2 weeks Ago By Pete Barden
IF this doesn’t float your boat, nothing will. It’s a car that identifies as a yacht. You can take it out to sea for a sunset cruise.
Use it as a diving board. Catch your tea from it. The controls are really simple.
Push the throttle lever, nicked from a speedboat, forward to fire up the thrusters. Steer left and right with the joystick. Everything else is exactly the same as the Cupra Terramar we tested on dry land, left.
Except the key is attached to a floating keyring in case it goes overboard. Even the car’s 360-degree parking cameras are useful. You don’t want to crinkle a £50million superyacht docked next to you, now do you? Cupra fixed its new motor to a floating platform to lead out crews competing in the America’s Cup in Barcelona .
Pace car? It wasn’t even a question when Cupra asked if we fancied a go. FYI. Terramar roughly translates as where the land meets the sea.
Fitting, really. Terrific. Petrol engine.
Good start. Obviously you can get a plug-in hybrid. But there’s no talk of a Terramar EV anytime soon.
Rebels. Next, looks. Cupra doesn’t do dog eggs.
It makes mint-fresh motors people want to be seen in. Even SUVs. Terramar is basically a bigger and more practical Formentor.
The back seat is leggy. The boot is properly useful. Plus, those rear seats slide forwards and backwards, adding space wherever you need it.
You can’t do that in a Formentor. Next, build quality. Terramar is made by the same hands that put the Audi Q3 and Volkswagen Tiguan together.
Another plus-point. Same menu of dependable engines, suspension and electronics. Just a Spanish haircut.
The standard Terramar V1, powered by a 150hp 1.5-litre petrol, costs £37k. Auto gearbox.
Front-wheel drive. More than enough for most people. If you live in the green bits of Britain, you may want to upgrade to four-wheel drive, with a beefier 2-litre engine, from £40k.
If you live in the concrete bits of Britain, the plug-in hybrid can glide along for 70 miles as an EV and costs £44k. We tried the spicy Terramar VZ1 with 265 horses and 4WD. We became instant friends.
Fast and sticky on an open road, nicely balanced, sounds great in Cupra mode. FYI. VZ is short for Veloz in Spanish, meaning fast or fastest.
More importantly, Terramar is easy to live with day to day. The seats are sporty – but super comfy. Digital screens help you navigate the unknown.
Top-view cameras help you park like a pro. Terramar feels fresh and expensive inside with copper detailing being Cupra’s calling card. We like the Audi Sport steering wheel.
We like the Sennheiser sound system. We like the nod to recycled materials in the carpet mats. Final observation.
You won’t see the name Terramar on this car – unless I tell you where to look. OK, hidden in the tail lights. It’s a deliberate move by Cupra to get the brand recognised rather than a model name.
Same rules for the new-look Formentor and Leon. Even the hi-tech headlights beam “Cupra” on to a wall like a video projector when you park up at night. I’ll let them off that last one because the rest of the car is class.
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