New Car Review | Škoda Enyaq Coupé

The Enyaq Coupe is a sportier tweak on the original design of the Skoda Enyaq. The original Enyaq took home the award for Best Family EV at the AA Ireland Car Awards last year, beating off some serious competition from the likes of the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and the Kia EV6.

It has a sloping, fastback-style rear but is otherwise almost identical. With a 77kWh battery, real world range will be a very impressive 450km. It charges well, and if you spend a few quid on the extras you will get a very finely appointed vehicle.

Skoda have sharpened their styling for their electric SUV. In comparison to the Kodiaq, the Enyaq is that bit more modern and striking. It takes on a distinctive SUV shape as it sits quite high on the road. The fastback styling of the Coupe format give it a sleeker look. With 19” alloys as standard, the wheels fill out the arches no matter what wheels you get.

Inside, the Enyaq carries through the design characteristics that make it that bit sharper and more aggressive than some of its competition. The dash is dominated by the 13” touchscreen that controls nearly everything in the car.

With the panoramic sunroof, the Enyaq Coupe feels very open and airy, with lots of light penetrating the cabin. This makes it that bit more comfortable for rear passengers. Of course, every young child thinks it’s cool to look up at the sky while being ferried around!

The Enyaq Coupe, like so many EVs in the VW group, is based on the MEB platform. This is a dedicated platform that these all-electric vehicles are built on. It allows the designers to build from scratch, creating more opportunities for space and practicality. The Enyaq therefore has very generous space for rear passengers, and in the boot. With 575 litres in the boot, up to 75kg on the roof and braked towing up to 1,000kg, the Enyaq Coupe is very practical.

The Enyaq Coupe comes with a variety of options in terms of its drive train. Our version was the iV80. This is equipped with a 150kW Rear Wheel Drive Motor. That’s the equivalent of 204hp and the 0-100 km/h sprint in 8.7 seconds. By modern EV standards, it’s not particularly fast for a car at this price. However, those that are used to a typical VW Group 2.0l Diesel SUV, will find this quite peppy. Beyond that, it’s the seamless, quiet and no-fuss acceleration that makes this EV very comfortable and enjoyable to drive.

For those that are looking for more power, or simply need better traction for towing and driving in bad conditions, there is an All Wheel Drive version with two motors and a combined 265 horsepower. It’s more expensive of course, but could be worth it for some.

Our car had one of the more premium ‘packs’, providing lots of extras. Heated seats, heated steering wheel, adaptive cruise control, and much more lead to a car that is quite comfortable to drive. Good sound insulation, coupled with the electric drivetrain mean the Enyaq Coupe is very quiet.

With a selection of buttons on the steering wheel and a row of shortcut buttons under the screen, you have easy access to all of the functionality that you need. Although the user interface isn’t perfect, you quickly get used to the few quirks in there.

There are seven main options when it comes to buying the Enyaq Coupe. In general, this comes down to a combination of two battery sizes, the drivetrain, and the level of trim.

Unless you need the range, the smart buy is to go for the iV60 which has the 58kWh usable battery and a real world range of 340km. Crucially, this is the only option that currently falls under the SEAI grant, so you get a €5,000 off the price. You’re then paying an extra €11,000 for 100kms more range, which may not be worth it for many people.

The basic level of trim on the Enyaq stands in stark contrast to the much more premium standards when you get options such as the Advanced Pack, which cost €8,740.00 It makes the Enyaq Coupe a very comfortable vehicle with an impressive level of kit. Is it worth it? Well, we suspect that the extra money on monthly payments won’t put a lot of people off. Those that are more price sensitive may find better value in something like a MG ZS EV or even a Tesla Model Y.

The standard Enyaq scored very well in the Euro NCAP tests when tested in 2021. It achieved scores of 94% for Adult Occupant, 89% for Child Occupant, 71% for Vulnerable Road Users, and 82% for its Safety Assist features. This is an impressive score overall, enabling it to achieve a full 5-star rating.

The Skoda Enyaq Coupe is a very impressive machine. It has really good range, charges quite decently, can be specced to a very nice level, is really comfortable, has great space and gives an overall sense of comfort and familiarity.

The issue with the Enyaq Coupe is the price. If you have a few quid spare, then take one for a spin and buy it if you like it. It’s great! But you have to spend significant money on the options list to really spec it up. For example, a Tesla Model Y Long Range is about €18,000 cheaper than the car we had on test. The excellent Kia EV6 Long Range also comes in a good bit cheaper.

Having said that, the Enyaq is a superb machine overall and has to be on the shortlist of someone considering an all-electric SUV of this size. The competition is fierce, but in terms of quality, range and practicality, there aren’t many out there that will beat it.

For more information go to www.skoda.ie

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