• Cool and distinctive interior
• Superb seats, especially on higher-spec models
• Interior quality not quite up to its premium pricing

How is the quality and layout?

It’s… different. But that’s not such a bad thing considering Cupra is supposed to be a disruptor brand that’ll challenge the established car companies. The cabin is remarkably similar to the Tavascan concept we saw back in 2019, sharing the same floating centre console, curvy dashboard and massive infotainment system. It’s interesting to look at, with Cupra’s trademark copper detailing really helping to lift the ambiance compared to plainer rivals such as the Skoda Enyaq Coupe. 

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But it’s far from perfect. The interior plastics are too hard for a car with such premium aspirations and the haptic steering wheel buttons are utterly idiotic, as you’re constantly mis-clicking them when twirling the wheel. It’s one of those cars that looks impressive at first glance but starts to disappoint a bit on closer inspection. 

Infotainment and tech

The Tavascan is packed to the rafters with technology, with one of the most notable being the huge 15.0-inch touchscreen fitted to every model. Though it still handles most functions, and there are few physical buttons, we’ve found it responsive and easy to use for the most part, with big icons to make finding the right information easier. You can also configure your own shortcuts to your most-used features, though in our long-term car it would never ‘remember’ these for the next time you started the car, which proved quite irksome. 

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Other impressive bits of tech include its fancy 3D rear lights that do a particularly striking sequence when you lock and unlock the car, as well as its vast array of driver assistance tech. Upgrade to V2 models and you also get ‘immersive’ ambient lighting, which it must be said is pretty cool at night, as well as an augmented reality head-up display that’s able to display ‘live’ direction arrows for the sat nav. 

Comfort

• Superb front seats and plenty of adjustment
• Very refined to travel in
• Rear seats noticeably less comfortable than the front

One thing Cupra repeatedly does very well on its cars are the front seats and the Tavascan’s are no exception. The firm calls them ‘bucket seats’ and while not strictly true, they are much sportier than those you’ll find in most rivals, and look great regardless of the version you choose. A heated steering wheel is also standard 

Entry-level models get cloth seats, with V2 and VZ1 versions coming with electric and heated front seats trimmed in suede, while the top-spec VZ2 (which our long-term test car was) gets leather ‘cup’ bucket seats that have a hard shell. They really are superb, and also get a ventilated function, too. 

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Rear passengers won’t be quite so impressed, though, as ride comfort noticeably dives when sat in the back. We had several passengers say it was quite bouncy to sit in the rear.