Cupra Born 2023

First impressions in the Cupra Born are positive, with easy entry and egress via wide doors, while exceptional forward vision, aided by thin pillars and deep glass areas, do plenty to make the occupants feel at ease.

Space wise, the Born sits somewhere between a VW Polo and Golf, though it is closer to the latter overall.

The dashboard is clean if a bit cold and quite minimalist, and generally as you’d expect a modern VW to be, particularly if you’re used to a Golf.

Stylish and contemporary, with eye-catching details and textures, it is a nice thing to behold, but you also have to familiarise yourself with how to operate some of the basic items, such as the climate control and multimedia systems.

Other noteworthy items include an all-digital instrumentation, twist-action gear lever sited to the right of the dash, an attractive steering wheel, effective ventilation and plentiful storage ­– including the huge door bins.

And out back, it turns out that the Born isn’t quite as compact as it seems, with ample legroom as well as headroom for most people. Useful amenities include a folding centre armrest with cupholders and a ski-port, USB outlets and hungry door bins.

On the other hand, the multimedia system is difficult to fathom beyond the home screen, the slide controls for heating and cooling are fiddly, some of the plastics aren’t of a quality you’d expect from a VW Group product, and you won’t find a spare wheel anywhere – just a tyre repair kit.