Sit back and relax in this sporty little number

Sitting comfortably, the dashboard comes to life at the press of a round button on the steering wheel.

One of the first readouts to catch my eye on the bottom of the virtual dashboard reads 600 miles – that’s distance to empty.

That’s job done then and I instantly feel at home with Cupra’s latest model, the Terramar.

Six hundred miles on a tank of fuel is impressive and shows how far Cupra has come in terms of petrol engine development.

The mild hybrid 1.5 litre will actually drop to two of its four cylinders when coasting to conserve fuel and if you drive the car ‘hyper-miling style’ (ie lifting off the throttle at every occasion) 50mpg should be on the cards.

The problem is, not that it is a problem, Cupras tend to lurk in the shadows on the sporty side of motoring and therefore don’t encourage frugal driving techniques. They have sporty imprinted on their DNA and the Terramar is no exception.

It’s a medium size SUV but in Timanfaya grey, and with the boldest of shark nose jobs, looks aggressive and eye-catching. The rear end is bold too and with Transformer badging and signature lighting it stands out from the crowd.

V2 spec gets delightful 19in Spectrum machined alloy wheels with 255/45 R19 tyres which give Terramar even more road presence.

So its sports pretensions are lodge in the psyche before you even turn a wheel.

When you do it is surprisingly lively off the mark and with nicely weighted, accurate steering and impeccable road manners it’s an instant success with anyone who loves an engaging drive.

In today’s market of silly power outputs Terramar’s 150PS seems modest but coupled to a quick-shifting DSG seven speed gearbox the motor is peppy with more than enough performance for most motorists’ needs.

The handling is excellent too with great ride, high levels of grip and perfect poise so you can’t help enjoying driving along the twisties.

The interior complements the car’s sporty nature with the perfect blend of materials, bucket seats, bronze accents and ergonomics.

Driver sits in a cockpit and feels surrounded by all the relevant controls. Everything is within easy reach and displays are clear and informative.

There is space aplenty for all occupants and a huge accommodating boot for the luggage and shopping. The infotainment-cum-sound system is also effective and even in V2 spec the equipment levels are high and include electrically operated front seats, which are heated, heated steering wheel and power tailgate.

All manner of electronic wizardry lurks beneath the skin to keep you on track, in your lane, at the speed limit and free from collisions.

You can turn it all off if you hate the interference but it pops straight back on every time you restart the car, so I take the hint and leave it alone to work in the background and keep me free from harm.

It all conspires to make Terramar relaxing and enjoyable to drive in every situation, whether that’s a swift sortie for fun, a shopping trip to town or a long commute of up to 600 miles.

The important thing is that however you use the Cupra you will feel proud to have it on your drive.