Road Test
CZECH THIS OUT
The Skoda Enyaq vRS is a sporty electric family SUV that feels fast and focused but not much different
ELECTRIC cars come with a serious problem.
No matter how powerful or efficient they might be, they’re all basically the same under the skin, and that makes it difficult for car makers to differentiate their electric vehicles.
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Without the ability to throw a louder or more characterful engine into the mix, car companies are being forced to find new ways of making high-performance electric cars feel more special.
Whether it’s extra tech, some flash styling or clever equipment, manufacturers are having to pull out all the stops.
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It’s much easier said than done.
But Czech company Skoda is normally pretty good at that when it builds its vRS models.
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Take the Octavia vRS. The 2.0-litre petrol and diesel engines available in that car are much the same as those in the standard Octavia, but the cars feel much more poised and more aggressive.
So we were looking forward to Skoda’s new Enyaq vRS iV, which is a high-performance version of the standard Enyaq iV – a car roundly praised.
Just like the lesser Enyaq iV 80x Sportline, the all-wheel-drive vRS has two electric motors powered by a 77kWh battery.
Of course, it has a bit more power.
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With a total of 299hp, it has a whole 34hp more than the 80x, which means it’s very slightly faster from 0-62mph, although the difference is almost imperceptible. It’s less than half a second in total.
The vRS also has a higher top speed, but 112mph is still nothing to write home about.
There isn’t much difference when it comes to the suspension, either.
The Sportline and vRS models have the same lowered suspension that’s still smooth on the motorway and fast A-roads, but it feels a bit less comfy around town.
It’s as though the weight of the battery is dragging it into potholes.
Similarly, buyers will be hard-pressed to spot any difference in handling.
Neither the vRS nor the Sportline will lean too much in corners, and all Enyaqs have the same light steering.
Key facts: Skoda Enyaq iV vRS
Price from: £52,670
Battery size: 77kWh
Range: 321 miles
Charge time: 10-80% in 36 minutes
0-62mph: 6.5 seconds
Top speed: 112mph
Out: January 2023
The range is much the same as before, too. Officially, the vRS covers about 320 miles on a single charge, putting it on par with the 80x Sportline.
In the real world, both will struggle to cover 250 miles on a long motorway run.
In short, the vRS isn’t much faster or much more enjoyable to drive than other, less expensive Enyaqs. So Skoda has to be inventive if it wants to justify the vRS’s near-£53k asking price.
To differentiate the car from other models in the range, the vRS comes with sportier bumpers and gloss black exterior trim, but the key difference is the ‘Crystal Face’ grille.
With less need for cooling than a petrol or diesel car, Skoda has taken the opportunity to fit LEDs all over the grille-shaped panel, creating a striking front-end design.
Yes, it’s pointless and it’ll be very expensive to replace.
And no, you can’t choose a more conventional grille.
But it makes the vRS models look and feel different alongside their more mundane siblings.
As does the interior. Or should that be interiors?
Skoda offers a choice of two different cabin designs for the Enyaq.
There’s a sportier microfibre trimmed option with bright green accents, and there’s a more upmarket perforated leather option with white stitching. Both come with carbon-fibre trim on the dashboard.
Both also come with plenty of tech, including a massive iPad-style touchscreen with navigation technology, a digital instrument display and a head-up display.
But all that is available on the standard Enyaq Sportline, which is billed as a halfway house between the standard car and the vRS.
Which means, while Skoda has tried to make this Enyaq feel sportier and cooler than cheaper versions of the electric SUV, the vRS doesn’t feel all that special.
Fortunately, that’s reflected in the price. The vRS is less than £1,000 more expensive than the priciest Enyaq iV 80x.
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It’s almost an admission that the vRS is just another sporty version of the Enyaq, rather than a standalone sports SUV.
In short, the only thing that really makes the vRS different from the Sportline versions of the Enyaq is the grille. And that’s a serious problem for this particular electric motor.
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