Thursday 3rd April

New Skoda Elroq vRS officially unveiled in Milan

340hp, 21-inch wheels and 'Modern Solid' design language coming to a nursery car park near you

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Skoda is nothing if not dependable. By and large, you know what you’re going to get, and in a topsy-turvy world that’s quite welcome. No nasty surprises when it comes to design, pricing, driving dynamics and so on. But it also means no nice surprises, either (apart from when the UK PR team went rogue and made the Superb Sleeper). So the new Elroq vRS, shown today in Milan ahead of being exhibited during Fashion Week, is exactly as might have been expected. For better or worse.

It delivers 340hp from a dual-motor, all-wheel drive powertrain, as per the latest range of GTX VWs like the ID.7; its 5.4-second sprint to 62mph makes it the fastest accelerating Skoda on sale. Power comes from a 79kWh (net) battery, which can charge at up to 185kW and deliver more than 340 miles on WLTP. Top speed is 112mph. 

The Hyper Green is the most obvious distinguishing feature of the Elroq vRS, though other paints are available. The 21-inch wheels are unique to the model, and look quite smart in best vRS tradition; the optionally available DCC dampers will probably be helpful given the size of those, however. There are black accents from front to back, model-specific bumpers and LED matrix lights. 

While the fancier dampers are extra, the Elroq vRS gets progressive steering as standard for ‘excellent driving dynamics in any situation’. Again it sounds very familiar from sportier MEB EVs, complete with the 15mm lower ride height. There are uprated brakes, reconfigured drive modes plus Sport and Futuristic sounds to choose from. But only for outside the car, oddly. It’s not pedestrians that need these cars to be more entertaining.

The interior of the Elroq gains vRS graphics for the five-inch Digital Cockpit and 13-inch infotainment display. There’s lime green contrast stitching throughout (so best go for the lairy colour outside, really), ‘carbon-look decor’, heated sports seats - with massage for the driver - plus stainless steel pedal covers. There’s a QR code in the back that links to videos about boot functions and a Maxx pack that gives the passenger a massage seat also, so this is very much still an Elroq first and a vRS (hopefully) second. 

Johannes Neft, Skoda’s man on the board for Technical Development, said: “Skoda vRS models traditionally combine dynamic performance and sporty looks with well-balanced driving characteristics and practicality. The Elroq vRS is no exception: the newest member of our vRS family comes with an output of 340PS and a range of more than 550 kilometres while the DCC blends sportiness and comfort to perfection… This appealing package makes the Elroq vRS the ideal everyday companion.” And that’s probably key, right? The vRS models have typically appealed precisely because they aren’t so overtly sporting as to be irritating. Expect plenty more of the same from the Elroq when it arrives in the summer. 

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• Skoda Octavia vRS | PH Origin Story
• Skoda Superb sleeper | PH Favourite Cars 2024

[je777]

All these mandatory ‘safety’ features – like the one that steers you into oncoming traffic if you cross a white line at the side of the road while moving out of the way of a large vehicle on a narrow road – the constant lowering of speed limits in the UK… and then we get two-tonne vehicles that charge towards you in urban areas, doing 0-30 in under 2 seconds. And all in near total silence. And because they’re SUVs, if they do hit a child, they’re much more likely to hit it on the head and cause a fatal injury. And at the very least, their fancy lights will be blinding oncoming traffic and those unfortunate enough to be in front of them in normal cars.

[theicemario]

Another tall SUV thingy on stupidly large wheels. Smashing

Nice colour mind

[MikeMi-4]

Wasn't sure about the new front end on these but like most car designs, I'm getting used to it now. Skoda have been out-performing their parent company for some time now. Might think about getting one of these (or the new Enyaq) on the NHS lease scheme later this year.

