What Do We Really Think of the New CUPRA Raval?

[Swansway Motor Group (SEAT & CUPRA)]

If you came along to the meet-up on Sunday, you’ll have seen the new Raval at CUPRA Oldham in the flesh. We thought we’d share a few pictures of it looking right at home in the dealership!

It certainly got people talking on Sunday, and it’s great to see CUPRA bringing something a little different to the range.

But what do we think?

Are you a fan of the design? Would you consider one for your next car, or are you not convinced by the Raval?

Let us know your thoughts below!

 

[Eirona]

Okay, I'll go first!
We were going to buy one. We liked the looks of it. It single-handedly kicked off the through process of actually making the move to an EV from our ICE Arona. In fact we had already emailed the dealership to be informed when they got a demonstrator, something they still haven't got as I write this.

Long story short, a few things put us off. Simple things, but important to us:

- Those doorhandles. Tesla just had a recall for cars with retracting doorhandles. My concern is the winter. Even our relatively mild winters here in rural Ireland, sometimes even opening the door on our Arona is tricky. The thought of stuck doorhandles worried me.

- Depreciation. Any new EV will lose €10k as soon as it leaves the showroom. I don't change my cars that often, but its been shown that the best option is to buy a 3 year old with good battery health. The worst depreciation is over. For many, cost is not the primary issue, and we thank you for that as if it wasn't for you, people like me can't have good pre-owned cars!

- Personal. In the end we saw a Series 1 Cupra Born in Aurora Blue and really loved the way it looked. Even compared to the Series 2 Born (for us) we thought it was a good looking car. The Raval, yes, but oddly we still preferred the Born 1.
But I will add that beauty is in the eye of the beholder and it is a good looking car, as is the Born 2. Would I own one; yes absolutely, but I would wait for a good used one to come along in a couple of year's time.

-The salesman. When we talked of the Raval, the "Cupra Master" told us he's been to Barcelona for the launch and driven it. He liked it, but still preferred the Born (before we started talking about used Borns). He said the Raval was mainly aimed at being a city car, and the entry level car had quite a small battery (perfect for town use). As a result, and because he had an Aurora Blue Born 1 sitting there which we were quickly falling in love with the looks of, we decided to save what was an enormous amount of cash and buy a used Born 1. We ended up with a V2 77kWh eboost, collection this Friday!

Notwithstanding, the Raval is a good-looking car and yes, I would be proud to own one, just not yet!

EDIT: I forgot the most important reason why we decided against ordering the Raval; it would not have arrived before the end of the year, and depending on what happens in the October Budget, the EV Grant may not continue after December 31st 2026, and we could not take that risk as it would mean an automatic €3500 increase in the price when we collected it.

 

[James_R]

What an absolute pleasure it was to drive down to meet on Sunday.

 

[alanjs]

Okay, I'll go first!
We were going to buy one. We liked the looks of it. It single-handedly kicked off the through process of actually making the move to an EV from our ICE Arona. In fact we had already emailed the dealership to be informed when they got a demonstrator, something they still haven't got as I write this.

Long story short, a few things put us off. Simple things, but important to us:

- Those doorhandles. Tesla just had a recall for cars with retracting doorhandles. My concern is the winter. Even our relatively mild winters here in rural Ireland, sometimes even opening the door on our Arona is tricky. The thought of stuck doorhandles worried me.

- Depreciation. Any new EV will lose €10k as soon as it leaves the showroom. I don't change my cars that often, but its been shown that the best option is to buy a 3 year old with good battery health. The worst depreciation is over. For many, cost is not the primary issue, and we thank you for that as if it wasn't for you, people like me can't have good pre-owned cars!

- Personal. In the end we saw a Series 1 Cupra Born in Aurora Blue and really loved the way it looked. Even compared to the Series 2 Born (for us) we thought it was a good looking car. The Raval, yes, but oddly we still preferred the Born 1.
But I will add that beauty is in the eye of the beholder and it is a good looking car, as is the Born 2. Would I own one; yes absolutely, but I would wait for a good used one to come along in a couple of year's time.

