Our cars Welcome back anytime


The time has come for our Enyaq to head for the hills, but it is welcome back anytime thanks to its flawless driving qualities, amazing space, practicality, and long-range potential.


Pete Tullin


I wasn’t around in 1888 when the first EV silently slipped its moorings, but I was one of the first journalists invited to Japan to drive a prototype Nissan Leaf in 2009. The biggest difference between the original Leaf, which could cover 73 miles and today’s EVs such as our Skoda Enyaq, is range. That said, the times to cover certain journeys seem to have made little progress.


With the charging infrastructure coming under increasing pressure, it’s no longer uncommon to pull into motorway services to find all chargers occupied and the inevitable queues of irate folk. On a recent journey from London to the Northeast, which would have taken just over 5 hours in a petrol car, it took me the fat-end of 9 hours. As with all EVs, price is still a massive sticking point, and I’ve lost count of the folk who have cast admiring glances at our Enyaq only to be dumbfounded by its £50k sticker price.


I’m not about to start defending Skoda’s pricing policy, but if it takes this kind of money to get an EV, which successfully allays my range anxiety, thanks to its official 332-mile range and guilds the lily with immaculate refinement, outstanding space and practicality and supreme driving prowess, then count me in.


Of course, I don’t envy sales staff asking customers to part with this kind of wonga, because although the Enyaq Coupe looks pretty ballsy, especially when fitted with the crystal grille, which


Engine size/power:  286hp twin electric motors, single speed all-wheel-drive, 77kw battery, 175kW - DC battery charging.


is effectively the motoring equivalent of a rapper’s gold necklace, a showroom environment is not really the place to highlight the Skoda’s myriad talents. Okay, so you can lose most of the bash street kids in the back seats and condense a pack of Dalmatians into the enormous boot while your better half plays with the infotainment menus and adjusts the mood lighting, as you talk turkey with the salesman, but really, the Enyaq is a car which needs to be lived with to be appreciated. Granted, it didn’t take long for me to be blown away by the Enyaq’s stealthiness as it ploughed its first stretch of motorway or appreciate the comfort of its adaptive dampers and effortless overtaking power delivery, but it was just as much about day-to-day practicality, which made the Enyaq such a fantastic all-rounder.


Whether it be loading mountains of golfing paraphernalia for a cheeky


Standard equipment:  Mode 3 Cable (32A) - 6 metres, 20” alloy wheels, Panoramic sunroof, keyless entry, remote central locking, tri-zone climate control, heated seats, digital cockpit, 13” infotainment screen sat-navigation, 3-spoke leather heated sports multi- function steering wheel with paddles for recuperation level selection, 2 front & 2 rear USB type C sockets, wireless Apple CarPlay, wireless phone charger. Adaptive cruise control with speed limiter, dynamic Full matrix LED headlights lights with cornering function, lane assist, forward collision warning with automatic braking, driver alert system, privacy glass and acoustic side windows, front and rear parking sensors, rear view camera.


Skoda Enyaq Coupe 85x SportLine Plus


P11D £50,250 Price as tested £55,370 WLTP Combined Range 332 miles Average consumption 3.6 miles per kWh Mileage 6,176 miles


afternoon fourball or a mercy dash with a pair of wheel ramps so my mate could crawl under his old MG and replace its sump gasket, I’ve never paused for a nanosecond to consider whether the Enyaq could cope. Invariably if it needed hauling then the Enyaq was there to lend a helping hand. To be honest, I didn’t use half of the available cubbies dotted around the cabin or the curry bag hanging hooks in the boot, but I did take advantage of the takeaway carton-accommodating shelf beneath the centre console on several occasions and I’m sure there are plenty of folks with bustling broods who will find creative uses for the many additional storage hidey-holes. From a head space perspective, the Enyaq’s strong range certainly played a crucial part in making most of my journeys as stress-free as possible. Sure, there were times when the charging network got up to its old tricks. Whether trying to swindle me out of my data, refusing contactless payments, or failing to deliver the strength of charge it purported to, but with an effective


Why we’re running it


To see if the updated Skoda Enyaq is an even better choice.


50 | September/October 2024 | www.businesscar.co.uk


Optional equipment:  Advanced Package Includes - Infotainment package plus (head up display). Light and view package plus (crystal face).


- Climate package plus (heated front and rear seats and heated windscreen).


- CANTON sound system.


 Maxx Package (over Advanced Package) includes - Comfort seat package plus (electrically adjustable front seats (driver and passenger) with memory function, power adjustable lumbar support for front seats (driver and passenger) and massage function for driver’s seat).


- Parking package plus (area view camera, park assist, trained parking). Drive sport package plus (dynamic chassis control, 3-spoke leather heated sports multi- function steering wheel with paddles for recuperation level selection, progressive steering).


working range of over 200 miles when cruising between the battery’s 20 and 80 percent parameters, the Enyaq allayed the getting-caught-short fears I have experienced with many previous EVs. What’s that old expression? Buy cheap pay twice? Certainly, the Enyaq is not cheap, but it is undoubtedly one of the best-driving EVs money can buy and if its substantial range helps reduce charging waiting times, which as things stand are only going to get worse, then I reckon it is well worth its premium.


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