SKODA ON A CHARGE (some text hidden) SECTIONED_new_skodaenyaqiv_2021

By Jonathan Crouch

Skoda's Enyaq electric family hatch gets a useful mid-term update. Jonathan Crouch drives it.

Ten Second Reviewword count: 85

The Enyaq was Skoda's very first EV and in this updated form, continues to use its Volkswagen Group EV technology to good effect, while still managing to incorporate a very Skoda look and feel. This facelift brings a sharper look, which continues to clothe one of the most spacious cabins in the segment. And in terms of drive range and equipment, both SUV and Coupe versions of this car will look attractive in the showroom for those who get the right price or lease deal.

Backgroundword count: 270

Back in 2021, Skoda finally brought us its very first full-electric car, the Enyaq, then known as the 'Enyaq iV' and a model that started a bold new era in Skoda design. First launched as a boxy SUV hatch, followed two years later by an SUV-Coupe variant, this was the Czech brand's take on VW Group EV engineering - and successful it proved to be, with over a quarter of a million versions of this car sold in its first four years of production. By early 2025 though, competition had ramped up substantially, hence the need for the mid-term Enyaq update we look at here. Despite it being frequently Europe's most popular electric car, the original Enyaq was, in truth, a slightly confusing product. Not just because it was Skoda's first EV, rear-driven and enormously heavy but also because of its design conundrums. It looked mid-sized but was priced compact. It claimed to herald 'a new era in electric Skoda motoring' but had an enormous combustion-style grille. And the 'iV' in its model name was the same as the brand had used on its fossil fuel Plug-in Hybrids. So Skoda had some sorting out to do with this car - and some repositioning too, after the arrival of its second EV in 2024, the only slightly smaller Elroq. All of which explains why the car we're looking at here represents more than just a mid-term Enyaq update. It's basically a model line re-launch. And a re-launch carrying a price tag that for the first time properly pitches this car into the market's most tightly-fought segment, that for mid-sized EV crossovers.

Driving Experienceword count: 417

To expect engaging driving dynamics from a car of this kind is clearly over-optimistic; realistically no Enyaq weighs in at under 2-tonnes. To hope for journeying refinement is a little more realistic; aided by its now-sleeker bodywork, this improved Enyaq serves up plenty of that. As for ride quality, well as we said in our test of the smaller Elroq, it's pretty good by class standards - but could be so much better if body control wasn't so tightly reined-in to satisfy the industry press. You'll hear more positive comments about Enyaq ride quality elsewhere, but that's usually because the testers concerned have been in a version of this car fitted with the DCC adaptive chassis control system that hardly any customers will specify. The name 'Enyaq' is apparently derived from the Irish word 'Enya', meaning 'source of life', the source in this case being the same two-way choice of 63 and 82kWh battery packs that power mainstream versions of all the other mid-sized VW Group EV Crossovers using this conglomerate's bespoke MEB electrified platform. Which are also pretty much the same as the packs used on the earlier version of this model - as are the electric motors they power. The smaller 63kWh battery pack (which can't be had on the Coupe version of this car) features in the base 60 model allied to a 204PS motor which takes you to 62mph in 7.8s or, if you're more restrained, offers a range of up to 268 miles. We tried a mid-level 85 model with the larger 82kWh pack which works with a 286PS motor, this combination delivering a sprint time of 6.5s and a range figure of up to 359 miles. Further up the line-up lie the 82kWh AWD dual motor variants; the 85x model with 334 miles of range. And a top vRS variant that offers 340PS, 0-62mph in 5.2s and 347 miles of range. Since your budget will probably restrict you to a single motor model, that's what we opted to try. In case you're not familiar with VW Group engineering in EV of this size, it's worth pointing out that, unlike quite a few rivals, the motor in question sits on the rear axle rather than the front one. Which prior to this Enyaq's introduction was a format we hadn't seen in any Skoda since the '70s. Here, it allows for a turning circle that at just 9.3-metres is so impressive that you might wonder whether this car has 4-wheel steering (it doesn't).

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