Compact SUV was previewed almost two years ago and will run a mix of ICE and hybrid powertrains
https://www.carscoops.com/author/chris-chilton-cc/
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by Chris Chilton
2 hours ago
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While Seat is preparing to wind down its car-making activities, Cupra, the brand Seat spawned, is heading in the other direction and is about to launch even more products.
One of those is the Tavascan, a more macho take on VW’s ID.4 electric SUV, and the other is the SUV you see here, the Terramar, which Cupra previewed at its Unstoppable Impulse event two years ago and says will be their last new vehicle with combustion power.
The Terramar takes its name from the Autódromo de Sitges-Terramar historic racing circuit in Barcelona, Spain, but it takes its engineering lead from Wolfsburg, Germany. The SUV is Cupra’s answer to the VW Tiguan and shares its MQB platform and running gear with the VW. Audi’s next Q3 will also be part of that mix and the Cupra will be built at Audi’s Gyor plant in Hungary.
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Related: Cupra Terramar Mule Spied Wearing Audi Q3’s Body
Not many Terramar buyers will be immediately alerted to the connection when they walk into the showroom. The 4.5 m (177 inches) Cupra SUV has a stronger, less curvy look than the Tiguan and a far more aggressive face with a wide grille, pointy headlights, and a pair of muscular creases in the hood that a designer might have used to signify the presence of a V6 in the old days.
But the Terramar will in fact get the same 1.5-liter and 2.0-liter inline four-cylinder engines as the Tiguan, some with mild-hybrid tech and some with full PHEV assistance. The VW offers 201 hp (204 PS) and 268 hp (272 PS) versions of the eHybrid plug-ins, each fitted with a 19.7 kWh battery, and if Cupra sticks with the same power pack we should be looking at a similar 62 miles (100 km) of electric range. All-wheel drive will be optional, but there’ll be no choice regarding transmissions: a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox will be compulsory.
Back in 2022, Cupra was making enthusiastic noises about bringing the brand to America, and though we’ve not heard any more on that since, the Terramar would be the ideal model to help spearhead that charge.
