• A few power output options
• Lots of torque, vRS model is fastest
• Grippy and secure handling

Electric motors

If you’re on a budget, then the Enyaq 50 is the affordable option. It features a weaker electric motor that produces just 167hp and 310Nm of torque, but it starts from under £40,000, making it a potentially appealing entry point into the electric family car market. If you pay cut-rate prices, though, expect cut-rate performance.

The Enyaq 50 has a 0-62mph time of 9.1 seconds, which is a snail’s pace by EV standards, and a smaller battery pack of 52kWh. We certainly found ourselves wanting when it came to pace in the 50. It’s a two-tonne car, the Enyaq, and felt considerably underpowerd with just 167hp. Climbing up hills or onto motorways requires a real boot in the accelerator, and even then, the 50 can’t pull with any urgency. Around town, at pedestrian speeds, the power deficiency isn’t as noticeable and the driving experience is perfectly pleasant, but lack in power becomes quite clear on open roads. The Enyaq 50 is an entry point, yes, but you get what you pay for, and we reckon it should be avoided unless you plan to drive it almost exclusively around town.

Now that the Enyaq facelift has been announced, most of the current line-up is available from stock only. The power outputs are split into three groups: 170hp from the 50 models, 286hp from the 85 Edition, 85x Sportline Plus – both of which are the only two variants of the current Enyaq still being made to order – and the Enyaq 85 Laurin and Klement. The vRS edition sits at the top of the list and produces 340hp. All cars are rear-wheel drive only besides the vRS model and the Enyaq 85x Sportline Plus. 

There are just two battery pack sizes on offer: a 55kWh in the Enyaq 50s and an 82kWh pack in all the other models. But despite the continuity of battery pack size across the 85 spread and the vRS Enyaq, quoted range figures vary between models. 

Ultimately, the roster can be split into three categories of priority: the 50s are the affordable options with poor performance and range, the 85s are the long-legged cars with ranges from 328 miles up to 358 and the vRS is the all-out performance monster with 340hp and 337 miles of range offered. Simple. 

The Enyaq has previously been sold in various other flavours with numerical designations that are no longer offered. We’ve tested the Enyaq iV 60, 80, 80X and vRS models in a variety of trims, and it’s interesting that they feel so similar on the road. The lower-powered model does feel a little lighter on its feet, but they all share the same quick-off-the-mark feel and, on challenging roads, the 58kWh model feels just as capable as its more powerful counterpart.

Comparing the Enyaq iV with rivals such as the Tesla Model 3 and Ford Mustang Mach-E might leave you a little disappointed. It doesn’t have the same killer acceleration of these models, but don’t think that it’s sluggish. As well as being quick off the mark, the Enyaq iV also serves generous dollops of mid-range acceleration, sprinting from 50-70mph quickly and effortlessly. The 80X, however, does feel a lot more useful, and you can put that down to its 0-62mph time of 6.9 seconds. For comparison, the current flagship vRS model dispatches the same sprint in 5.5 seconds.

There are two energy recuperation modes to choose from. There’s standard D (for Drive) or B (for Brake), with the latter using resistance from the electric motor to slow the car down, allowing the batteries to recharge. That also forces you to drive it in a way that rarely sees you needing to use the brake pedal if you’re a gentle driver. Leave it in D and the Enyaq iV’s ability to roll along at speed without any input through the accelerator pedal is really impressive.

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What’s it like to drive?

• Light, accurate steering
• Safe and stable handling
• Quiet and refined at speed
  

The Enyaq iV is tuned for comfort and smoothness. Yes, it’s serene and goes well, but there’s more to it than that. In short, it feels impressively engineered, refined and easy to drive, and will surprise and delight with its high-speed grip and stability.

There are drive modes to vary the softness of the ride if you have adaptive dampers, and in the Comfort setting, it impresses in its ability to soak up potholes, speed humps and surface irregularities. At speed, the pliancy remains, but not much in the way of bodyroll thanks to the weight of the batteries being so low. You can turn into bends without worry and because there’s plenty of grip and weight here, and although it’s rear-wheel drive, you won’t trouble it with a slide.

Ride quality and damping at all speeds are good, especially considering it has such large wheels, although the BMW iX3 and Mercedes-Benz EQA are more comfortable. It’s a very heavy car, and you can feel this whenever you’re driving – which goes a long way to explaining why it feels like it’s crushing the road beneath. It’s not perfect, with some sharp irregularities such as expansion joints getting through.

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As well as being comfortable, it’s also extremely quiet. There’s almost no motor noise to speak of, and the road noise is also very subdued. Wind noise is almost absent at UK motorway speeds, making this a great place in which to cover long distances without stress. In short – if you’re looking for the most comfortable electric family car, you’ve arrived in the right place.

The sporty vRS model has bigger alloy wheels, wider tyres and stiffer suspension, which Skoda says makes it go around corners better. In reality, it isn’t much different from the cheaper 80X variant, apart from the fact that it’s a little more uncomfortable. At the end of the day, the Enyaq is still a big, heavy SUV. It doesn’t matter how much suspension wizardry you deploy, you’ll never make it corner like a sports car.

The steering is quite dead, too. There isn’t much feedback, which is disappointing in something that’s supposed to be a driver’s car. That means you never have the confidence to tackle corners quickly and you drive it in the same manner as the cheaper 80X variant.

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