Cupra Tavascan

Cupra's first electric SUV has slightly sportier pretensions than many of its rivals. But will it be satisfying to live with? We've got six months to find out

- ALLAN MUIR [e-mail]

COPPER REALLY IS a gorgeous metal, isn’t it? Long-lasting, malleable, relatively light, aesthetically pleasing and a great conductor of electricity, it has been used since ancient times for everything from pipes and tools to the roofs of grand buildings. It’s also what the Statue of Liberty is made from, in case you didn't know. And it features liberally, inside and out, on my new Cupra Tavascan electric SUV, as it does on other models from the brand.

The alloy wheels, badges, seats, dashboard, steering wheel, doors... all of these areas of my car glow with the rich colour of copper, like something out of a steampunk fantasy. Okay, some of it is actually copper-coloured plastic, but it makes the car look classy and significantly more striking than the Volkswagen ID 5 with which it shares its basic shape and underpinnings. That's one of the reasons why I chose the Tavascan over any of its stablemates, including the reborn Ford Capri that colleague Mark Pearson went for (see page 82).