RAV 4 THE PEOPLE (some text hidden) --NONE--

By Jonathan Crouch

The CUPRA Raval is a very complete little EV, thinks Jonathan Crouch.

Ten Second Reviewword count: 50

The smallest CUPRA yet is perhaps the company's best. Though this compact stylish little EV is, like the brand's other models, a shared VW Group design, it's more 'CUPRA' than any of the marque's previous designs. If you're shopping in this segment, this car ought to be on your list.

Backgroundword count: 189

Arguably the VW Group's most important brand right now is CUPRA. And arguably CUPRA's most important car is this one, the Raval. This little EV is the smallest car the Spanish maker has yet made and it's the first one not be fundamentally a Volkswagen in a pretty Iberian frock. That's because for the first time, CUPRA has led development of a family of similarly-sized and engineered VW Group models - Wolfsburg's so-called 'Electric Urban Car Family' which, along with the Raval, has produced the Skoda Epiq and two Volkswagens, the ID.Polo and the ID.Cross. CUPRA has certainly earned the opportunity, managing to sell well over a million cars since the brand was first launched back in 2018. We waited a long time for a really compact one, despite the promise of the Urban Rebel concept in 2021, which was followed by the Raval concept car in 2023. The 'Raval' moniker is borrowed from the name of a formally dodgy but now trendy neighbourhood in Barcelona which now has a fashion-conscious vibe CUPRA hopes is reflected by this little electric urban runabout. So, style with substance? Let's find out.

Engines and Tech Specword count: 269

As its name suggests, this Raval's MEB+ platform shares much with the MEB chassis used by the brand's larger Born EV. The fundamental difference here though is that the electric motor is mounted at the front, rather than at the back. And, as with the Born, no matter how fast your chosen Raval is, it'll only have one motor. Which puts out either 115PS or 135PS with the base 37kWh battery, a Lithium-ion Phosphate pack that takes the car a modest 186 miles. Unless you're exclusively urban-based, you'll probably prefer to choose this CUPRA in its longer-ranging 52kWh form, where there's a quite different Nickel-Manganese Cobalt battery with a quite different range figure - up to 279 miles. The larger battery models get a more powerful 210PS front motor to compensate for the extra weight. This is tuned up to 225PS with the top VZ version, though that drops range to about 248 miles. That VZ variant features wider tyres and a limited-slip differential (that key final feature lacking from some important rivals like the Alpine A290). There's also a 'sport chassis' with DCC adaptive damping, along with a 10mm wider track and a bespoke steering tune. A unique 'Sport' mode on the VZ engages traction control and the provided 'E-Launch' launch control system, along with a special sequence of driver display animations, interior lighting and start-up sounds. VZ is short for 'veloz' in Spanish ('speed' in English) and, sure enough, 0-62mph in the VZ takes under 7s en route to 109mph. All Ravals get brake regen steering wheel paddles, with near 'one-pedal' driving possible on the fiercest setting.

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