New Born Arriving Early March; Some Trepidation...

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jimjamming
Posts: 12
Joined: Tue Feb 07, 2023 2:41 pm

Post by jimjamming »

Hi all!

I'm James and I'm getting a Cupra Born V2 in Vapor Grey, with the option of a heat pump added. The car was ordered in May 2022, requesting a March delivery as that's when the contract on my current car (Mercedes A180) ends. Happily, it looks as though we're going to get the car in time, or even a little early. Keeping my fingers crossed, and hoping committing it to this forum doesn't jinx it...

As the date has got closer, I've got more nervous about moving to electric. I have a few friends and colleagues who drive electric cars, so I have some people whose brains I can pick. I don't have access to a charger at home, but I do at my work (25 mile journey) which makes up the majority of my driving. I do go on an occasional longer trip (2-3 monthly up to Hertforshire/Cambridgeshire from home in Kent, and once every 2 or 3 years to Scotland), but I think for the most part I should be able to get by with just charging a few times a week at work.

I've already downloaded a few apps for route-mapping with charging details (ZapMap and ABRP) and plan on paying for a subscription for ZapMap so I can use it whilst on the go through Android Auto.

I guess my main question would be to find out what I should be looking out for when I take posession of the car? Are there any common faults or things missing?

And then I imagine if I get into any bother or confusion I'll come on here and ask for advice! Fingers crossed for a smooth ride; I've had some cr*p luck with reliability on cars, so I'm hoping that Cupra will buck the trend.

Thanks!

User avatar
Daveion
Posts: 424
Joined: Wed Jun 08, 2022 8:32 pm

Post by Daveion »

Hi James welcome to the forum.
I think we have all had that cold feet moment in moving to an EV. I think you will get plenty of what to look out for and here are mine.
Transport blocks?? This is something that is mentioned a lot but I have no personal experience of it. A number of owners found they are not removed at pdi which leaves you without suspension travel. Others will write more I'm sure!
The car should have Cupra Mats. Mine didn't and it took me 2 weeks to get them.
Do your best at the dealership to get the app up and running properly. Things may have improved but back in June 22 dealerships struggled a bit and owners became frustrated.
Other than that make sure there is no minor scratched dings or wheel marks missed at pdi. Be happy with the finish.
Finally bad news travels faster than good news as we know so forums tend to discuss all the things that have gone wrong rather than posts about what a great car the Born is.
Great you can charge at work in absence of home charging. I'm sure you will not have any regrets.
Dave
Born V2-Tech L collected June 22
BMW Z4 e89 sDrive30i Highline
BMW Z4 e85 3.0i SE
Shahev
Posts: 112
Joined: Mon Jul 04, 2022 9:29 pm
Location: Bracknell

Post by Shahev »

James, we're probably getting our Born a week after you get yours. What we have done is to think ahead on the journeys we may undertake and as I already have a BMW EV I have trialed some of the routes and checked out charging options. Some charging stations are not easy to locate. Also found some local council car parks have slow but free chargers,handy on Sundays when parking could be free or very cheap.
Born 77 kw. V3. DCC Beats Heat Pump Firestorm
Cliffjp
Posts: 49
Joined: Fri Sep 02, 2022 8:12 pm

Post by Cliffjp »

You could ask the dealer to throw in something like a granny charger or rubber mats as a good will gesture. I managed to get the mats.
jimjamming
Posts: 12
Joined: Tue Feb 07, 2023 2:41 pm

Post by jimjamming »

Thanks everyone! My car is being delivered, so I don't think I'll have the same chance to ask a dealer to set things up, unfortunately. Not yet got a date for the delivery, but I'm hoping it'll be in the next fortnight!
WoT
Posts: 49
Joined: Thu Dec 01, 2022 3:47 pm

Post by WoT »

You will struggle with setting up the app. It asks for the VIN and ...well...i spent a couple of hours. So there are several hurdles right at the start.
And don't expect anything from the manual. If the dealer doesn't help you, come back to this forum.
The range issues are not a real problem. But the software is unfriendly.
58kwh v2 Dec 22
Elea4
Posts: 200
Joined: Fri Jun 10, 2022 5:19 pm

Post by Elea4 »

My 2 cents: I received my Born in November with Software version 3.2 and I had zero issues with registering the app. Never had any settings reset.

Once in a while the app is says my car is offline or that the doors are unlocked (when they clearly aren't) - other than that it's been OK. Other than turning on the heating 10min before jumping in the car, I don't use any routines so as a casual user I have no complaints.

My 360 degree cameras occasionally take a minute to go online - but the only thing that kinda gets on my nerves is when I switch to reverse and it randomly pops the car back into neutral for some unknown reason. User error? Also not really a fan of the hard plastic interior compared to my father's Mk 7.5 Golf R.

