Should I buy a Born until the issues are resolved

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FozzieBear
Posts: 6
Joined: Sun Mar 19, 2023 8:22 pm

Post by FozzieBear »

Hi All,
I have joined this forum as I am considering purchasing a Born over an ID3. I have read loads of reviews and watched numerous Youtube videos about the Born and comparison with the iD3. Most reviewers love the Born and prefer it to the ID3 in terms of styling and looks, however there are three things that come up time and time again.
  • Haptic controls on the climate control and on the steering wheel,
    Sluggish software on the display and
    A potential blind spot caused by the front pillar.
I have read that the new CEO of Volkswagen is working to resolve the Haptics criticism and touch screen lag by changing the steering wheels controls back to buttons and improving the software on the display. Some articles say the software is being resolved by over the air updates but physical things like the steering wheel change (and backlights on climate control) won't be available until sometime this year? Does anyone know if the same applies to Cupra which suffers from the same issues. Are new builds later this autumn being fitted with modified steering wheels?
Also we currently have a BMW 2 Series Touring which also has a bulky A pillar and causes a blind spot. From first looks the Born and iD3 seem to have slimmer A posts and slightly larger fly windows than the BMW.
Does anyone find the door pillar a real blindspot problem or have you got used to it?

One reviewer says paint is quite soft and easily marked by pidgeon s**t. Any truth in that too?
Many thanks in advance
Fozzie

monkeyhanger
Posts: 565
Joined: Tue May 31, 2022 8:12 pm

Post by monkeyhanger »

Bird Shite marks all modern cars with water based paints, you can't get away from it, no matter the marque. If it does leave a mark after its all washed off, if easily buffs out with a polisher. Hasn't happened with the Borns we have, but one of our ID3s looked to have been in outside storage when we got it. Had a few bird lime scars on the car that came out with a quick buzz out from my random orbital sander.

Haptic buttons? Really not a bother and you quickly get used to them unless you're a motor journalist who's got the car for 30 mins and will be supercritical about something they've not got time to adjust to.

The A pillar is intrusive vs a car without a fly window (e.g. Golf). You adjust to that too.

MMI is marginally quicker than the ID3's. It's the worst thing about the car, but the rest of the car is so good, you'll forgive the MMI.

The ID3 is a great car, the Cupra Born is even better (and better to look at inside and out). I've had both, the crazy used prices of ID3 last year allowed me to pretty much swap a year old ID3 for a brand new Born.

I'm getting rid of one of our Borns (we have 2), because I need to do long trips more frequently,with a heavy reliance on Rapid charging - which can be a total PITA. If you do most of your Driving within the range of the car and have a home charger (which one of our cars does), BEV ownership is great. The Born is a great car to drive.
2022 V2 E-Boost L-Tech Pack - Aurora Blue
2023 Audi S3 - to avoid rapid charging on long journeys.

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FozzieBear
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Joined: Sun Mar 19, 2023 8:22 pm

Post by FozzieBear »

Many thanks @Monkeyhanger, I really appreciate you taking time to respond.
Fozzie
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Daveion
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Joined: Wed Jun 08, 2022 8:32 pm

Post by Daveion »

Like Monkey hanger I have had an ID3 and now a Born since June 22. There is a lot said about issues of both cars and although some can be an irritation it's not like a long walk with a stone in your shoe. I adapted to the haptic buttons in no time at all. I occasionally touch a button on the wheel by accident but it's rare. Some on the forum like me will rush to the cars defence because as an overall package its a great. Others find what I consider to be the minor irritations to be deal breakers and can't wait to change.
As said on the previous post. If your driving is within the range of the car, particularly in the Winter months, and you have a home charger to obtain the reduced overnight energy tariff it's a really great car package. The drive and ride is great for such a heavy car, its no slouch and there is wide range of modes to select for your choice of driving. No issues for me, just minor irritations that barely deminish its appeal.
Born V2-Tech L collected June 22
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mluisbrown
Posts: 137
Joined: Wed Mar 08, 2023 4:46 pm
Location: Lisbon, Portugal

Post by mluisbrown »

monkeyhanger wrote:with a heavy reliance on Rapid charging - which can be a total PITA
A PITA because of the charging infrastructure in the UK, or because of issues with the Born related to fast charging?

I've had my Born a couple of weeks now and have only fast charged it once with no issues. The rest of the time I've only used my home charger.

Regarding the haptic buttons, I've already got used to it and the reviewers made a massive deal about something that really isn't an issue IMO.
2023 Born 58kWh, Glacial White, 19" Typhoon Copper, Skyline, Blue Dinamica electric seats, Cargo, Privacy, Pilot M+, Tech M
2003 Audi A3 8L 1.9TDi PD 130 with 360,000kms.
FozzieBear
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Joined: Sun Mar 19, 2023 8:22 pm

Post by FozzieBear »

Many thanks Daveion and mluisbrown for your useful insights it is much appreciated. We will be primarily doing short journeys of under 20 miles so a home charger should be fine. I am currently debating whether to get a 7Kw or 11Kw charger installed. The latter requires 3 phase (which the property has) but would mean running a new 3 phase wire armoured cable from the meter to the detached garage.
Fozzie
monkeyhanger
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Post by monkeyhanger »

mluisbrown wrote: Mon Mar 20, 2023 3:29 pm
monkeyhanger wrote:with a heavy reliance on Rapid charging - which can be a total PITA
A PITA because of the charging infrastructure in the UK, or because of issues with the Born related to fast charging?