-The salesman. When we talked of the Raval, the "Cupra Master" told us he's been to Barcelona for the launch and driven it. He liked it, but still preferred the Born (before we started talking about used Borns). He said the Raval was mainly aimed at being a city car, and the entry level car had quite a small battery (perfect for town use). As a result, and because he had an Aurora Blue Born 1 sitting there which we were quickly falling in love with the looks of, we decided to save what was an enormous amount of cash and buy a used Born 1. We ended up with a V2 77kWh eboost, collection this Friday!

Notwithstanding, the Raval is a good-looking car and yes, I would be proud to own one, just not yet!

Having driven an Aurora Blue Born V3 for the last four years, I agree it's a very nice-looking car and it's great to drive. I did consider replacing it with a "new" Born, but I couldn't justify the expense and I don't need the space. I'm tired of the old tech, dash display and haptic buttons, so personally, the new Born is not viable.

You obviously have a different set of requirements, but the Raval V2 fits my needs better. The Launch edition brings a lot of techy goodies included in the price so after seeing it in the metal, it was an easy choice.

OK, the doorhandles would not have been my preference either, but my car is garaged so I'm not worried about cold weather. They can also be opened manually (if you know how) so I can live with them, although I can see they would be a deal-breaker in your case.

I have always liked my Born so I'm sure you will really appreciate it once your drive it, and if you can charge it at hoe you will be astonished at how cheap it is to run - my last ICE car cost £860.00 in the last year I had it compared to £49.00 to run the Born for the last year.

 

[SRGTD]

@Eirona - I also like the styling of the Raval and agree with you on the door handles.

Although flush door handles probably marginally reduce aerodynamic drag and so helps improve the battery range by a few miles / km’s, IMHO flush door handles are a good example of form over function.

Additionally, with the Raval being an all new design, Cupra had a good opportunity to address the lack of physical controls (e.g. for HVAC) - a criticism levied at many current generation VAG vehicles. However, they have chosen not to. VW have incorporated physical controls into the new ID.Polo for the most used functions so why couldn’t Cupra have done likewise with the Raval? I’m a mature driver and don’t want to be fumbling around a touch screen or having to deal with the frustration of a car misunderstanding my voice control instructions. Also, charging extra for a heat pump when manufacturers such as Renault include it as part of the car’s standard spec is negative point IMHO.

Taking the above into account, sadly the Raval is unlikely to be on the shortlist for my next car.

 

[jezyg]

I have a in stock V1 52 kWh on order and in the V2 Launch Edtion press car for a week with a full review incoming...

Driven a couple of hundred miles so far, very comfortable and capable. A mini Born sums it up and sits between a Born and Ibiza in handling terms. Those wanting to move to their first EV from an Ibiza will find the Raval a logical step up. It is not aa efficient as a Born on a motorway but slightly more efficient than a Born in mixed local roads. More capable than just the City EV title suggests. Motorway sees 205 miles of range from the 52 kWh battery in 20 to 25 degrees.

 

[Eirona]

@Eirona - I also like the styling of the Raval and agree with you on the door handles.

Although flush door handles probably marginally reduce aerodynamic drag and so helps improve the battery range by a few miles / km’s, IMHO flush door handles are a good example of form over function.

Additionally, with the Raval being an all new design, Cupra had a good opportunity to address the lack of physical controls (e.g. for HVAC) - a criticism levied at many current generation VAG vehicles. However, they have chosen not to. VW have incorporated physical controls into the new ID.Polo for the most used functions so why couldn’t Cupra have done likewise with the Raval? I’m a mature driver and don’t want to be fumbling around a touch screen or having to deal with the frustration of a car misunderstanding my voice control instructions. Also, charging extra for a heat pump when manufacturers such as Renault include it as part of the car’s standard spec is negative point IMHO.

Taking the above into account, sadly the Raval is unlikely to be on the shortlist for my next car.

I understand the lack of proper heating controls is a problem for many. In fact I had a Focus with Dual Climate and found it really annoying because despite the 'automatic' temperature control, I often found myself uncomfortable and looking to change the temperature. Unlike my current car (an Arona with air-con manual twisty controls) the Focus controls were small and fiddly and had to take my eyes off the road for uncomfortably long periods to adjust it.
The Arona, I bought because it was manual air-con. I chose I over the FR with Climate because of the above problems.

