CUPRA Raval: How it spices up the small electric car formula
The centrepiece of the cabin, however, is the lighting. CUPRA calls it ‘Smart Light Next Generation’, and it goes far beyond ambient mood-setting. Integrated into the dashboard, it communicates with the driver: flashing for blind-spot warnings, pulsing during flat-out launches and shifting through colours as driving modes change. Dynamic door projections – a first for this class of car – pour vivid light patterns onto the door panels themselves, casting fluid graphics that ebb and flow with the driving experience. It’s theatrical, immersive and thoroughly addictive.
Materials rise impressively with the trim level. The entry-level Pulse trim uses sport seats in recycled fabric. Immersive trim brings electrically adjustable bucket seats in Dinamica microfibre (73% recycled). Feel trim introduces vegan leather bucket seats. At the top sits the Ahead Pack featuring Cup bucket seats with 3D-knitted upholstery – knitted per order from 100% recycled material sourced near Barcelona, another class-first – and 3D-printed dashboard inserts. In a car costing £24,000–£36,000, it’s an impressive level of bespoke detail.
Performance: more than the numbers suggest
Even the standard Raval is built on engineering most small EV rivals cannot match. The chassis sits 15mm lower than the base MEB+ platform, with track width widened by 10mm on both axles. Progressive steering, front and rear disc brakes, and a ‘one box’ electronic braking system – the first in a CUPRA, merging brake servo and ESC modules – give the car a coherence and pedal feel absent from most A-segment competitors. Dynamic Chassis Control adaptive suspension offers up to 15 levels of adjustment, from urban compliance to a noticeably firmer CUPRA mode.
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