something like the Alpine A290 or Abarth 600e perhaps, the Cupra Raval VZ Extreme is without a doubt the car to try. There’s 166kW of power delivering 222bhp and 290Nm of torque on tap via a 52kWh battery. But, alongside that, there is the chassis setup.

From the off, it’s easy to feel the effects of the dynamic chassis control that uses adaptive shock absorbers to tweak and fine-tune the ride. Up to 15 levels of adjustment are available and the thing I liked about it was just how easy it was to skip through settings using the round buttons on each side of the steering wheel. On the left were the standard mode options, while the ‘Cupra’ button on the right untapped a more taught level of performance with a much firmer ride.

As always, I did wonder what the ride would be like on cruddy UK roads as opposed to smooth Spanish surfaces. The rubber was low profile and came fitted to those big 19in wheels on the VZ Extreme. Combined with that stiffened suspension, the ride might be too harsh for some at the more extreme settings. However, I absolutely loved the Raval’s drive appeal. Aside from a bit of wind noise on the motorway, I thought this thing was a blast to drive. It got around twisting turns brilliantly delivering lots of feedback through the wheel while I remained firmly in place thanks to those brilliantly styled buckets.

The brakes, too, were excellent and felt perfectly matched to the performance on offer. I really didn’t want to stop driving it. Even when I was pootling through sludgy city traffic the Raval was a delight. With maximum regen on, the car pretty much delivered a one-pedal drive so was ideally suited to congested roads. Topping it off was the manoeuvrability at slow speeds, making the Cupra Raval VZ Extreme a very easy thing to park.

Charging speeds are, I think, fine for the size of the battery with up to 130kW for the Cupra Raval VZ Extreme, getting me 10% to 80% in just 24 minutes and there was the always handy Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) available with this car too.

The technology

I remember the infotainment system being a bugbear on the Cupra Born but I had no real problems with the Cupra Raval VZ Extreme. The 12.9in central touchscreen worked a treat and was running the latest Android OS to great effect. Supplementing that was a 10.25in digital cockpit setup, with cool graphics and fonts as you’d expect from a streetwise brand like Cupra.

I thought there was a decent compromise between physical and virtual controls too, with a smattering of buttons on the steering wheel for core controls. There were also paddles in front of the wheel for altering the levels of brake regen. I also liked the slender plus and minus controls under the infotainment screen, which worked better than in the Born a few years back. Overall, I felt the interior tech setup was much improved.

There were some additional goodies because I was driving the Cupra Raval VZ Extreme, with an optional Sennheiser Sound System that featured AMBEO technology. Twelve speakers and 475 watts meant I wasn’t left wanting for much on the audio front. As a contrast, the other visual treat was the ambient lighting which, whenever I went through a darkened road tunnel would illuminate along the doors and across the dash in Cupra-styled purple.

Cleverly, the door cards also had these dynamic moving images moving around them. On closer inspection, I found that this was a projected image that came from a lens on each side of the lower dash. Very neat. I also rather liked the synthesized driving sounds that would kick in when Performance and Cupra modes were selected. While they weren’t real, they added a decent edge to the drive and, unlike some examples I’ve tried, I was happy to keep them on for the duration of my test drive. It was all really well executed.

Cupra Raval verdict

I was a big fan of the Cupra Born and I’m looking forward to driving the updated version of that. The Cupra Raval though adds even more appeal into the mix, especially for anyone who’s willing to splurge and buy the Cupra Raval VZ Extreme.

The ride will undoubtedly feel quite harsh on rough and ready UK roads, but in a lot of ways that should provide a big part of the appeal. Combine that with fizzy performance, great brakes and plenty of handling capability and the Cupra Raval VZ Extreme is a whole bunch of fun. On top of that, this car looks a real treat, both inside and out. It also has a bit of a personality, which is always welcome. I’d buy one tomorrow.

Cupra Raval technical specifications