After VW with the ID.4, the Czech subsidiary Skoda is now sending an electric SUV to the start a few weeks later. The Enyaq iV should score with a lot of space, high functionality and lower prices.
The overall package has to fit. This motto is particularly applicable to electric cars. The better the relationship between space and range as well as practicality and price, the greater the chances of success in the market. The Czech brand Skoda should have created an excellent basis here with the Enyaq iV. The electric mid-range SUV, technically closely related to the VW ID.4, offers ideal conditions for switching to e-mobility, especially for families and people with sporting hobbies and the corresponding space requirements. Because the Enyaq iV costs 33.800 euros to start with and is thus on par with small electric cars such as the Honda e, Mini Cooper SE, Peugeot e-208 or Fiat 500.
The Enyaq customer, however, receives significantly more car for his money. In other words: space for five people, a huge trunk and a minimum range of 362 kilometers, based on the WLTP standard value as a reference value. A battery with a usable capacity of 52 kWh is then in the vehicle floor, which prompted Skoda to name this variant iV 50. Because you can choose between two additional batteries with the Enyaq, there are also the versions iV 60 and iV 80. They have a battery capacity of 58 and 77 kWh. The latter should travel up to 536 kilometers on one charge and should then convince remaining doubters that an electric vehicle is definitely suitable as a fully-fledged first car in the household.
Skoda has linked different engines to the different battery sizes. The iV 50 has 109 kW / 148 PS, the iV 60 has 132 kW / 180 PS and the iV 80 has 150 kW / 204 PS. All drive with rear-wheel drive because the engine is in the back. A little later in the year there will be the all-wheel drive version iV 80x with 195 kW / 265 PS and the sports model iV RS with 225 kW / 306 PS. They have a second electric motor. It is placed on the front axle.
We were able to drive the Enyaq iV 80. As expected, the power output is high and the noise level is low. 310 Newton meters - this corresponds to the torque of a two-liter engine in this class, is fully available practically from zero speed and has easy play with the 4,65-meter-long SUV. They give the Enyaq a sovereignty that is difficult to achieve with a comparable combustion engine. The suppleness of an electric drive, the combination of calm and powerful acceleration is always fascinating.
With the Enyaq, Skoda succeeded in putting a thoroughly harmonious electric car on the wheels that pleases from the first kilometer. In the cockpit, a pleasant mix of touch and analog world was chosen, the operation of which is almost intuitive. Frequently used menus and functions can be assigned to favorite buttons for quicker access. Then there are the numerous “Simply Clever” ideas that characterize every Skoda. Sure, there is again the umbrella compartment in the front doors or the ice scraper, which this time is not in the tank, but in the paneling of the tailgate. But in addition, details have been devised that are specially tailored to e-mobility, such as a charging cable cleaner.
Speaking of charging: When ordering the Enyaq, it is important to look carefully at the drive / battery variants. Because the higher the motor power and battery capacity, the faster it can be charged. The basic model creates a maximum of 7,2 kW alternating current on the domestic wallbox, 50 kW on a direct current column (DC). The higher-quality Enyaq models allow 11,0 kW (AC) and up to 125 kW DC, which drastically shortens downtimes at motorway service areas. It is not surprising that Skoda reports that around 70 percent of the more than 5.000 pre-orders are for the iV80 model.
In order to have other small amenities on board, it is advisable not to rely on the basic model of the Enyaq. For example, there is no such thing as the new and interesting seat cover combination natural fiber / wool. Also nil: a heat pump to increase the range, a chic 20-inch rim or a trailer hitch. The latter tick almost 80 percent in the configurator in order to be able to transport bicycles. In the cockpit, the basic Enyaq only has a ten-inch and no 13-inch display.
What all versions have in common, however, is the extremely good feeling of space and the huge amount of space available. Due to the so-called MEB group platform on which the Enyaq is located and the small space requirement of the electric drive, the occupants benefit enormously. Even in the back it is like sitting in the business lounge. The trunk holds 585 liters, is easy to load, has various storage compartments under the floor and can be expanded to 1.710 liters by folding down the rear seat backrests. A level that some premium combination of the upper class does not reach.
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With the Enyaq iV, Skoda has achieved a great success. The electric SUV should not occupy any niche for individualists, but rather go massively in volume. The focus is increasingly on business customers. Because drivers of company cars benefit enormously in terms of tax issues with e-cars. Only 0,25 percent instead of the usual 1,0 percent of the gross list price must be taxed as a pecuniary benefit (for private use of the company car). In the year, a nice penny can come together.
Technical data:
Mid-range five-door, five-seat SUV; Length: 4,65 meters, width: 1,88 meters, height: 1,62 meters, wheelbase: 2,77 meters, trunk volume: 585 - 1.710 liters
Version iV 50: electric motor on the rear axle, output 109 kW / 148 PS, maximum torque: 220 Nm at 0 rpm, automatic input, rear-wheel drive, 0-100 km / h: 11,3 s, Vmax: 160 km / h, standard consumption: 14,6 kWh / 100 kilometers (WLTP), range 362 km, CO2 emissions: 0 g / km, efficiency class: A +, price: from 33.800 euros
Version iV 60: electric motor on the rear axle, output 132 kW / 180 PS, maximum torque: 310 Nm at 0 rpm, automatic input, rear-wheel drive, 0-100 km / h: 8,7 s, Vmax: 160 km / h, standard consumption: 16,0 - 14,4 kWh / 100 kilometers (WLTP), range 412 km, CO2 emissions: 0 g / km, efficiency class: A +, price: from 38.850 euros
Version iV 80: electric motor on the rear axle, output 150 kW / 204 PS, maximum torque: 310 Nm at 0 rpm, automatic input, rear-wheel drive, 0-100 km / h: 8,6 s, Vmax: 160 km / h, standard consumption: 16,0 kWh / 100 kilometers (WLTP), range 536 km, CO2 emissions: 0 g / km, efficiency class: A +, price: from 43.950 euros
Brief description:
Why: because you want to combine electric driving with high functionality
Why not: because longer tours still mean too many compromises
What else: VW ID.4, IONIQ 5, Kia EV6, Aiways U5, Mustang Mach-E, Nissan Ariya
When is it coming: April 2021
What's next: the two all-wheel drive versions Enyaq iV 80x and iV RS with 195 kW / 265 PS and 225 kW / 306 PS output