Skoda Enyaq iV 80 - long-term review

MPVs. Remember them? Many years ago they were the next best thing for family cars and then along came someone with a bright idea to have SUVs. Kinda jacked up MPVs but often less practical and never likely to see a piece of grass in their lifetime. In reality, much like estate cars, MPVs were and are more practical, just less desirable. 

That is until the Enyaq turned up. You see to me, one of the great advantages with EVs and the fact that the engineering gubbins are slung underneath you is it gives car designers the ability to be really flexible with the packaging. In the Enyaq’s case, I think it's good looking too. This box is huge and extremely practical. The boot is massive, yet it doesn’t feel like the back seat space has been compromised. An absolute win win for any large family, mainly because the kids don’t moan.

So what better way to test this out than a recent family weekend 200-mile trip to Norfolk? This included going to the beach, which meant we had to pack more stuff than if we were moving house, apparently. Yet I even had space to see out the back window.

The interior is robust too. It has to be with children: they bring the all the sand back with them, never mind the amount of food crumbs: I’m surprised mice aren’t living in there as we speak. It's bright too, thanks to the panoramic sunroof.

Thankfully the roads in Norfolk aren’t like the dreaded lanes of Devon so there’s loads of room on the road, which is handy because the car does feel wide. But it's also enjoyable to drive (as long as you aren’t on an eco run or suffering range anxiety). I like the hefty steering weight and there’s plenty of power to impress the kids.

As ever I’m constantly annoyed by the lane-keep assist: I've never felt compelled to tick that box and now it's becoming mandatory I long for the days when it was an optional extra I could easily do without.

I do at times find the centre screen a bit overpowering. There is so much going on that it's taken me months to navigate it, but even now I’m still a little overwhelmed. And the less said about the insanely bizarre volume control strip underneath the screen, the better.

With my new found eco driving style I didn’t spend the whole trip worrying about if I needed to charge anywhere, especially as the house we stayed in doesn’t have a charger – I wonder how long these will become standard fittings in rental properties? The journey home was so smooth and quiet it lulled the kids off to sleep within minutes: bliss!

I think I’ve said some positive things about EV motoring in this story? Perhaps I’m warming to them after all? Nah, I spent that quiet return journey thinking if you could fit an engine in the front with this level of packaging. Renault Espace, anyone?