zzdcar
Home
/
Reviews
/
Culture
/
Cupra's Cute El-Born EV Will Have Equally Cute Push-To-Pass Button
Cupra's Cute El-Born EV Will Have Equally Cute Push-To-Pass Button-September 2024
2024-02-19 EST 22:12:28

Image for article titled Cupra's Cute El-Born EV Will Have Equally Cute Push-To-Pass Button

The Cupra El-Born is like a more mischievous-looking version of , but the Spanish automaker says you shouldn’t chalk up the differences between the cars to merely sheet metal alone. That’s because the El-Born will have something the ID.3 doesn’t: push-to-pass.

That’s right, this all-electric hatchback (or is it a tiny crossover? I can’t decide) will have a button you’ll press to temporarily raise output, like an IndyCar car or something. Isn’t that adorable? Wayne Griffiths, president of both Cupra and Seat, revealed the feature to late last week.

Some electric cars accelerate very quickly, but the ID.3 is not one of them, as quotes a 0-60 mph time of 7.3 seconds. That’s certainly not terrible for an ordinary hatch, but it does offer some room for improvement, which is perhaps why Cupra saw fit to add push-to-pass. And yes — I know people won’t exclusively be using this for passing, but calling it push-to-pass is far more amusing and aspirational to me than “boost” or “power mode.”

Whatever you call the button, don’t expect to lay on it all the time. I suppose you could if you wanted to really challenge Cupra’s 310-mile range estimate. Additionally, Griffiths claims the El-Born will differ from its German cousin in other fun ways, too:

“Things like ‘boost on demand’, the sporty suspension, the steering, the brakes, the whole handling experience. And we’re looking to do even higher powered versions of the Cupra El-Born,” says Griffiths.

“I’ve driven both [the ID.3 and the El-Born] and I think the Cupra is ‘a Cupra’. It is important that the Cupra stays authentic, in terms of handling. Pure electric cars that are designed in a different way, and when you get into cornering, handling, braking, steering, I think there’s a big amount of differentiation you can create there.”

I’m curious as to how deeply Cupra can “differentiate” its version of the ID.3, especially when it’s starting with the same guts. Griffiths didn’t speak to how much boost you’ll get when you push the button, nor how long it’ll last. And as much as I’d like to hop over to Spain and pay Cupra a visit to answer these questions personally, I sense that’s not going to happen anytime soon. I know, I know — I’m just as disappointed as you.

The El-Born does at least look sportier than the ID.3 and wears its stubby front end a little more confidently, to my eyes. This is a sharply styled little hatch — less see if Cupra can succeed in making it feel a little sharper behind the wheel, too.

Comments
Welcome to zzdcar comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.
Sign up to post
Sort by
Show More Comments
Culture
The 2022 Ford Maverick Hybrid Pickup Truck And An Old VW Beetle Share At Least One Technical Quirk
The 2022 Ford Maverick Hybrid Pickup Truck And An Old VW Beetle Share At Least One Technical Quirk
The greater community of truck-lovers and those who are truck-curious are still talking about . It’s $20,000 and gets 40 mpg, and is notable for being the first pickup sold with a standard hybrid drivetrain. It’s interesting! At the same time, it’s a pretty straightforward machine, without a lot...
Sep 12, 2025
Blip: This Is Where The People Go
Blip: This Is Where The People Go
I’m not exactly sure why this old Subaru Sambar ad needed to show where the driver sits—there’s pretty much no other possible place it could be, or another position they could be in. Were they clearing up a rumor that to drive these, you sat on your knees and...
Sep 12, 2025
Volkswagen Wants You To Know The Arteon Still Exists
Volkswagen Wants You To Know The Arteon Still Exists
The Volkswagen Arteon does not sell. Same ol’ sotry: Sedans are dying because of crossovers, blah, blah. Whatever. The rise of the CUV or . But the Arteon doesn’t get attention like that; it . VW only moved 3,998 last year and so far this year only 1,100 have...
Sep 12, 2025
Driver Bashes 11-Foot-8 Bridge With Crane, Gets Owned
Driver Bashes 11-Foot-8 Bridge With Crane, Gets Owned
Our old pal, the famous bridge has really been bringing it lately, pushing the limits of its own peculiar art form, that are to safely drive under it. Just recently the bridge got a bit of pushback from one of its victims. Unsurprisingly, the bridge won in the end, because...
Sep 12, 2025
Tesla Is Trying To Stay A Step Ahead With The Model S Plaid
Tesla Is Trying To Stay A Step Ahead With The Model S Plaid
The Tesla Model S Plaid will debut at an event Thursday night, Volkswagen thinks the global chip shortage might soon ease, and Jim Farley. All that and more in for June 10, 2021. I went to a Volvo event in Manhattan Tuesday night, and at some point the conversation...
Sep 12, 2025
I'm Sorry To Say That Bonkers Tweet About The Big Rig Driver Who Looks Like Amy Schumer Is A Joke
I'm Sorry To Say That Bonkers Tweet About The Big Rig Driver Who Looks Like Amy Schumer Is A Joke
It’s possible you may have noticed that comedian Amy Schumer was trending on twitter today, something I’m not sure I’d ordinarily even notice, but the reason for it was something special: that featured a big rig driver that looked uncannily like Amy Schumer, only with a goofily vulgar T-shirt,...
Sep 12, 2025
Copyright 2023-2025 - www.zzdcar.com All Rights Reserved