Czech company stands up to comical criticism
The new Enyaq puts to bed tired old jokes about Skoda’s reputation, writes Julie Marshall
Anyone who still harbours the ridiculous notion that Skoda cars are a joke and not worthy of consideration should take a look at the allelectric Enyaq.
I’ve long championed Skoda and, when the time comes to buy a new car, the Fabia and Octavia will be right at the top of my wish list.
Despite my lukewarm response to electric cars in the past, particularly bemoaning the achievable range and the lack of charging facilities, I loved the Enyaq.
My regular co-driver is not one to wax lyrical when asked for his opinion of my latest test car so I was surprised that whenever we went out in it he was effusive in his praise. He loved the interior and exterior design, the instant power, the high levels of equipment and the roomy interior – in fact, just about everything.
The Škoda Enyaq is built on a platform designed exclusively for electric vehicles. It is available in rear-wheel drive or all-wheel drive and theoretically is capable of around 324 miles on full charge.
This Is the official Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicle
Test Procedure (WLTP) figure and can be misconstrued. Range is affected by lots of things including driving and road conditions, air conditioning and journey length.
In reality you’ll probably get around 15 per cent less than that in regular use.
The Enyaq is a large family saloon and as such has more than enough space for five to sit in comfort and has a large boot. We were sent the range topping, performance version, the vRS, in coupe guise.
The vRS is all-wheel drive and delivers 295bhp. Standing start to 60mph is achieved in a blistering 5.5 seconds.
It’s a terrific looking car with an imposing ‘Crystal Face’ front grille and ultrasmart 20in alloy wheels with aero inserts. As well as reducing air resistance and improving fuel efficiency these inserts act as protection against ‘kerbing’ the alloys which can only be a good thing.
The vRS has a lower suspension than other versions of Enyaq and is smooth over bumps without feeling wallowy. There are three driving modes eco, normal and sport.
It delivers a relaxing drive with little noise intruding into the cabin either from tyre rumble or wind.
As with all electric cars it has adaptive braking which in some can be quite harsh. In the Enyaq however it is more gentle and refined.
Seating is comfortable all round with plenty of adjustment for the driver and a higher than expected seating position. All round view is good but the rear-view cameras and all-round parking sensors are welcome – it’s a long vehicle at almost 4.7 metres.
Our car was fitted with the Maxx Package (£4,280) which included, among other things, intelligent park assist and trained park assistant – something I have not come across before.
It enables the driver to park autonomously in any location familiar to the vehicle such as a driveway, garage or street and will store that information for next time it encounters it. I must confess I wasn’t brave enough to give it a go!