It's a pleasure to drive. Happy owner here.
alanjs
Posts: 151
Joined: Mon Jun 27, 2022 3:14 pm

Post by alanjs »

WoT wrote: Mon Feb 27, 2023 7:23 pm You will struggle with setting up the app. It asks for the VIN and ...well...i spent a couple of hours. So there are several hurdles right at the start.
And don't expect anything from the manual. If the dealer doesn't help you, come back to this forum.
The range issues are not a real problem. But the software is unfriendly.
The dealer set mine up on site. Well done Tyrese at Bristol Street Motors! I've had no problems with the app but really only use it to make sure the charging (at home) is done at set times and not started immediately, and to check the range . I recently updated it and there is now a function to show your current mileage, but not much else that I have seen.
Born V3, Aurora Blue, Tech (M) pack, Firestorm wheels, Pano roof
Ordered 21 June, 2022, delivered 17 Jan 2023
Ben88
Posts: 38
Joined: Sat Feb 18, 2023 3:44 pm

Post by Ben88 »

Elea4 wrote: Mon Feb 27, 2023 7:41 pm My 2 cents: I received my Born in November with Software version 3.2 and I had zero issues with registering the app. Never had any settings reset.

Once in a while the app is says my car is offline or that the doors are unlocked (when they clearly aren't) - other than that it's been OK. Other than turning on the heating 10min before jumping in the car, I don't use any routines so as a casual user I have no complaints.

My 360 degree cameras occasionally take a minute to go online - but the only thing that kinda gets on my nerves is when I switch to reverse and it randomly pops the car back into neutral for some unknown reason. User error? Also not really a fan of the hard plastic interior compared to my father's Mk 7.5 Golf R.

It's a pleasure to drive. Happy owner here.
The interior is a downgrade from a golf, I didn’t like the shape of the window glass in the born that jagged corner lol.
Cost cutting plays a role when trying to manufacture a ICE car and an EV at the same time.
IMO it’s much better then the ID3 though, I did hear that VAG are revising the materials used in the ID3 so maybe the cupra might get a change.
I’ve got a golf GTI, so I know the hard plastic was a painful pill to swallow haha.
In years to come the interiors will get better, I test drove the Volvo C40 and the interior was quality, I’ve seen hard plastic in BMW’s!
monkeyhanger
Posts: 565
Joined: Tue May 31, 2022 8:12 pm

Post by monkeyhanger »

Ben88 wrote: Wed Mar 01, 2023 5:54 am
Elea4 wrote: Mon Feb 27, 2023 7:41 pm My 2 cents: I received my Born in November with Software version 3.2 and I had zero issues with registering the app. Never had any settings reset.

Once in a while the app is says my car is offline or that the doors are unlocked (when they clearly aren't) - other than that it's been OK. Other than turning on the heating 10min before jumping in the car, I don't use any routines so as a casual user I have no complaints.

My 360 degree cameras occasionally take a minute to go online - but the only thing that kinda gets on my nerves is when I switch to reverse and it randomly pops the car back into neutral for some unknown reason. User error? Also not really a fan of the hard plastic interior compared to my father's Mk 7.5 Golf R.

It's a pleasure to drive. Happy owner here.
The interior is a downgrade from a golf, I didn’t like the shape of the window glass in the born that jagged corner lol.
Cost cutting plays a role when trying to manufacture a ICE car and an EV at the same time.
IMO it’s much better then the ID3 though, I did hear that VAG are revising the materials used in the ID3 so maybe the cupra might get a change.
I’ve got a golf GTI, so I know the hard plastic was a painful pill to swallow haha.
In years to come the interiors will get better, I test drove the Volvo C40 and the interior was quality, I’ve seen hard plastic in BMW’s!
Which Golf are you comparing to? The MK8 Golf interior is quite a downgrade vs the MK7, and even the 7.5 saw a little bit of cost cutting. As someone who doesn't stroke or prod the door cards, I think they've done a decent job with the Cupra door cards in that even though they're a little harder than the softest top bits of a Golf door card, they look like they'd be soft in that they're fairly matte in appearance (rather than glossy). The Golf is full of hard plastics below the eyeline. I do think that VAG interiors in general are getting a bit cheaper. The T-ROC's seems like an experiment by VW to see how cheap they can get away with.

That dash window is the reason why the ID3 and Born have such a big interior - that dash is set a lot further forward than in a Golf. I do think the Birn is pretty much the best looking EV out there right now, there are very few EV hatchbacks out there right now, most are SUVs and even some of the saloon looking ones are quite odd looking.

I really don't see why marques cheap out on interior, the cost of making it better with material choices is pretty low, but has a huge impact on perceptions of quality.
2022 V2 E-Boost L-Tech Pack - Aurora Blue
2023 Audi S3 - to avoid rapid charging on long journeys.

Octopus referral: https://share.octopus.energy/lush-fawn-565
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