Cupra Terramar Review 2025: Price, specs & boot space

Written by Ivan Aistrop
Quick overview
Pros
- Looks great
- Enjoyable to drive
- All versions well equipped
Cons
- Infotainment has usability issues
- PHEV not as dynamically polished as the petrol
- We suspect ride will feel firm on UK roads
Overall verdict on the Cupra Terramar
"If you’re wondering where the moniker ‘Terramar’ comes from, it’s named after an old banked race circuit in the Sitges area of Spain, near Barcelona, where Cupra first announced its intention to break away from SEAT and become its own sporty brand. Naming a midsize family SUV after a race circuit is a bit strange, right? Well, Cupra would have you believe that the Terramar is no ordinary SUV. We’ll discover whether that’s true in this Cupra Terramar review."

SEAT was traditionally seen as the sportiest member of the various Volkswagen brands, and when Cupra came along in 2018, it aimed to be sportier still. The Terramar, then, is aimed at the very sportiest end of the midsize family SUV spectrum.
Unsurprisingly, it shares its MQB Evo platform with the latest Volkswagen Tiguan, which is a very similar size, but aims to provide a much racier experience. It certainly looks more aggressive than its straight-suited sibling, with curvaceous lines, expressive detailing and a generally meaner, more menacing character. The interior is moodier, too with dark colour schemes interspersed with flashes of metallic trim in the brand’s trademark copper colour.
Inside, you get a very similar amount of space for passengers and luggage to that which you get in the Tiguan, meaning that it's practical enough to use as a family car. Standard equipment is generous on even the base-level trims, and the mandatory large-screened touch-sensitive infotainment system is present and correct. So is all the expected driver assistance tech. The prices of the higher-end versions look a bit steeper, but these come even more generously equipped. You also have the reassurance of an impressive five-year, 90,000-mile warranty.
Where the Cupra Terramar really needs to mark itself out, though, is on the road. And it’s pretty successful in that regard, based on what we’ve experienced. We’ve so far driven the most powerful petrol and plug-in hybrid versions, which are fitted as standard with an adaptive suspension (more modest versions have a passive suspension that’s lowered compared to the Tiguan to make it feel racier). This certainly gives you a feeling of connection with the road, while the steering is feelsome and beautifully weighted. The PHEV doesn’t feel as agile or as satisfying as the petrol we drove, but both are enjoyable. We must caveat all that by saying that our test drive took place on immaculate Spanish roads, so how the suspension deals with the UK’s lumpier surfaces remains a bit of a mystery, but we’ll let you know as soon as we find out.
All in all, the Cupra Terramar is a very convincing and compelling entrant into the midsize SUV market, and if you want you family carry-all to have something of a sporting edge, then we’d recommend you check it out, although orders won’t open until the end of November 2024, and the first cars won’t arrive in the UK until around March 2025.
Looking for a used car for sale? We've got 100s of Cupra Approved Used Cars for Sale, for you to choose from, including a wide range of Cupra Terramar cars for sale.
Is the Cupra Terramar right for you?
What’s the best Cupra Terramar model/engine to choose?
What other cars are similar to the Cupra Terramar?
Comfort and design: Cupra Terramar interior
"The interior design in the Terramar looks like it’s meant to reflect the aggressive, menacing attitude that Cupra is trying to achieve with the car."

As such, the colour schemes - three are available - are dark and moody, with a few flashes of bright metallic trim to provide a small amount of light relief, while you’ll also see plenty of bronze accents dotted about the place, Cupra’s trademark colour.
The dashboard layout takes the minimalist approach that is so fashionable these days, so there’s very little switchgear on display, so most functions are dealt with through the central touchscreen: more on that in a minute.
Cupra says that bucket seats are provided on all versions, but that being the case, they’re a little short on side support compared with other bucket seats we’ve encountered. They’re still comfy and supportive, though, and there’s plenty of adjustment to help you get comfy. On high-spec models, this adjustment is electric.
Quality and finish
Infotainment: Touchscreen, USB, nav and stereo in the Cupra Terramar
Space and practicality: Cupra Terramar boot space
Handling and ride quality: What is the Cupra Terramar like to drive?
"So far, we’ve driven two versions of the Terramar, the most powerful 265PS petrol version, and the most powerful 272PS plug-in hybrid version. Both of these are fitted as standard with adaptive dampers that vary their level of stiffness in various stages according to which of the driving modes you select. Regardless of this similarity, though, the two versions are rather different in how they behave on the road."

