Car.co.uk Weekly News - May 28 2021

A New Cupra Is Born

In this week’s Car.co.uk news: Cupra reveals its first electric car, Jeep electrifies its Wrangler and we look at something very very very expensive from Rolls-Royce.

A new Cupra is born

It started off as the El-Born concept but apparently nobody really understood the name, so now Cupra has launched its electric hatchback, the Born. There’s a whole range of puns to have fun with here but we’ll behave like grown-ups for a moment and give you the facts. There will be three power options from 147bhp to 170bhp and battery choices providing a claimed range between 211 and 335 miles. The strongest 77kWh battery can recharge up to 125kW meaning it can 62 miles of range in just seven minutes on a fast charger.

The quickest version can hit 62mph in 6.6 seconds and some models feature an e-boost button, which gives you maximum power for a quick launch or overtake. Based on the Volkswagen Group MEB electrical platform, it’s basically the super cool cousin of the VW ID 3 and pricing will be announced later this year with first deliveries due early in 2022.

Jeep Wrangler gets plugged in

Jeep is gradually getting in to this whole hybrid and electric technology future. It introduced a plug-in hybrid option for the new Renegade and now it’s applying the same set-up to its icon, the Wrangler. Named the 4xe, it’s a plug-in hybrid that can cover up to 30 miles in electric mode. It can also drive in full all-wheel drive off-road using just electric power, perfect if you are driving through an African game reserve or past a field of horses on a local green lane in Oxfordshire. Combined with a 2.0 litre engine, the 4xe has 380hp and 637Nm of torque, more than enough to tackle the infamous Rubicon Trail.

Also featuring all-wheel drive is the new BMW M4 Convertible M Competition xDrive. BMW thinks that if it has a really long name then we might forget to mention that grille. Of course its all-wheel drive is not about going off-road, it’s to provide the best level of grip to make the most of the 510hp and 650Nm to get you to 62mph in just 3.7 seconds. Plus you can do this with the roof down, which is nice.

As we talking all-wheel drive, Ford has announced a special edition version of the awesome Ranger Raptor called, the Special Edition. They could have been more creative with the name but it’s already called the Raptor, so who cares. It will be available later this year and joins a whole bunch of other Ranger models with cool names as Ford continues development of the next generation.

And now for some expensive stuff

Bentley has revealed what it says is its sportiest Bentayga yet, the Bentayga S. It’s not as fast as the twelve-cylinder Bentayga Speed, but it’s been developed to be more dynamic, to handle the corners better and to look a little different to other Bentaygas in the football club car park, with unique design touches inside and out. 

Talking of slight changes, McLaren has added a windscreen to the Elva roadster. If you’re in the fortunate position of deciding not to buy one because it had no windscreen then now you can, lucky you. Essentially McLaren had to add the carbon fibre-framed glass to meet regulations in some parts of the US where it’s hoping it can increase the rather dismal sales for the model.

Finally, let’s talk ultimate exclusivity. Coachbuilding has been a thing since the car was invented, with the well-heeled wanting something unique to them. Few automakers have such an illustrious history in this regard as Rolls-Royce and now it has re-launched its coachbuilding service and revealed the Boatail. Three clients showed an interest in something super unique and super expensive that featured yachting inspiration and from these conversations the Boat Tail was conceived (not born, that would be Cupra). 

The Boat Tail has an aft deck, not a boot, which opens up at the touch of a button in a butterfly style to reveal what Rolls calls a “hosting suite.” Essentially there is everything you need for a small luxury occasion from drinks to chairs and a parasol. It’s all very grand and very expensive, with the Boat Tail being one of the most expensive Rolls-Royces ever made at around £20-million. We’ll take two.

 

Written by Mark Smyth