Skoda Enyaq iV - Full Car Review

Driving Experience Most Enyaqs are of the rear-motor, rear-driven sort, a format not seen on a Skoda since the brand's budget models of the '60s and '70s and one that benefits this car enormously in town, where it offers an impressively tight 10.2-metre turning circle. Beyond the city limits, traction is impressive but there's a little more body roll through the turns than you'd get with the alternative Volkswagen, CUPRA and Audi versions of this VW Group design. The pay-off for that though, is a much better standard of ride, with suppleness over poor surfaces and speed humps that's un-bettered in this class and is far superior to most rivals. When fitted with an optional folding towbar, any Enyaq iV is also capable of towing trailers weighing up to 1,400kg. There's the choice of two or four wheel drive versions of the Enyaq iV. The base rear driven model, the iV 60, has a 179PS electric motor powered by a 62kWh battery with a range of 246 miles. Above that sits the Enyaq iV 80, which has a 204PS motor powered by an 82kWh battery that should produce a total WLTP-rated range of 329 miles. Top speed is 99mph and 62mph from rest takes 8.4 seconds. The alternative mainstream model, the iV 80X, also uses an 82kWh battery but adds four wheel drive, which means extra weight (hence the a reduction in range to 312 miles). It goes a bit quicker though, the 265PS 80x iV making the 62mph dash to 6.7s. There's also a plush L&K model, offered in '85' and AWD '85x' forms both with a 285PS output and a range of up to 354 miles. At the top of the range is the Enyak iV vRS performance model, which shares its 82kWh battery and 4WD system with the 80x iV, but ups output to 299PS, sprints to 62mph in 6.5s and has a 310 mile range. Design and Build There's the choice of standard hatch or Coupe versions of this Enyaq iV: we're looking at the standard one here. The look of the Enyaq iV moves Skoda into a new design direction, the main theme being most obvious at the front, which can be optionally embellished with an illuminated 'Crystal Face' grille. Full-LED Matrix headlights at the front are joined at the rear by LED tail lights which include dynamic indicators and an animated 'Coming/Leaving Home' function. Measuring 4,648mm long and 1,877mm wide, this car is quite substantial in stature, though it's actually shorter than a Skoda Octavia. Still, thanks to the clever design of the MEB platform it sits on, the Enyaq offers superb interior space. With the traction battery housed in the floor and a compact motor mounted beneath the cargo area base, this Czech EV has a cabin unburdened by the packaging compromises of a traditional internal combustion engine car. That cabin is 'inspired by modern living environments', according to Skoda, and uses 'natural, sustainably processed and recycled materials'. The fascia's dominated by a central 13-inch infotainment touchscreen, which can also be worked by both voice and gesture control. There's also a further 5.3-inch instrument binnacle display. A further interior highlight is the wonderfully-named optional 'Jumbo Box', which adds 6.2 litres of storage underneath the centre console. There's comfortable space for a couple of adults on the back seat. And boot capacity is ample at 585-litres. Cost of Ownership We gave you the driving range figures in our 'Driving Experience' section: they're very class-competitive, though, as you would expect, don't differ much from what you'd get in a comparable Volkswagen ID.4 or CUPRA Born EV. Sleek, aerodynamic styling (the drag coefficient is an impressive 0.27Cd) along with ample-sized batteries obviously help here. All Enyaq iV models have a minimum DC rapid charging capability of 125kW as standard. The Enyaq iV offers customers three charging options. In addition to using a standard household 230V socket with 2.3 kW alternating current (AC), it can be charged at home overnight using a wallbox of up to 7.2kW. The charging process with a 7.2kW wallbox takes approximately 13 hours for the 82kWh battery (up to 100% charge). As a third charging option, the vehicle can be connected to rapid DC charging points with a charging capacity of up to 125 kW. This allows the Enyaq iV 80 to be charged from 10 to 80 per cent in as little as 38 minutes. The availability of a heat pump option also means that the air conditioning and heating uses less battery power than a high-voltage heater, increasing range over other EVs that don't use this system, especially during periods when the external temperature is much lower. A dedicated app called 'Skoda Connect' allows owners to control the air-conditioning and battery charging remotely.