Skoda Enyaq Coupé iV vRS first drive: unashamedly good

The Skoda Enyaq Coupé is somewhat of a contradiction. It’s based on the standard Skoda Enyaq IV, which is a solid but sensible electric SUV. I wrote about a version that Skoda had transformed into an RV, with a tent on the roof and literally a kitchen sink in the back. The coupé model takes that large rear space and chops it up, by swooping the roof lower at the back. It’s still a hatchback though, and the boot is still, by all comparisions, massive. But the Enyaq Coupé is also a vRS model – Skoda’s performance line that has made its way onto an electric model for the first time. Oh, and it’s finished in bright green. 

So, in a nutshell, this is a wild version of a sensible SUV, that’s not an estate but still has a huge boot, and is certainly here to be seen. To say you can’t miss the hyper-green paintwork is an understatement. It still looks bright when parked in an unlit driveway on a bleak November night. When I parked it in a public car park or pulled up to a charging station, people actually pointed and stared. This is not a car for keeping a low profile. 

Enyaq Coupé vRS specs

Compared to even the top-of-the-range Enyaq iV 80x Sportline Plus (which features a 195kW battery rather than the regular 150kW), this Coupé vRS has a more powerful 220kW version that delivers a top speed of 112mph and a 6.4-second 0-60mph. The standard Enyaq iV 80 does it in 8.5 seconds. And yet it still offers a 323-mile range. 

It has all the sports features of a vRS model too, from the leather sports seats and colour-coded trims to the 20-inch alloys with aero inserts. The model I tested was finished in ‘Hyper Green’, which Skoda considers a special colour. However, if you’re not as brave, it also comes in a standard selection of metallic colours, including black, silver and a rather nice race blue. There’s also an orange metallic, that is still bold, but not quite as in your face. 

Being a coupé, I expected it to have much less boot space than the SUV, but aside from a little less headroom, it’s just as cavernous. With the rear seats folded down, I was able to get a 6-foot Christmas tree in it with next to no effort. Even without the back seats down, there’s enough space for a full family’s luggage – 570 litres to be exact – that’s probably four large suitcases and other bits.

The driving experience

The Enyaq Coupé iV vRS looks sporty but this is still a big car. Much like BMW’s X4 and X6 it’s more of a crossover, offering the height and build of an SUV with sleeker styling. This is after all, still an all-wheel drive 4x4 vehicle. 

Unlock the car at night and the crystal face front grill lights up with the headlights, giving a futuristic if slightly mean look. This is made up of 131 LEDs and looks just as impressive on the road. The main headlights are also full LEDs, giving a really clear view of the road, even providing auto-dimming and full beam when needed. 

For such a big car, it handles really well on smaller roads and the extra power here is really noticeable over the Enyaq iV 80. On the motorway, the higher ride is welcome and makes longer journeys easy, especially combined with the assisted drive features. The adaptive cruise control allows you to set your top speed for the road without having to override it when slower traffic is ahead. I found even on smaller roads that using this allowed me to focus on the road without having to worry about braking – the car would do that for me. 

The sat nav system relies on the in-built eSIM to keep track of where you are, which is fine until you lose signal. You can use CarPlay or Android Auto and their mapping, but of course, these have the same problem. The sat nav also provides the adaptive cruise control with speed limits – I found these weren’t always accurate, as they had included former roadworks limits. If your speed is set to the speed limit, this automatically adjusts for you. This was easy to override though when it slowed me down (or wanted to speed me up).

The car has a choice of driving modes, from Eco up to Sport, which allow you to fine-tune the vehicle settings and also manage your power usage. Eco allowed me to eek out a few extra miles of range on the motorway, while Sport tightened things up for a better response on the windy roads.

The range on the Enyaq Coupé iV vRS is seriously impressive, with a maximum of 323 miles. That’s only five miles short of the Enyaq iV 80 and well above most of the competition. Of course, that’s the range in perfect conditions, and like every electric car, that shrinks considerably in colder conditions and is dependent on driving style and load. The battery can be charged at a maximum of 135kW, which would charge to 80% in just 36 minutes. Unfortunately, public chargers in the UK are unreliable at best, so finding this kind of speed can be pot luck.

The cabin of the Enyaq Coupé iV vRS is beautifully finished and feels very premium. I’m a big fan of the panoramic glass roof, which makes the whole cabin nice and bright. But my favourite part has to be the head-up display. I found I used this constantly for checking both my speed and my sat-nav directions, meaning I rarely had to look down at the smaller screen behind the wheel or the central display.

Should I buy the Skoda Enyaq Coupé iV vRS? 

This is the best-looking car Skoda has produced to date. However, it is certainly a niche model in the scheme of things. For most buyers the standard SUV-style Enyaq iV 80 is a more sensible choice, as it’s a little more spacious in the boot and around £10k cheaper. However, for those that are looking for something sportier (while still remaining practical) the Coupé iV vRS will appeal. With a more sensible paint colour (I’d go for the blue), this car is a lot of fun and still cheaper than the EV equivalents from other manufacturers. 

The Enyaq Coupé iV vRS is available to order now, priced from £54,370. The Enyaq iV 80 will also be made available with the vRS package in the coming months, giving you the option of sticking with the SUV style but gaining the power.