However, the Cupra Master salesman showed me, well, taught me I could control the Climate Control with my voice. And, despite my reservations, it worked. Not only that, it worked so well, the car knew that I (the passenger) had asked for a different temperature from the passenger seat, and it adjusted only the passenger side! It was one of the reasons I opted for the car, that many oft used functions are voice operable, and not the sort of voice operation found 10 years ago that didn't function, but that of Siri, which works very well. As such, the lack of physical buttons stopped being a problem for me, as a 60 year old man with a continuing and building dislike of technology. I thought I would hate it, but I was willing to embrace it, and am now looking forward to using it.

 

[Ju.]

I think the Raval is a really interesting car.
Firstly it looks good and has its own identity while still being a Cupra. Its also remarkably spacious for its size and has an unusually large boot too, that makes it very versatile and appealing to a lot of buyers.

The level of kit available is also great, especially in top spec and those cup bucket seats in the extreme look really good.

What I dont like so much is the lack of wheel / paint options, especially in VZ trim. There arent that many colours to choose from and although plasma is my colour of choice, will it go with the wheel accents?

We've ordered a VZ Extreme in plasma to go with our current 2016 RSQ3. Totally different and a LOT cheaper to run

 

[MarkHa]

I am purchasing

Okay, I'll go first!
We were going to buy one. We liked the looks of it. It single-handedly kicked off the through process of actually making the move to an EV from our ICE Arona. In fact we had already emailed the dealership to be informed when they got a demonstrator, something they still haven't got as I write this.

Long story short, a few things put us off. Simple things, but important to us:

- Those doorhandles. Tesla just had a recall for cars with retracting doorhandles. My concern is the winter. Even our relatively mild winters here in rural Ireland, sometimes even opening the door on our Arona is tricky. The thought of stuck doorhandles worried me.

- Depreciation. Any new EV will lose €10k as soon as it leaves the showroom. I don't change my cars that often, but its been shown that the best option is to buy a 3 year old with good battery health. The worst depreciation is over. For many, cost is not the primary issue, and we thank you for that as if it wasn't for you, people like me can't have good pre-owned cars!

- Personal. In the end we saw a Series 1 Cupra Born in Aurora Blue and really loved the way it looked. Even compared to the Series 2 Born (for us) we thought it was a good looking car. The Raval, yes, but oddly we still preferred the Born 1.
But I will add that beauty is in the eye of the beholder and it is a good looking car, as is the Born 2. Would I own one; yes absolutely, but I would wait for a good used one to come along in a couple of year's time.

-The salesman. When we talked of the Raval, the "Cupra Master" told us he's been to Barcelona for the launch and driven it. He liked it, but still preferred the Born (before we started talking about used Borns). He said the Raval was mainly aimed at being a city car, and the entry level car had quite a small battery (perfect for town use). As a result, and because he had an Aurora Blue Born 1 sitting there which we were quickly falling in love with the looks of, we decided to save what was an enormous amount of cash and buy a used Born 1. We ended up with a V2 77kWh eboost, collection this Friday!

Notwithstanding, the Raval is a good-looking car and yes, I would be proud to own one, just not yet!

EDIT: I forgot the most important reason why we decided against ordering the Raval; it would not have arrived before the end of the year, and depending on what happens in the October Budget, the EV Grant may not continue after December 31st 2026, and we could not take that risk as it would mean an automatic €3500 increase in the price when we collected it.

I am purchasing a Raval. Moving from a Born 1 77kw. I bought the Born as my first EV thinking range anxiety would be eased with the big battery capacity. For me this was a waste of money as I never do over 150 miles a day. The Raval’s 52 KW is ok for me. The biggest difference I found between the Raval test drive and the Born was it was a far better driving experience. Brakes steering, suspension , helped by being 400kg lighter than the Born. It gave me the feeling of driving my first hot hatch a 205GTI.

 

[emarsh7]

I have mixed feelings about mine. It looks good, drives well, has decent power and good fit and feel. But it has software bugs and what I suspect are design issues. The single thing that irritates me the most is that not only is a decent media player not provided but I looked at adding one to the Cupra app store and was told that all media apps have to be streaming (no USB). Also, only one key is provided and evidently Cupra expects me to buy or have a phone that meets their requirements.

