Considering the unabating popularity of EVs, SUVs and SUVs that want to be coupés, it’s only natural that myriad mash-ups should appear, and the latest is the Skoda Enyaq iV Coupé.
Is it just a quick cash-in, then? Not exactly. Work started on the Coupé in 2017, before the square-backed Skoda Enyaq we know today, originally intended as a quirky alternative to the cookie-cutter SUVs of the day.
Of course, it’s not alone these days, but that doesn’t stop it from heading the Enyaq family, even getting the honour of being the first EV to wear Skoda’s vRS performance badge.
That’s the most exciting version, officially getting from 0-62mph in 6.5sec, thanks to 295bhp from two motors and four-wheel drive.
No one will ever say that it’s slow, but if you’ve ever experienced a Tesla Model 3 at full chat, it is likely to leave you underwhelmed. The additional motor also reduces range, meaning you will be lucky to get 300 miles from the 82kWh battery.
The front-wheel-drive 80 probably makes more sense, having the same-size battery but just the one motor making 201bhp. It still feels plenty fast enough on a straight, sprinting from 0-62mph in 8.8sec, and it gets the best official range, at 335 miles. Both versions are capable of rapid charging at up to 135kW, meaning 10-80% in less than 36 minutes.
‘On a straight’ was a key point, because while the Enyaq Coupé is a fine thing to drive, even the vRS isn’t exactly exhilarating. Four-wheel drive gives you confidence to push on, especially when you engage Sport driving mode to firm everything up, and it’s quite satisfying to feel the differential pull you through corners when you enter with some pace. The problem is that it’s a heavy old thing, and you become very aware of that as you exit corners.