Prototype Drive: Cupra’s Raval shows future of brand’s EV journey

What is it?

Cast your mind back to September and at the Munich Motor Show, there was a definite sign of strength from the homegrown Volkswagen Group brands. At a lavish presentation, the Group showed off its latest stream of low-cost electric cars from Volkswagen, Skoda and, most importantly for this review, Cupra.

Sitting alongside the Skoda Epiq and Volkswagen ID.Cross models on a brand new MEB+ platform, Cupra’s Raval aims to provide exciting transport at an attractive price. But what can we expect from this small new EV? We’ve been given an early look at the Raval with a prototype drive out in Spain.

What’s new?

There’s a lot that is new with the Cupra Raval. As we mentioned, it sits on the new MEB+ platform, a development of the one which has been used in cars like the Volkswagen ID.3 and Cupra’s own Born.

Essentially, this platform is designed to maximise interior and luggage space without an overly large footprint. At four metres long, the Raval is shorter than a Volkswagen Polo, yet has been designed to offer a roomier cabin and a larger boot. Though we only got a short look at both, we can vouch for the space and the boot is almost comically large – it feels as though there’s a decent 400 litres available, though Cupra has yet to announce official figures.

What’s under the bonnet?

You’ll be able to get the Raval in a variety of specifications, but we’re driving the range-topper. It’s badged ‘VZ’ and brings the most amount of horsepower at 226bhp, as well as handy 290Nm of torque. Over the standard Raval it gets a number of revisions to make it handle a little more keenly, too, including an electronically controlled limited-slip differential, adaptive dampers and a sporty setting for the electronic stability programme.However, all Raval models get a 15mm drop in ride height over their Volkswagen Group stablemates, reinforcing this brand’s desire to be the sporty one of the bunch. Oh, and Cupra claims a range of just under 269 miles for the Raval, too.

What’s it like to drive?

We got a nice and twisty section of road to put the Raval to the test and initial impressions look good. It steers well, holds its line through faster bends and doesn’t even feel too firm, though our Spanish test route was almost glass-smooth – how it copes over the UK’s broken surfaces will be another thing altogether. You can toggle between different levels of ‘engine’ sound, and, to our eyes, the loudest of the settings actually sounds pretty good and adds an extra level of excitement to the driving experience. You can switch it off at the press of a button if you’re not a fan, mind you.

The Raval definitely isn’t an outright speed demon, but it’s more than quick enough to keep things interesting. A big plus-point is the brakes; unlike most EVs, the Raval gets disc brakes all-round – instead of drums at the rear – and this helps to create a more ‘natural’ brake pedal feel. You can also toggle through different levels of energy recuperation via the wheel-mounted paddles, though it’d be quite nice to have a small sound or indicator when you’ve changed up or down.

How does it look?

We’ve yet to fully see the final production-ready exterior of the Raval, but the concept model gave us a good idea of what we can expect. As with all Cupra models, expect a lot of sharp lines and lashings of copper-coloured elements. We do know that there will be 19-inch wheels as standard on the VZ models, so you can expect a similarly high level of standard equipment elsewhere.It won’t be long until the Raval is fully revealed, though.

What’s it like inside?

Again, the prototype car that we drove was fully draped in black to cover many of the key styling elements, but we could get a good sense of what remained. There’s a large central screen similar to the one equipped in cars like the Terramar, helped by digital dials ahead of the driver which can be configured to show a variety of features.

There’s space aplenty in the Raval, mind you. The rear seats benefit from a completely flat floor, so even the person sitting in the middle can stretch out. As mentioned, the boot is impressively large and divided up with a false floor which, we imagine, will cover the changing cables when they’re not in use. It’s set to be a very practical car, that’s for sure.

What’s the spec like?

Cupra is targeting a price of €26,000 for the Raval, which would put the entry-level model in the region of £23,000 if directly converted. Of course, you’ll have additional taxes and imports to consider, but the standard car should come in well under £30,000 overall. This VZ version, mind you, is expected to be a more expensive proposition and we reckon that it’ll sit at around £35,000, though it could head to £40,000 with some options.

We’d expect a reasonably high level of standard equipment, though, with features such as the main screen and driver’s display coming as standard. However, the devil will be in the details and we’d hope that efficiency boosting features such as a heat pump will come as standard to make the Raval into a genuinely value-oriented proposition.

Verdict

Naturally, a drive or a prototype car can only show you so much, but this initial impression of the Raval is a positive one. It drives really well and feels very spacious inside, with plenty of rear-seat legroom and a big boot.

How successful the Raval will prove to be really depends on the price and how much equipment it can be delivered with. However, get that right and we can’t see any reason why the Raval can’t be a roaring success.