The 2021 All-Electric Skoda Enyaq iV 80 SUV
We had decided a while ago that our next car would be Electric and had been closely scrutinising all the available ones. When this new Skoda Enyaq came on the market, I was obviously very interested, especially as I had owned three Skodas before buying my present car, a Mercedes that I have been unhappy with for a while and now regard the buy as a mistake! So test drive arranged and a few days ago got to drive electric for the first time!
The Skoda Enyaq is an all-electric SUV, and the first Electric car that Skoda has produced commercially. If you don’t know about Skoda, it is a company in the Volkswagen group that contains Audi, VW and Seat as well. It goes up against alternatives like the mechanically similar Volkswagen ID4, the upcoming Nissan Ariya and the Ford Mustang Mach-E.
There’s two battery versions of the Skoda Enyaq iV — the 60 and the 80. The 60 uses a 62kWh battery pack that will return 256 miles between charges, plus a 180hp electric motor. The 80 takes capacity up to 82kWh, with 333 miles of range, plus a more powerful 204hp electric motor. The 60 is the one to go for, if you can deal with the shorter range — performance is punchy enough, top speed about 100mph and it’s the only Enyaq that qualifies for the £2,500 or about $3,500 government grant, eventual cost new about £31,500 or nearly $44,000. The Enyaq has gained awards like the ‘Best Electric Large SUV!’ The ŠKODA ENYAQ iV SUV took home this win at the What Car? Electric Car of the Year Award 2021 so must be good, yes?
If you have a 7kW home charger it will take around nine hours to charge from empty to full and that will cost about £10, nearly $14. Again there is a government grant available to reduce the cost of the charger.
My verdict after running it for a while? Briefly, a very nice car that I would love to own and drive. Inside and controls finished off well, comfortable on smooth roads and all controls and information screen clearly labelled and easy to see and operate. The trouble is the weight! Batteries are very heavy, not so heavy nowadays but still a considerable weight and positioned low on the car. This means that there is unevenness and vibration on rough or potholed roads as the shocks cannot smooth everything out. This will not bother most of us at all and if it was just me, I would be fine with it but my wife suffers from a back and spinal condition and it very perceptive to bumps and unevenness in ride.
So unfortunately it is a no-no! Even as I write, new generation batteries is being developed with greater range and a reduction in size and weight. So, we will wait a few more years for the next model electric that Skoda produce when the shock absorbers can cope that much better with a lesser weight, the range is a little more and the network of charging points has expanded!
The 2021 All-Electric Skoda Enyaq iV 80 SUV
We had decided a while ago that our next car would be Electric and had been closely scrutinising all the available ones. When this new Skoda Enyaq came on the market, I was obviously very interested, especially as I had owned three Skodas before buying my present car, a Mercedes that I have been unhappy with for a while and now regard the buy as a mistake! So test drive arranged and a few days ago got to drive electric for the first time!
The Skoda Enyaq is an all-electric SUV, and the first Electric car that Skoda has produced commercially. If you don’t know about Skoda, it is a company in the Volkswagen group that contains Audi, VW and Seat as well. It goes up against alternatives like the mechanically similar Volkswagen ID4, the upcoming Nissan Ariya and the Ford Mustang Mach-E.
There’s two battery versions of the Skoda Enyaq iV — the 60 and the 80. The 60 uses a 62kWh battery pack that will return 256 miles between charges, plus a 180hp electric motor. The 80 takes capacity up to 82kWh, with 333 miles of range, plus a more powerful 204hp electric motor. The 60 is the one to go for, if you can deal with the shorter range — performance is punchy enough, top speed about 100mph and it’s the only Enyaq that qualifies for the £2,500 or about $3,500 government grant, eventual cost new about £31,500 or nearly $44,000. The Enyaq has gained awards like the ‘Best Electric Large SUV!’ The ŠKODA ENYAQ iV SUV took home this win at the What Car? Electric Car of the Year Award 2021 so must be good, yes?
If you have a 7kW home charger it will take around nine hours to charge from empty to full and that will cost about £10, nearly $14. Again there is a government grant available to reduce the cost of the charger.
My verdict after running it for a while? Briefly, a very nice car that I would love to own and drive. Inside and controls finished off well, comfortable on smooth roads and all controls and information screen clearly labelled and easy to see and operate. The trouble is the weight! Batteries are very heavy, not so heavy nowadays but still a considerable weight and positioned low on the car. This means that there is unevenness and vibration on rough or potholed roads as the shocks cannot smooth everything out. This will not bother most of us at all and if it was just me, I would be fine with it but my wife suffers from a back and spinal condition and it very perceptive to bumps and unevenness in ride.
So unfortunately it is a no-no! Even as I write, new generation batteries is being developed with greater range and a reduction in size and weight. So, we will wait a few more years for the next model electric that Skoda produce when the shock absorbers can cope that much better with a lesser weight, the range is a little more and the network of charging points has expanded!