Skoda Enyaq iV Coupe review

You'll certainly know the Skoda Enyaq by now, the Czech electric SUV with five seats and a lot going for it. Well, this is that but with a coupe-style body shape, as seems to be all the rage these days. For reasons mostly beyond our understanding, they very rarely look better than the standard versions.

Still, the normal version of the Enyaq SUV has impressed us overall as an accessible electric option for families, especially next to its VW Group cousins, the Volkswagen ID.4 and Audi Q4 e-tron (and similarly coupeified Volkswagen ID.5 and Audi Q4 e-tron Sportback siblings), so it stands to reason that this one will too.

Skoda says that it doesn’t expect to sell too many of them compared with the SUV, but perhaps it feels the need to be able to show off something of a halo EV in its burgeoning range, hence the sporty vRS variant. More on that in a bit.

Some light tweaks to the Enyaq range in 2024 have seen 'up to' 16 miles of extra range liberated from the battery along with a similarly caveated surge of 'up to' 81bhp. Charging has been improved too, the dual-motor cars able to sustain peaks of 175kW for longer on suitable plugs.

Remind me of my options...

The Enyaq Coupe comes in four flavours: 85 Edition, 85x SportLine Plus, 85 Laurin & Klement and vRS. All models get a 77kWh battery, with the 85-badged models getting a single motor, rear-wheel drive setup, and the 85x and vRS getting a more powerful dual-motor setup and four-wheel drive.

The 85, 85x SportLine Plus and 85 Laurin & Klement models get 282bhp and the single motor cars manage the 0–62mph run in 6.5 seconds, while the 85x knocks a tenth off. The vRS has 385bhp and will get to 62mph in an impressive 5.3s (a full second than before thanks to Skoda's 2024 tweaks).

All Enyaq Coupes have a top speed of 111mph, and WLTP range starts at 355 miles for the entry model. 

What's it like to drive?

We've had a go in the rear-drive entry model and all-wheel-drive vRS so far, bookending the range nicely. The former is pretty conventional and doesn’t spring many surprises, with its nicely weighted steering, smooth acceleration, and generally pleasing road manners. Our only complaint really is the slightly firm ride.

The vRS, however, is curiously unsatisfying. Because despite the promise of the performance badge it's a car that just doesn't want to be pushed. Flooring the accelerator pedal in the sportiest of drive modes leaves you feeling like you're on a roller coaster, thanks to all that torque on tap. But overall it's a fairly lame experience. 

The tortured suspension fights it out with every one of the car's 2,200 or so kilos when you slug it through a corner, and mashing pedals is so antithetical to the EV experience. Dial it back a notch or five, stick it in Eco or Comfort modes and it's back to being a perfectly civilised and refined family machine. But then why spend all that extra cash on the fast badge?

Has practicality been massively affected?

Skoda says that bootspace is only a squeak smaller, with 15 litres less of it compared to the regular SUV (570 litres versus 585). Likewise headroom in the back seats is only marginally reduced by the sloping roofline thanks to a panoramic glass roof as standard. As a clue to the lengths that Skoda has gone to be able to say that, the glass is thinner and they had to junk the blind that normally comes with the pano roof, so it’s been specially treated to reflect heat.

Otherwise it’s standard Enyaq, with Skoda having gone about the deranged VW Group craze for ridding cabins of buttons in a much more restrained way. It’s not perfect, but it’s far better than the ID.5. More over on the Interior tab.

How much does it cost?

Prices start from £46,440 for the regular entry-level 2WD Enyaq Coupe, rising to £50,305 for the cheapest car with 4WD and £54,820 for the vRS range-topper. Head over to the Buying tab for the full lowdown.

The Enyaq Coupe doesn’t really have anything to recommend it over the standard SUV version. That’s not to say it’s a bad car, but as is the coupeified crossover way, it sacrifices a little headroom and bootspace in favour of style compared with its full-size SUV sibling. And demands a premium for the privilege.

Don't be fooled by the vRS, either: this 2.2-tonne beast is a long way from supplanting the Octavia vRS, even with its fun-sapping plug-in hybrid accoutrements. But if you want an electric SUV that’s fun to drive then you’re better off looking at the Ford Mustang Mach-E or Jaguar I-Pace.