Cupra Terramar

FIRST UK DRIVE Boldly styled new SUV offers a sporty option to buyers after a family SUV

- Dean Gibson

THE new Cupra Terramar slots into the brand's line-up above the Formentor, and will eventually replace the ageing Ateca, although the two will be sold side-by-side for a while. Prices start from around £37,500 for the new car in V1 trim, while the more powerful 2.0-litre petrol and 1.5 TSI PHEV are both offered with two outputs.

Here we're trying the most powerful model in the line-up, the 268bhp e-Hybrid, in First Edition trim, which throws loads of goodies into the mix. It is a pricey option, coming in at just under £52,000, but it provides an insight into where the Terramar fits into the compact family-SUV sector.

Initial impressions are good, because the Terramar looks very smart. Overall, it's a well proportioned car, with funky LED lights front and rear that have a triangular theme. But we're not convinced by Cupra's latest 'bullnose' styling, and there are a lot of slats and openings at the front.

Inside the layout is very appealing, though, with sporty bucket seats that don't hug you as tightly as proper race seats, and a design that looks smart, courtesy of the copper detailing, sharp screens and LED light bar that runs across the full width of the dashboard at the base of the windscreen.