This is my fourth new VAG product in 13 years and I paid cash for three of them. If I had to do it again knowing what I know now I would have at least have looked more more closely at products from other manufactures that provide me with a car that has the features that I expect.

 

[vicalva]

Been driving my V1 since July. Not only do I love the looks, but really enjoy the quality of materials and solid assembly inside the cabin. I strongly recommend the Dinamica bucket seats, they really enhance the driving experience. The car feels like an Audi, with a sportier design language.

 

[Swansway Motor Group (SEAT & CUPRA)]

I have mixed feelings about mine. It looks good, drives well, has decent power and good fit and feel. But it has software bugs and what I suspect are design issues. The single thing that irritates me the most is that not only is a decent media player not provided but I looked at adding one to the Cupra app store and was told that all media apps have to be streaming (no USB). Also, only one key is provided and evidently Cupra expects me to buy or have a phone that meets their requirements.

This is my fourth new VAG product in 13 years and I paid cash for three of them. If I had to do it again knowing what I know now I would have at least have looked more more closely at products from other manufactures that provide me with a car that has the features that I expect.

That’s a fair point, especially with your previous experience of VAG products. It sounds like the Raval is ticking a lot of the boxes in terms of styling, driving and overall quality, while some of the software and connectivity features have taken a little getting used to.


The media and key options are interesting though - I’d be curious to hear how you’ve found the phone-as-key setup in everyday use, and whether the software issues have improved with any updates since you first got the car?

Have you found anything about the Raval that has particularly impressed you since owning it?

 

[Swansway Motor Group (SEAT & CUPRA)]

Been driving my V1 since July. Not only do I love the looks, but really enjoy the quality of materials and solid assembly inside the cabin. I strongly recommend the Dinamica bucket seats, they really enhance the driving experience. The car feels like an Audi, with a sportier design language.

It’s great to hear that the V1 is living up to expectations, particularly when it comes to the cabin quality and driving experience. The Dinamica bucket seats sound like a popular choice for adding a bit more of a sporty feel too!
The comparison to Audi is interesting - it sounds like CUPRA has managed to give the Raval a more distinctive character while retaining that solid, premium feel. How have you found it for everyday driving since July, particularly around comfort and practicality?

 

[vicalva]

It’s great to hear that the V1 is living up to expectations, particularly when it comes to the cabin quality and driving experience. The Dinamica bucket seats sound like a popular choice for adding a bit more of a sporty feel too!
The comparison to Audi is interesting - it sounds like CUPRA has managed to give the Raval a more distinctive character while retaining that solid, premium feel. How have you found it for everyday driving since July, particularly around comfort and practicality?

Hiya. Most of my driving has been in town, with short journeys using the One Pedal regen mode (school run, shopping etc.). The cabin is roomy enough to carry my wife and two kids in comfort. The trunk is cavernous. The ride is on the firm side over speedbumps and potholes (no DCC in the V1), which also means the handling is top notch on a spirited drive. It's perfect as a daily driver to me. I do occasional motorway journeys and I find it to be a very capable cruiser. I will be commuting to work soon, about 1,000 motorway miles a month, which is the other reason I picked the Raval Endurance, being able to charge from home.

What surprised me the most is how frugal it is when you drive sensibly. I'm averaging 5.2 miles per kwh (12 kwh per 100 km), even managed 7.5 miles in town only. It baffles me that I've got 211 hp under the foot with instant torque, with proper hot hatch performance, but the car can be so efficient in town and in traffic, where my petrol car would cost me between 10 and 20 times more to run (short journeys on cold engine around town).

This unparalelled chameleonic flexibility is what I enjoy the most about the Raval. You only pay for the performance you use.

 

[Swansway Motor Group (SEAT & CUPRA)]

Hiya. Most of my driving has been in town, with short journeys using the One Pedal regen mode (school run, shopping etc.). The cabin is roomy enough to carry my wife and two kids in comfort. The trunk is cavernous. The ride is on the firm side over speedbumps and potholes (no DCC in the V1), which also means the handling is top notch on a spirited drive. It's perfect as a daily driver to me. I do occasional motorway journeys and I find it to be a very capable cruiser. I will be commuting to work soon, about 1,000 motorway miles a month, which is the other reason I picked the Raval Endurance, being able to charge from home.

