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AAt a recent press event, Skoda proudly introduced its new Enyaq, which claimed the Guinness World Records title for longest snow drift, according to the big decals screaming all around. The historic event apparently took place on Thursday 19 January 2023 on the frozen lake Stortjarnan in Krokom, Sweden.
Thinking no more of it, because sliding around on ice without banging is not such a big deal, as Bambi can testify, it wasn’t until I came to write this review and did some cursory research I noticed that the snow drift lasted at least – Roy Castle Sound – 7.351 kilometers, or about four and a half miles.
So, fair play, that’s a long way to go without making any kind of impact. I believe the Liberal Democrats are thinking of challenging Skoda’s prodigious achievement.
They’ve also illuminated the slats in the grill
(Sean O’Grady)
Given that, even with the climate emergency and our erratic weather, going sideways for a few miles on snow won’t be very useful to a British motorist, it’s fitting that Škoda has launched its latest, sportiest Enyaq. Battery electric vehicle is manufactured. The Enyaq Coupe vRS, in fact, steers very well in a straight line, and moderately well around corners.
By comparison with its performance-oriented cousin, the petrol Octavia VRS (which is pretty much a Golf GTI in its make-up), the electric Enyak is quicker to 60 mph, and has a lot more oomph thanks to an impressively large Battery pack (82kWh), which produces around 300 horsepower. Of course it needs to push this two-tonner along, but even so, the sheer power available even at fairly high speeds (the traditional weak point of electric cars) is satisfying, if not thrilling.
Even in the most urgent “sport” mode, power delivery is applied quietly but firmly, via an electric motor on each axle, biased towards the rear, thus giving it a quattro-style four – Gives wheel drive.
This is a traditionally sober Skoda, unlike some of the funkier competition
(Sean O’Grady)
Yet the clever folks at Škoda and its parent VW Group can’t deny the laws of Newtonian physics, and Škoda never feels like it’s actually hauling its heavy weight around a tight corner at any sort of improbable speed. wants to receive. It never looks like it’s in the mood, if you see what I mean. So much so that, in contrast to its prowess in a straight-line sprint, it feels noticeably underpowered as a semi-sport saloon.
The unkind will say it’s unworthy to wear the VRS badge, but it’s really no worse than any other slightly bigger and bulkier (and higher priced) SUV, of which there are many on the market.
Feels and is secure as long as you don’t push it on the twisty bits
(Sean O’Grady)
They say that there has been a slight decline in the popularity of EVs recently, which is true, but this has not yet translated into huge discounts, which are usually huge drops in their prices. This is not profiteering, as there is now enough competition, but simply a reflection of the fact that BEVs (Battery Electric Vehicles) are more expensive than ICEs (Internal Combustion Engine Powered Vehicles). I don’t need to point out the implications of the cheap mass-motoring we’ve become accustomed to.
worth: £55,830 (as tested; range starts from £38,970)
Engine Capacity: Single electric motor, rear drive powered by 82kWh battery
Power: 299 PS
top speed: 111 mph
0-60 mph: 6.4 sec
Fuel economy: 3.8m/kWh
CO2 emissions: 0
So the Enyaq Coupe vRS actually stacks up reasonably well at the price considering those caveats. It’s bigger and faster than a similarly priced version of BMW’s latest electric SUV, the iX1, and is competitive against the excellent Kia EV6, for example.
This is the top of the range from Enyaq, so the kit is comprehensive and the quality of the materials used is correspondingly high. They’ve also illuminated the slats in the grille for an added touch of electric action, and the coupe styling works well; Unless you need to lug furniture in the back, it’s just as practical as the non-coupe version.
The kit is comprehensive and the quality of the ingredients is uniformly high
(Sean O’Grady)
This is a traditionally sober Skoda, unlike some of the funkier competition, such as the Nissan Aria and the Hyundai Ioniq 5 – as I say, there really are a lot of BEVs on offer these days. The now-familiar Tesla Model Y could also be a contender (though the Skoda is probably better built), as is the similar Cupra Borne, albeit not quite as fast. And don’t forget the sportier but costlier Ford Mustang Mach e-GT (the company’s only BEV model still on sale in the UK).
Few can match the sports seats wrapped in nice soft leather in the Enyaq, which are exceptionally supportive and comfortable. On the go it’s quite refined, but its slightly bluff frontage generates some wind noise at high motorway speeds. It feels and is secure as long as you don’t push it on the twisty bits.
Skoda has engineered its latest Enyaq to run really well in a straight line and moderately well around corners
(Sean O’Grady)
The Skoda’s range – let’s say more than 250 miles, in real-world conditions – is good, though not class-leading (Kia and Hyundai do best here). As with all electric cars, real-world range depends largely on temperature and type of driving – cold weather on the motorway will drain electricity far more quickly than low speeds around town on a hot day .
This means that it is difficult to put a figure on it and make useful comparisons between BEVs. But we do know that the Enyaq won’t go more than 7.351 miles side to side under real life conditions. Which is good to know.
