Pragmatic Enyaq

Skoda’s first purpose-built electric vehicle promises ample range and the brand’s familiar, dependable interior

It’s not much of a surprise that this all-electric Skoda Enyaq is recognisably SUV-like in its proportions — even when wrapped up in its pre-production ghillie suit. After all, the Czech firm has made a name for itself as a pragmatic manufacturer of pragmatic cars for pragmatic people. So given the inexorable rise of the SUV, launching an electric one seems like a pretty pragmatic decision.

At 4.65m long, there’s loads of passenger space front and back, and its 585-litre boot is generously sized, too, but one big benefit of its enlarged footprint is the fact that it has also enabled Skoda to fit the Enyaq with a battery big enough to lend it proper realworld range.

Technically, there are three different battery sizes and two different drive systems, which make for a complete lineup of five models. The Enyaq 50 represents the entry-level offering and uses a 55kWh battery to power a 150hp three-phase synchronous motor mounted at the rear axle. This version comes with a WLTP-certified range of 338km, which isn’t outstanding but isn’t terrible, either.

Then there’s the Enyaq 60, which has a 62kWh battery, a 180hp motor and a claimed range of 387km; the Enyaq 80, with its 82kWh battery, 205hp motor and 500km range; and the Enyaq 80X and Enyaq vRS models.

Those last two also use the biggest battery, but gain an extra electric motor at the front axle for all-wheel drive. While this increases their total system outputs (to 270hp for the 80X and 310hp for the vRS), range takes a bit of a hit at the same time: both are rated for 460km.

Although our test car was heavily camouflaged inside and out, we have seen how the finished Enyaq will look. Truth be told, it’s a sharp-looking thing. From the front, its visual relationship to the VW Golf-sized Scala is clear. Although where you get the sense the designers approached the smaller hatchback in a slightly reserved fashion, the Enyaq seems like a far bolder and more confident expression of Skoda’s new design language.

There are shades of MPV about its side profile and the light-up grille is a bit naff, but overall it’s a handsome thing — particularly on big alloy wheels.

The cabin is even more impressive — largely thanks to material quality. On pricier models, the flat, expansive dash top is upholstered in tasteful leather, and the fabric used on other surfaces looks smart and feels plush. Then there’s the 13-inch infotainment system that crowns the dash and should inject a healthy amount of tech appeal into the cabin as well.

But anyway, to driving. The heavily camouflaged prototype we’re in here is the rear-driven Enyaq 80, which Skoda says is around 60-70% representative of the final product. So by no means finalised, then, but developed enough to give a reasonable idea of what the Enyaq will be like when it arrives towards the end of the year.

The Enyaq feels, well, kind of how you’d expect an electric Skoda to feel. Ride quality is largely well judged so it feels tied down over undulating surfaces, although at town speeds, a sense of rigidity and brittleness does seem to creep in — suggesting its spring rates might have been increased to deal with the Enyaq’s jacked-up kerb weight. There’s also a bit of vibration through the column but it seems reasonable to expect this will be addressed before the car reaches production.

At the fairly sedate speeds dictated by our lead minder car, it corners tidily enough, with the steering providing reassuring weight and accuracy.

With 310Nm of instantly available torque on tap, throttle response is good. And although the Enyaq 80 doesn’t feel rapid — particularly above 80kph or so — there’s enough urgency to ensure overtakes are dispatched reasonably swiftly.

Step-off is a bit aggressive but, again, Skoda will probably address this before the car is signed off for production. Same goes for the completely deadfeeling brake pedal.

Still, you get the sense that the Enyaq’s appeal will come from just how conventional it makes the concept of the electric car feel. Combined with its practical interior, comfortable driving position and decent real-world range, it’s a very easy car to appreciate from a pragmatic point of view (funny that). Perhaps the vRS model will do more to ensure it appeals to the enthusiast. But for the everyman, there’s already a lot to like.