Let’s discuss the former first. You can certainly feel the difference in suspension stiffness as you scroll through the modes: the comfort-orientated ones certainly make things a little more forgiving, while the sportier ones introduce more of an edge and tie down body movements more effectively for sharper responses. Whatever your mode, however, the car changes direction with impressive crispness, with lots of grip and traction from the standard four-wheel drive, good resistance to body roll, and steering that feels responsive, connected, and beautifully weighted.
In terms of ride comfort, we found things to be impressively smooth and comfortable on the immaculate Spanish roads of our test routes, but on the few lumps and bumps we did encounter, we felt an inherent firmness that led us to believe that the Terramar might struggle a bit more to mop up the effects of your average battered British street. We can’t be sure that’s the case until we’ve tried it in such circumstances, though, so we’ll keep you posted once we do.
The same applies to the hybrid version, both on the underlying firmness issue, and the fact that we’ll have to try the car in the UK before we deliver a definitive verdict. Again, the differences in the suspension can be felt between the modes, even though these aren’t quite as pronounced as they are in the petrol. However, the ride in the PHEV generally feels a little firmer, with slightly more fidget and tremble than you feel in the petrol. It’s not uncomfortable (or at least it wasn’t on smooth Spanish roads), but it is a bit less comfortable. We suspect this might be due to the extra weight sitting on the springs, the PHEV weighing 154kg more than the petrol.
That extra weight can be felt in the handling, too. It feels a bit heavier in pretty much all driving situations: you feel more weight transfer as you change direction, the tyres have a slightly harder time gripping the Tarmac, and a lot more pressure needs to be put on the brake pedal to get the car to pull up. And that’s with both our test cars being fitted with optional Akebono brakes. The hybrid is still an enjoyable car to drive, but it just doesn’t flow from bend to bend quite as cleanly as the petrol.
Lesser versions of the Terramar are fitted as standard with passive (meaning non-adaptive) sports suspension that’s 10mm lower than the settings found on the VW Tiguan. Not only have we not tried that setup on British roads, we haven’t tried it at all, so we can’t say anything about what that might be like.
What engines and gearboxes are available in the Cupra Terramar?
Refinement and noise levels
Safety equipment: How safe is the Cupra Terramar?
MPG and fuel costs: What does a Cupra Terramar cost to run?
"With a variety of different powertrains on offer, it’s no surprise that there’s quite a bit of disparity between the official fuel economy figures for the various versions."

Go for the 265PS 2.0-litre petrol version, and the official WLTP fuel consumption figures stand at between 32.1 mpg and 33.6mpg on the combined cycle. Pretty thirsty, then.
Go for the 150PS 1.5-litre mild hybrid, and things get a bit better, with official figures sitting between 42.8mpg and 46.3mpg.
Official figures for the 272PS PHEV version stand at a frankly ludicrous 565mpg to 704mpg. Don’t be taken in, because the official tests are unrealistically flattering to plug-in hybrids, and you’re unlikely to get anywhere near that in real life. The simple fact is that if you keep your car charged up and only ever use the all-electric range of 70 miles to get around, then you’ll never use a drop of fuel. Regularly rely on the petrol motor, though, and you’ll use loads. As soon as the petrol engine kicks into life, it not only has to drag the weight of the car’s body around, but also the weight of the extra batteries and motors, and that will make it very thirsty indeed.
Cupra Terramar reliability and warranty
Cupra Terramar insurance groups and costs
VED car tax: What is the annual road tax on a Cupra Terramar?
Cupra Terramar price
"List prices for a brand new Terramar begin at just over £37,000, which is for the 150PS mild hybrid in V1 trim. Where the regular trims are concerned, they rise to around £50,000 for the VZ2 with the 272PS PHEV powertrain, but the limited-run First Edition and Americas Cup Edition models cost a wee bit more on top."

As regards finding a used example, it’s a wee bit early for that. The Terramar doesn’t even open for ordering until the back end of November 2024, and the first customer cars won’t arrive until March 2025 at the earliest, so it’ll be a while yet before you’ll find pre-registered examples and ex-demonstrator cars knocking about on the used car market.
Trim levels and standard equipment
Ask the heycar experts: common questions
Is the Cupra Terramar a good car?
Is the Cupra Terramar an SUV?
Is the Cupra Terramar electric?
Cupra Terramar cars for sale on heycar
Cupra Terramar1.5 eTSI 150 V2 5dr DSG
Petrol£38,462
DE248PUCupra Terramar1.5 eTSI 150 V2 5dr DSG
Petrol£38,462
DE248PUCupra Terramar1.5 eHybrid 272 VZ First Edition 5dr DSG
20251,500 milesHybrid£577 mo£44,995
DeliveryCupra Terramar1.5 eTSI 150 V2 5dr DSG
2025100 milesHybrid£437 mo£35,495
DeliveryCupra Terramar1.5 eTSI 150 V2 5dr DSG
20251,975 milesHybrid£389 mo£31,990
LE27JU
Cupra Terramar Alternatives
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