Skoda Enyaq iV Coupe overview
We first drove The Enyaq Coupe with left-hand drive and on the Continent back in March of 2022. After which we waited. And then waited some more. The problem, of course, was at first the issues surrounding Covid, which still lingered, and then the global shortage of microchips. Then there were further delays with short-staffing, especially at the major European delivery and logistics nodes. Finally, though, production has ramped up enough that there are actually Skoda Enyaq Coupes on the ground here in Ireland, and we can try it out under more familiar conditions.
Is it really a coupe, though? Can any vehicle with a kerb weight approaching two tonnes and a body as generously proportioned around the midriff as this be seriously considered thusly? Well, there's only one way to find out...
The Skoda Enyaq Coupe model range
The Enyaq Coupe line-up is a relatively simple one. You get a choice of two batteries - 58kWh and 77kWh usable capacities, badged '60' and '80', respectively - and three electric motor layouts. There is a 150hp single-motor rear-drive option, paired with the smaller battery, and a 204hp single-motor rear-drive setup paired with the larger battery. The big battery is also found in the 80x model, which comes with an extra, front-mounted, electric motor giving you four-wheel drive and up to 265hp.
You can upgrade all of these models with extra equipment and sportier styling in Sportline trim, and at the top of the range there's the 299hp, two-motor, four-wheel-drive Enyaq Coupe RS, with tweaked suspension and sporting intent.
Prices start from €54,710 for the basic 150hp, 58kWh Enyaq iV 60 Coupe, rising to €60,685 for the Enyaq iV 80 Coupe and €63,645 for the Enyaq iV 80x 4x4 Coupe. If you want a Sportline version, you'll pay €63,925 for the iV 60, €68,255 for the iV 80 and €71,035 for the iV 80x 4x4. The range-topping RS version costs €74,295.
By Skoda standards - any standards, really - these are pretty stiff prices and they're about €5,000, version for version, pricier than those asked for the standard Enyaq. Mind you, all Enyaq Coupe models are very well equipped.
Standard equipment on the base models - regardless of the battery size or motor power - includes lane-keeping assist, active steering, forward collision alert and automated braking, a tyre pressure monitor, dual-zone air conditioning, cruise control with a speed limiter, keyless ignition, front and rear parking sensors, a rear-view camera, automatic lights and wipers, a 13-inch infotainment touchscreen, built-in navigation, voice control, Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, plus a three-year subscription to internet access services. You also get 19-inch alloy wheels, a panoramic glass roof, LED headlights and brake lights, a rear spoiler, mixed fabric and synthetic leather seats, a leather multi-function steering wheel and LED mood lighting.
As standard, the basic iV 60 model comes with 120kW rapid-charging capability, but 80 and 80x version get slightly faster 135kW charging. The standard AC charging rate is 7.2kW.
Upgrade to Sportline and you'll get 20-inch alloys, a muscular body kit with black trim, high-tech Matrix LED headlights, leather-and-suede upholstery, carbon-style cabin trim, aluminium pedals, a heated steering wheel with paddles to adjust the brake energy recuperation, heated front seats and heated windscreen washers, an electrically-adjustable driver's seat, full keyless entry and ignition, dark tinted privacy glass, acoustic insulation, wireless charging pad, selectable driving modes, progressive steering, adaptive lane-keeping with emergency assistance, three-zone climate control, roller blinds for the rear side windows, extra USB sockets, a powered tailgate with a motion sensor under the bumper and blind-spot monitoring.
The RS model adds a unique body kit and special paint options, as well as upgraded upholstery, a unique steering wheel, head-up display, a high-end Canton sound system and the 'Crystal Face' illuminated grille.
For lowlier Enyaq Coupes, there's an optional Advanced Pack costing €8,740, and which gives you the illuminated grille, the Canton sound system, the extra USB sockets, nicer upholstery and the rear window blinds. This pack was fitted to our test car.
Needless to say, all Enyaqs have 0g/km of CO2 in use and have the cheapest €120 annual motor tax.
The Enyaq is, according to Euro NCAP, one of the safest cars you can buy, with a 94 per cent adult occupant protection rating, and an 89 per cent rating for child occupants. In that context, and in spite of automated emergency braking, its 71 per cent rating for pedestrian protection is a little disappointing (it's the same as for the much bigger, heavier Land Rover Defender for example).
At the time of writing, Skoda Ireland has a limited offer available for the Enyaq Coupe: a 0 per cent PCP finance plan, with three years' free servicing, and monthly repayments of €279 (assuming a €15,977 deposit, and an optional final payment of €26,807). For the most up-to-date offers, have a look at the Skoda Ireland website.
The Skoda Enyaq Coupe interior
Up front, the small main instrument screen is buried in the structure of the dash, rather than mounted up on a pod, as in the Volkswagen ID.4. The two-spoke steering wheel looks classy and feels good to hold, and the overall sensation is one of high quality. That said, we did notice some persistent buzzy rattles in our test car, especially from a small piece of plastic that screens off the optional head-up display.
