Cupra Born detailed for Australia

Cupra Australia has confirmed the 2023 Cupra Born electric hatch will be offered Down Under only in a single long-range variant when it arrives here in March or April next year.

The revelation doesn’t come as too much of surprise given carsales’ discovery of the Born’s local homologation data last month, but at least now we know exactly what toys the battery-powered rear-wheel drive hot hatch will come with.

As anticipated, all Australian-delivered Cupra Borns will feature the larger 82kWh battery pack that yields an ADR-certified driving range of up to 510km from a single charge.

The extra bulk of the long-range battery inevitably adds weight, which in turn blunts the 170kW/310kW Born’s 0-100km/h time from 6.6 seconds to seven flat, but that doesn’t seem to be bothering Aussies too much given the amount of local interest already recorded by Cupra Australia.

“The hotly anticipated next Cupra has accumulated significant interest in Australia, with the second-highest number of registered enquires behind only the Formentor plug-in hybrid,” a local spokesperson said.

Like most Cupra products to date, the Born will be offered in Australia packed to the roof with standard equipment, with just some of the headline features comprising a 12-inch infotainment interface and a 5.3-inch driver’s display, plus smartphone mirroring, adaptive cruise control, wireless phone charging, ambient lighting, dual-zone climate control and bucket front seats.

Other highlights include automatic LED headlights, tyre pressure monitoring, heated steering wheel, auto-dimming rear-view mirror, 360-degree camera, sports pedals and keyless entry.

The whole package rolls on 19-inch alloys and a sports suspension tune as standard, however, 20-inch hoops and adaptive dampers are available via the optional Performance Pack, which also throws in 235-section Michelin Pilot Sport 4 rubber and a four-seat cabin layout as opposed to the standard five.

While the bigger wheels and stickier tyres theoretically go hand-in-hand with the adaptive dampers to sharpen up the body control, they also reduce the driving range down to 475km due to the increased rolling resistance.

The optional Interior Package, meanwhile, has no impact on the Born’s ultimate driving range and nets buyers even more creature comforts including ‘aurora blue’ Diminica upholstery, 12-way power adjustment, massage and heating functions for the front seats, the aforementioned four-seat layout, heated washing jets and a nine-speaker Beats sound system.

Boot space is rated at a segment-appropriate 385 litres.

As usual for a Cupra, the Born is brimming with most of the latest active and passive safety features including autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection, lane assist, park assist, side assist, rear-cross traffic alert, exit warning, driver fatigue warning and pre-crash assist.

Cupra Australia is yet to confirm local pricing of the Born, but promises it will be “class leading”.

“The Born is a BEV with a long 500km-plus range, exclusive rear-wheel-drive hot hatch dynamics, plus the interior space and versatility of a larger vehicle,” Cupra Australia director Ben Wilks said.

“Its specifications are ideal for progressive Australian customers who will also be drawn to pricing similar to our other great hot hatch, the Leon VZx.”

Pricing for the new Cupra Born and its two option packs will be announced at a later date.

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