What surprised me the most is how frugal it is when you drive sensibly. I'm averaging 5.2 miles per kwh (12 kwh per 100 km), even managed 7.5 miles in town only. It baffles me that I've got 211 hp under the foot with instant torque, with proper hot hatch performance, but the car can be so efficient in town and in traffic, where my petrol car would cost me between 10 and 20 times more to run (short journeys on cold engine around town).

This unparalelled chameleonic flexibility is what I enjoy the most about the Raval. You only pay for the performance you use.

That’s a fantastic insight into how the Raval fits into everyday life. The combination of practicality, performance and efficiency really does sound impressive, especially for those shorter town journeys. And 5.2 miles/kWh is seriously impressive!!

 

[emarsh7]

That’s a fair point, especially with your previous experience of VAG products. It sounds like the Raval is ticking a lot of the boxes in terms of styling, driving and overall quality, while some of the software and connectivity features have taken a little getting used to.


The media and key options are interesting though - I’d be curious to hear how you’ve found the phone-as-key setup in everyday use, and whether the software issues have improved with any updates since you first got the car?

Have you found anything about the Raval that has particularly impressed you since owning it?

To answer your last question first, "particularly impressed" means something that stands out against the rest of the pack. I guess that when properly configured (i.e. using a cable instead of wifi to connect to Android Auto or a flash drive) the Sennheiser sounds system coupled with the relatively low noise environment does exceed anything that I've owned before.

The phone-as-key setup simply does not work with my phone. Hence I my solution was to buy a second key.

The whole software thing just disappoints me. I really expected better. VAG is a huge group with enormous resources. I have found some of the design decisions that were made to be odd at best.

But in terms of the driving experience I think it's good, most certainly better than my Ateca Xcellence.

 

[alanjs]

We've had the car for a few days now. I ordered one in preference to an ID.Polo because of the design features, the sportier suspension setup across the range and because of the tech features in the Launch Edition being included in the price.

First impressions were that we loved the car, the styling, especially the new instrument cluster, the handling, it's quiet and relatively comfortable and lower energy consumption than the Born we had previously. Then the software failed us. infotainment screen hung and the lovely instrument cluster just went black. Having had experience with the Born, I just left it overnight and it managed to recover most functions. A quick drive fixed the rest. Par for the VAG course.

What has really, seriously annoyed us is the penny-pinching lack of a second key and the false advertising of the mythical "digital key" nonsense. I was one of the first to pre-order the V2LE and at that time there was no online option to buy a second key. When I finalised the order I asked for a second key to be added, but VAG would not allow the dealer to add it because the original order would have to be cancelled and a new order submitted. At that point I wasn't too concerned because we expected to be able to use the Digital Key, we could always set up the Smart Keycard and we could order a second actual key later. Well, after taking delivery, we discovered that a second key would cost a total of £350.00, we can't use the Digital Key because neither of our Android phones is compatible and we can't set up the Keycard because you have to set up the Digital Key first, which we can't do, so Catch 22 applies.

The car itself is everything we expected and we both really enjoy driving it, but that enjoyment has been seriously dented by the second key/ digital key issues. Nowhere in the advertising blurb does Cupra tell buyers that they'll have to go and buy a £1000.00 phone if they want to use the digital key.

Do you, as dealers, let your customers know about this before they place their order, or at least recommend adding the second key as part of the order?

 

[RPGWiZaRD]

Just curious, are you two drivers or one? I just wonder how much a problem having just one physical key is going to be if you are the sole user, at least I can't say I've ever needed two keys with my previous cars but maybe I've missed something?

 

[alanjs]

Just curious, are you two drivers or one? I just wonder how much a problem having just one physical key is going to be if you are the sole user, at least I can't say I've ever needed two keys with my previous cars but maybe I've missed something?

Two, and other keys on the keyring(s). We can get away with one but it's inconvenient.

 

[RPGWiZaRD]

Two, and other keys on the keyring(s). We can get away with one but it's inconvenient.

OK yea with two drivers I'd also go for two keys, one for each keyring especially as long as digital key isn't reliable.