There's plenty of storage in the huge centre console, along with two large cupholders. There's another, angled, storage space in front of those, which in our test car was home to the wireless phone charger. You'll find two USB-C charging points in the front, and another two in the back for Sportline and RS models, or versions fitted with the Advance Pack.
The 13-inch touchscreen must come in for particular praise here. Volkswagen Group's screen software has been rightly criticised, but the Skoda setup is slightly simpler and easier on the brain than that of the ID.4 or the Cupra Born, and the decision to move the air conditioning controls onto the screen is a good one (for a change) as it does away with the fiddly 'slider' temperature controls favoured by VW. There is still a slider volume control, but you'll end up using the simpler physical roller button on the steering wheel instead of that. The optional Canton sound system is also really good and thankfully Skoda offers a proper quartet of electric window switches.
Comfort levels up front are excellent, and visibility out is good too, aside from the windscreen pillars being pretty chunky. The cabin also looks and feels airy thanks to the light coming from the huge panoramic glass roof.
Now, normally a panoramic roof would be unwelcome news for the headroom of those in the rear seats, exacerbated by the fact that this is - of course - a 'coupe' (in name if not strictly in form). However, Skoda has been clever enough with its packaging that, unless you're really, really tall, you'll feel no lack of headroom in the back seats. The sweep of the rear roofline starts farther back than you might think, and thanks to heat-absorbing tech, the glass roof does without a sun blind, which helps when it comes to the headroom. There's also copious legroom and just about enough width in the seat (and a flat floor) to squeeze three adults in the back.
Rear-seat passengers also benefit from seat-back pockets that have a separate, smaller section for a phone or e-reader, a centre rear armrest and - on our test car - roller blinds in the doors.
The Enyaq Coupe isn't even impractical in its boot. The regular Enyaq has a 585-litre boot, but this Coupe version sacrifices only 15 litres, with 570 litres on offer. Even when you fold the seats down, you're only losing around 100 litres of to-the-roof loading space, so there's little compromise when it comes to choosing the Coupe. In general, 100 litres is a lot but when you still have more than 1,600 litres it feels like relatively small change. There's some underfloor storage in the boot for stashing cables, but there's no 'frunk' storage in the nose.
The Skoda Enyaq Coupe driving experience
As with almost any electric car, the Enyaq Coupe is heavy. This version, with the larger of the two batteries, weighs in at 2.1 tonnes. That means it's certainly not the heaviest EV you can buy, but it's sure no lightweight.
Does the weight dominate the way the Enyaq Coupe drives? Up to a point, yes. Certainly, performance is brisk rather than quick, and you don't feel inclined, at first, to push at the edges of the Enyaq's dynamic envelope. Really, this is a car in which you sit back and watch the landscape roll silently by. Refinement is excellent, and even on the large wheels of our test car, the ride quality was, for the most part, very good too. Only around town do you start to feel that it's too stiff, too firm - which is a shame, when you remember that generally speaking, an electric car is at its best in town.
Then again, this Enyaq Coupe takes to longer journeys and bigger roads like an electric duck to electric water. The official range of 552km on a full charge is slightly better than that of the regular Enyaq thanks to the Coupe's fractionally superior aerodynamics, but don't go getting too smug - the difference is only 8km.
Even so, in real-world conditions, involving quite a bit of motorway driving, the Enyaq Coupe has a reliable range of 450km or thereabouts (this was in warm, but not hot, conditions - in winter you could probably knock another 75km off that). That's plenty for long motorway runs between cities, and when you need to charge on the go, the recently-upgraded 135kW DC charging rate definitely helps. We never spent more than about 45 minutes charging up when we needed to, although it's a shame Skoda doesn't offer 22kW AC charging yet.
The Enyaq Coupe also handles rather better than you might think. The light, not particularly chatty steering doesn't offer much encouragement, but when you go looking for it, there is copious front-end grip and in spite of its weight, the Enyaq Coupe resists plough-on understeer quite well. It's not a car I'd call fun to drive, exactly, but it's certainly capable and confidence-inspiring.
Our verdict on the Skoda Enyaq Coupe
There's an issue here, and it's price. With a €72,000 price tag, this is an expensive car by any standards. Now, you can ameliorate that a bit by deleting the €8,740 Advanced Pack, but even then, the Enyaq Coupe looks costly. With a horde of more affordable Chinese rivals on the horizon, Skoda needs to be careful that it doesn't price itself out of the market. Then again, the Enyaq Coupe does live up to its price. It is smooth to drive, roomy, well made and feels properly luxurious inside. Elements such as the light-up grille might be questionable from the point of taste, but the impressive real-world electric range makes it one of the easier EVs with which to live, right now. Even with that price, it's a hard car not to be impressed by.
What do the rest of the team think?
This Enyaq Coupe is a very good car, but as Neil alludes to, it's impossible to ignore the high price tag. The regular SUV model makes more sense financially, though I do like the look of the Coupe's rear - and that fab glass roof. It doesn't really drive any differently, however, but there's very little compromise in terms of passenger or boot space. It boils down to whether you think it's worth the price, I guess, and that's probably easier to justify with a tempting PCP finance offer.
Shane O' Donoghue - Editor
