Test Car Specifications
Model: 2023 Skoda Enyaq iV vRS Coupe
Price: £57,025 (as tested)
Engine: two electric motors
Battery: 77kWh lithium-ion
Transmission: single-speed automatic, all-wheel drive
Power: 299hp
Torque: 460Nm
Emissions: 0g/km
Range: 323 miles
0-62mph: 6.4 seconds
Top speed: 112mph
Boot space: 570 litres
Styling
As you've probably gathered from the picture and the title of this review, this is the more style-orientated body shape in the Enyaq range, offering customers a more rakish, fastback-style rear end. Naturally, it's a slight trade-off between style and space, and whether that's a trade worth making is down to taste. For us, the Enyaq looks good enough without the coupe body, but the fastback styling does the car's image no harm at all.
This particular Enyaq Coupe also happens to be a vRS model, which means you get the Crystal Face illuminated grille, a vRS body kit and 20-inch alloy wheels. Some vRS badges are also lurking, but generally speaking it's just like any other Sportline version of the Enyaq Coupe. It even has the same suspension set-up with a slight drop in ride height.
Interior
Unless you sit in the back, you won’t really notice the difference between the Enyaq Coupe and the SUV. Yes, the rear visibility is worse, but otherwise they’re peas in a pod. You get the same clean design with a central touchscreen and a digital instrument cluster, and you get the same touch-sensitive controls for the volume. The Enyaq’s on-board tech isn’t brilliant – it’s over-complicated and the touchscreen climate control is a pain in the you-know-whats – but it looks great and it gets the job done. Team them with the optional head-up display, which is brilliant, and you won’t have too many issues.
And, of course, the build quality is excellent. Everything feels solid and surprisingly upmarket, but then this is a car that costs more than £50,000. To help justify that, Skoda has fitted some vRS-specific features, including sporty seats with vRS logos and green trim as standard, although the optional leather interior gets you some classier grey trim to complement the black leather.
Practicality
Naturally, the Coupe version of the Enyaq is not as spacious as the conventional SUV, but the difference is not as great as you might think. Rear headroom is less generous, but not by much, and legroom is identical. And whereas a standard Enyaq in comparable vRS trim has a 585-litre boot, the Coupe offers 570 litres of luggage space. Of course, the numbers don't tell the whole story, and the SUV's boot is a much more useful shape, but the Coupe is still a surprisingly practical car.
Performance
The Enyaq Coupe is offered with much the same powertrains as the standard car, but we tested the high-end vRS model to get a direct comparison with the Enyaq vRS SUV we tested at the end of last year. Like that car, the Coupe comes with a 77kWh battery and two electric motors, giving it all-wheel drive and 299hp, which is quite a lot. However, it's only 34hp more than you get from the Enyaq Sportline 80x Coupe.
Nevertheless, the vRS Coupe is quicker, getting from 0-62mph in 6.4 seconds (6.5 for the more conventionally shaped SUV body) and on to a top speed of 111mph. It's only a small improvement on the Sportline, though, and the range takes a slight hit as a result. That said, with the official test suggesting you'll get 323 miles from a charge, the Coupe is a marginally more aerodynamic (and therefore marginally more efficient) option than the SUV. And our test suggested you'll get well over 200 miles from a charge in the real world, even at motorway speeds.
Ride & Handling
There isn't much to choose between this Coupe version of the vRS and the SUV version, which is good news. Both versions of the Enyaq are surprisingly agile for their size and weight, and this model is assisted by inheriting a suspension set-up from the less powerful Sportline models. Admittedly, the steering fails to inspire much confidence because it's a bit too light, but the battery's position under the floor means the Enyaq doesn't roll too much in corners.
On the other hand, the inescapable weight of the battery impacts ride quality slightly, so the low-speed comfort is compromised as the car thumps into potholes like a ship taking on water. At higher speeds, though, it's very composed and reasonably smooth even on British roads, and it's quite a relaxing motorway cruiser. And with the near-silent propulsion system, it's also very refined.
Value
This top-of-the-range vRS version of the Enyaq Coupe starts at £54,370, which makes it around £1,700 more expensive than the conventional SUV. It's also £1,800 more expensive than the 80x Sportline Coupe, which offers almost as much power and similar equipment. But the vRS is fully loaded, with sporty seats and the vRS bodykit, as well as the Crystal Face grille, three-zone climate control and heated front seats. It has everything you need, and the price is competitive, but bear in mind the Sportline is cheaper and similarly well equipped.
Verdict
We already knew the Skoda Enyaq was good, so it comes as no surprise to see the Enyaq Coupe follow suit. Whether it's the car for you depends on whether you need the rear headroom or boot space, but rest assured it's an equally good electric SUV. We remain unsold on the new vRS versions, though, because they feel a bit half-hearted when there are (or at least will be) cheaper and equally impressive versions on offer.
