Skoda Enyaq Coupé vRS long-term test
The Enyaq Coupé vRS is a new type of car for Skoda: an electric coupé SUV with an emphasis on looks and performance. But does it make sense in real-world use?...
The car Skoda Enyaq Coupé iV vRS Run by Allan Muir, managing editor
Why we’re running it To see whether the most stylish and powerful Skoda yet can justify its relatively high price
Needs to Live up to its sporty brief by being great fun to drive while still proving easy to live with and having a generous real-world range
Mileage 5975 List price £54,370 Target Price £53,162 Price as tested £54,990 Dealer price now £41,850 Private price now £39,100 Test range 210-265 miles Official range 323 miles Running costs (excluding depreciation) Electricity £433
16 October 2023 – To boldly go…
Some people might consider it vandalism, but street art is an undeniably dramatic way of making a statement, whether that be a political message or to raise awareness of social or environmental issues. As far as I know, Skoda hasn’t resorted to graffiti as a means of promoting its cars, but it has succeeded in grabbing our attention with the Enyaq Coupé electric SUV.
The message it’s sending is that this is a different kind of car for Skoda, one that adds a large dose of style to the brand’s usual sensible, practical approach. The slightly cartoonish looks of my range-topping vRS version might not be to everyone’s taste, but they’ve dominated most of the conversations I’ve had about the car over the past six months, much more so than range or anything else.
Even with familiarity, my car’s appearance could still startle me if I walked around a corner and suddenly spotted it in a car park – especially in the evening, when the illuminated Crystal Face front grille would systematically light up as I approached. On reflection, I might choose a less eye-searing colour if I were buying an Enyaq Coupé again, because the Hyper Green felt a bit too much like wearing an all-over hi-vis suit. Still, it was reassuring to know that other drivers (and quite possibly astronauts manning the International Space Station) could see me easily in dodgy driving conditions.
Although that sloping rear roofline reduces the boot’s ability to swallow bulky cargo as easily as the regular Enyaq’s, the coupé version is still a highly practical car; it has a large load bay, lots of rear leg room and surprisingly good head room, despite the imposing presence of a full-length panoramic glass roof. The only slight compromise for tall occupants is that you have to duck your head a bit when climbing into the back seats. And unless you specify the £320 Transport Package (which includes a height-adjustable boot floor), there’s an intrusive step in the extended load bay when the rear seats are folded down.
The rest of the interior is mostly praiseworthy, with an excellent driving position, uncluttered dashboard layout and reasonable-quality materials. However, my car suffered from a persistent rattle in the boot area; the tailgate’s buffer blocks were replaced free of charge early on, but this only reduced the noise rather than eliminating it.
Despite a fidgety and noisy low-speed ride, the vRS settled down at higher speeds to be a reasonably comfy cruiser. My car proved able to cover up to 265 miles between charges in warm weather (or around 210 miles in colder conditions), compared with an official range of 323 miles. Although I’d hoped for something closer to the 300-mile mark, the real-world range was generous enough to make longer journeys fairly stress-free.
Given that the vRS is the sportiest version of the Enyaq Coupé, you’d think it would be fun to drive, but on that front I was disappointed. Yes, it proved grippy and secure and offered a surprisingly good sense of connection with the front wheels through the steering, but at higher speeds it had a tendency to want to run wide through corners rather than changing direction eagerly, and it felt large and heavy even by typical electric SUV standards.
To make matters worse, the brake pedal proved spongy and inconsistent in its response. At least the regenerative braking system – which recovers energy under deceleration to help eke out range – was able to slow the car vigorously enough in its strongest setting to allow me to avoid using the regular brakes much around town (except when coming to a complete halt) and on twisty country roads.
While I’ve been happy enough running the Enyaq Coupé, I can’t help but wish Skoda had let its hair down a bit more with the vRS, making it more exciting (it isn’t particularly quick) and more engaging to drive. If its performance, handling and brakes lived up to the promise made by its looks (and relatively high price), it could be brilliant. But as it stands, I might as well have gone for an entry-level Enyaq Coupé and saved myself the best part of £10,000. Like some street art, then, the message this car is conveying is mixed.
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