I've had my Born a couple of weeks now and have only fast charged it once with no issues. The rest of the time I've only used my home charger.

Regarding the haptic buttons, I've already got used to it and the reviewers made a massive deal about something that really isn't an issue IMO.
Charging infrastructure and cost. More often than not now, I find myself waiting to use a rapid at motorway service stations (where you want your rapids to be, at the places you pass when doing your longest journeys). EV numbers have shot up, the number of rapids at motorway services have not. Winter efficiency is poor (this is not a Born thing, this is an EV thing), and given the cost at the rapids, with 2.8 miles per kWh doing 70mph at 0C, with cabin heating on at a minimal 16C, you are talking 140 miles effective range and 25p a mile "fuel" costs. Usually coupled with a 40 mins charging break for every 2 hours driving.

The current crop of EVs are great for <150 mile Winter motorway range and <210 mile Summer range. When you start needing to rely on rapids, that's when things aren't as rosy.
2022 V2 E-Boost L-Tech Pack - Aurora Blue
2023 Audi S3 - to avoid rapid charging on long journeys.

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daern
Posts: 177
Joined: Wed Jul 20, 2022 1:31 pm

Post by daern »

FozzieBear wrote: Mon Mar 20, 2023 4:58 pm Many thanks Daveion and mluisbrown for your useful insights it is much appreciated. We will be primarily doing short journeys of under 20 miles so a home charger should be fine. I am currently debating whether to get a 7Kw or 11Kw charger installed. The latter requires 3 phase (which the property has) but would mean running a new 3 phase wire armoured cable from the meter to the detached garage.
Fozzie
I guess only you know your own use case, but my 7kW can put 50-55% charge back in the battery in the 4 hours of cheap electricity that I get with Bulb, which is plenty for most of my usage which is mostly between 20-80%. Generally, the only reason that would justify a more powerful charger would be to put more in, in a shorter time period, but I'd probably just get an electricity contract with a longer overnight window instead and charge it for a bit longer.

We also thought we'd need a more powerful charger, but the reality is that, with the exception of wanting to charge in a narrow window of cheap power, we'd probably be fine with a granny charger most of the time!

The excellent Technology Connections did a video about EV ownership and while it's somewhat US-centric, much of the advice on selecting chargers is relevant:



(tl;dw: you probably don't need as big a charger as you think you need)
FozzieBear
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Post by FozzieBear »

daern wrote: Tue Mar 21, 2023 9:07 am
I guess only you know your own use case, but my 7kW can put 50-55% charge back in the battery in the 4 hours of cheap electricity that I get with Bulb, which is plenty for most of my usage which is mostly between 20-80%. Generally, the only reason that would justify a more powerful charger would be to put more in, in a shorter time period, but I'd probably just get an electricity contract with a longer overnight window instead and charge it for a bit longer.

We also thought we'd need a more powerful charger, but the reality is that, with the exception of wanting to charge in a narrow window of cheap power, we'd probably be fine with a granny charger most of the time!

The excellent Technology Connections did a video about EV ownership and while it's somewhat US-centric, much of the advice on selecting chargers is relevant:



(tl;dw: you probably don't need as big a charger as you think you need)
Many thanks for that extremely informative video which has made me realise a 7Kw charger is more than sufficient for our needs. I suppose I was in the "do it once and do it properly" frame of mind and trying to consider future perhaps larger vehicles but our daily journeys would be easily covered by an overnight charge. Iam also considering Solar Panels so keeping to a single phase charger would be more compatible with solar panel systems
Fozzie
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CupraV3
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Post by CupraV3 »

Just wanted to chime in and give my experience as a Born wonder since last November. Personally I think the car is one of there nicest EV's in its price range on the roads today and always gets plenty on looks. Forums can paint any car or product in a bad light as you very often have the same few harping on about some minor thing they have become irrationally obsessed about.

As for the points you raised:

* Haptic controls on the climate control and on the steering wheel - Total non issue for me, I don't hold the wheel at 9:15, more like 10:10 so never accidentally touch them. I have also seen reviewers moan about their functionality, again they are perfectly fine and take about a day before you are completely used to them.
* Sluggish software on the display - This is true and is a mild annoyance, someone on here sold their car because of it which seems extreme, but I can live with it as the positives of the car far outweigh it.
* A potential blind spot caused by the front pillar - Coming from a 2017 Audi TT Coupe, I noticed the pillar straight away, I find it obscures the kerb a little when you are hugging a corner very tightly. But for day to day driving again it's something that you forget about soon enough.

Right now I would be hard pressed to pick another EV over it in the same price range, and hope Cupra has a long future ahead of them.
Cupra Born | V3 | Aurora Blue | e-Boost | 20" 'Blizzard' Wheels | Panoramic Roof | Easee One Charging Robot
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