2025 Cupra Terramar revealed: new family SUV offers a 70-mile electric range
The Cupra Terramar is a new family SUV that gets distinctive styling, as well as a range of petrol, mild-hybrid and plug-in hybrid engine options...
On sale: Early 2025 | Price from: £35,000 (est)
The idea behind the new Cupra Terramar is very simple. In the same way Chorizo is a spicier, more flavoursome alternative to a Bratwurst, the Terramar is a sportier version of the Volkswagen Tiguan family SUV. Indeed, the two cars share the same underpinnings, which means they offer a similar range of engines, but with reworked styling and suspension to give the cars a different look and feel.
The Terramar is larger and more expensive than the Cupra Formentor, but it will still rival the Hyundai Tucson, Kia Sportage and Nissan Qashqai. Like the Formentor, it gets a heavily sculpted ‘shark-nose’ front end, triangular LED headlights and an illuminated badge at the rear, all of which are designed to tie it in with Cupra’s other new models.
The Terramar is powered by a range of petrol, mild hybrid and plug-in hybrid (PHEV) engine options. The entry-level engine is a 148bhp 1.5-litre mild hybrid petrol unit, which drives the front wheels via a seven-speed automatic gearbox. Being a mild hybrid (as opposed to a full hybrid), it can switch off the engine while coasting, but it can’t run on electric power alone at low speeds.
Sitting above the mild hybrid are a pair of 2.0-litre petrol engines, with either 201bhp or 261bhp. Both are four-wheel drive and feature an automatic gearbox. The more powerful version is badged ‘VZ’, which is typically applied to the sportiest versions of Cupra’s cars. However, the brand has hinted that a more powerful engine could join the line-up at a later date, which could be the 328bhp engine from the Formentor.
Lastly, there are the company car-friendly PHEVs. There are two versions of these to choose from, with either 201bhp or 268bhp (the latter is badged VZ). No matter which version you choose, both use a 1.5-litre petrol engine, an electric motor and a 19.7kWh (usable) battery to deliver an official electric-only range of 70 miles. That’s farther than the PHEV versions of the Hyundai Tucson and Sportage, but less than the Mercedes GLC 300e.
With Cupra being one of the sportier brands within the Volkswagen Group, the VZ versions will be equipped with the brand’s ‘Dynamic Chassis Control’ (DCC) adaptive suspension system, which means you can adjust the suspension set-up to suit the road conditions. The drive modes for this include Comfort, Sport and Cupra, while four-wheel drive versions also have an Off-road mode.
The Terramar has a very different interior look to the more conservatively-styled Volkswagen Tiguan. The central infotainment screen, for example, is heavily angled towards the driver, while the central ‘spine’ wraps around the driver and centre console, helping to emphasise the car’s sporty character. All versions come with sports seats as standard, too.
We’ve sat inside the new Terramar, and found quality a bit of a mixed bag. While there are some smart-looking materials on the dashboard and door tops, the texture isn’t as plush as that of a Mazda CX-5.
All Terramars come with a 12.9in touchscreen to power the infotainment as standard. Unfortunately, this means you get the fiddly touch-sensitive sliders from cars such as the Tiguan and Volkswagen Golf, but mercifully these are at least backlit so you can see them for driving at night. In front of the driver, there’s a 10.25in digital driver’s display, which is configurable so it can show functions such as your trip information or sat-nav.
Space is very good in the front. There’s plenty of adjustment in the driver’s seat and steering wheel, so it’s easy to find a comfortable driving position. There’s also loads of storage space, with a big central storage cubby and large door bins.
Visibility is generally good, with slim pillars and well-positioned door mirrors giving you a good view forwards and to the side. Looking backwards, the view isn’t quite so good because of the thick rear pillars.
Surprisingly, space in the back isn’t great. While there’s plenty of head room on offer, leg room is a bit tight, particularly if you’re more than six-feet tall and sat behind a tall driver. On the whole, the Sportage and Tiguan are better for carrying passengers in the back.
More positively, you can tilt and slide the second row of seats, plus the seats split in a useful 40/20/40 configuration, which is great if you need to carry longer items. The boot is also a good size at 540 litres (400 litres with the PHEVs), which is more than you get in a Qashqai but less than a Sportage. It should have plenty of room for your family’s holiday luggage.
Pricing and specifications are yet to be confirmed, but we can expect the Terramar to start from around £35,000 when it arrives in the UK early in 2025. This means it will be more expensive than its closest rivals, including the Qashqai, Sportage and Tiguan.
Like Cupra’s other models, the Tarramar follows a naming strategy that associates Cupra’s cars with Barcelona, such as the Cupra Born being named after the El Born neighbourhood. In this instance, the Terramar is named after a race circuit near the Spanish city.
Currently, Cupra has no plans to launch a seven-seater version of the Terramar, but it will be an indirect replacement for the Seat Tarraco seven-seater. This is a trend that will continue as Seat moves towards a future in ‘electric mobility’, where it will produce smaller city cars and e-scooters, such as the Seat Mó.
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