[WPA]

theicemario said:

Another tall SUV thingy on stupidly large wheels. Smashing

Nice colour mind

+1 Just another bland blob on wheels

[SDK]

je777 said:

All these mandatory ‘safety’ features – like the one that steers you into oncoming traffic if you cross a white line at the side of the road while moving out of the way of a large vehicle on a narrow road – the constant lowering of speed limits in the UK… and then we get two-tonne vehicles that charge towards you in urban areas, doing 0-30 in under 2 seconds. And all in near total silence. And because they’re SUVs, if they do hit a child, they’re much more likely to hit it on the head and cause a fatal injury. And at the very least, their fancy lights will be blinding oncoming traffic and those unfortunate enough to be in front of them in normal cars.

These safety systems also stop the cars with them fitted, from hitting said child - I know from experience on two occasions, where a human would not have been able to react and stop in time.

Also, EV's and hybrids are mandated to emit an external noise below 19mph


Also
"and then we get two-tonne vehicles that charge towards you in urban areas,"

Really ?!

[drgoatboy]

Looks good. I like it a lot.
I have the enyaq vrs (also green).
It steers surprisingly well and can be pretty fun although a big old bus so it doesn't really work as a b road blaster.
Sadly Skoda have made it so there are several hurdles to get over to get full power (battery charge, ambient temp etc) so in 6 months of driving I am yet to get the full bhp. Which is just silly. I hope that goes away for the elroq

[je777]

MikeMi-4 said:

Wasn't sure about the new front end on these but like most car designs, I'm getting used to it now. Skoda have been out-performing their parent company for some time now. Might think about getting one of these (or the new Enyaq) on the NHS lease scheme later this year.

Delighted the NHS is funding cheaper cars for folk.

That's not a dig at you - one takes what one can get - but the gov. shouldn't be funding anyone's expensive (compared to a used car, which is a valid comparison for these purposes) car purchases.

[curvature]

What's with the big wheels? Does it not limit range?

When I bought my iX3 I didn't get the M Sport Pro because it had 20" wheels. The 19" wheels on the standard model gave better range.

Edited by curvature on Thursday 3rd April 16:07

[kambites]

curvature said:

What's with the big wheels? Doe sit not limit range?

I'm sure it does a bit, but ultimately it's customer demand - people like big wheels.

God knows why. Quite aside from the effect on the ride, handling and range, it looks stupid to me.

[je777]

SDK said:

je777 said:

All these mandatory ‘safety’ features – like the one that steers you into oncoming traffic if you cross a white line at the side of the road while moving out of the way of a large vehicle on a narrow road – the constant lowering of speed limits in the UK… and then we get two-tonne vehicles that charge towards you in urban areas, doing 0-30 in under 2 seconds. And all in near total silence. And because they’re SUVs, if they do hit a child, they’re much more likely to hit it on the head and cause a fatal injury. And at the very least, their fancy lights will be blinding oncoming traffic and those unfortunate enough to be in front of them in normal cars.

These safety systems also stop the cars with them fitted, from hitting said child - I know from experience on two occasions, where a human would not have been able to react and stop in time.

Also, EV's and hybrids are mandated to emit an external noise below 19mph


Also
"and then we get two-tonne vehicles that charge towards you in urban areas,"

Really ?!

Yes, really. Within the last couple of months, a car was coming to a speed bump, so I (with dodgy knees) had time to cross. Except that I didn't because it was a Tesla, and I had to jump (painfully) out of the way as it charged towards me. And yes, other fast cars have always existed, but - crucially - that kind of acceleration was not commonly available, and those cars would be revving high in order to produce that kind of acceleration, whereas I didn't hear the Tesla.

I regularly see EVs being driven in this fashion. Some people - regardless of what car preference they have - will always drive like tts, and given a very fast car, they'll use that acceleration, even in an urban 30mph zone.

[kambites]

Sadly there have always been morons on the road and a proportion of those morons have always had access to fast cars.

[je777]

SDK said:

je777 said:

All these mandatory ‘safety’ features – like the one that steers you into oncoming traffic if you cross a white line at the side of the road while moving out of the way of a large vehicle on a narrow road – the constant lowering of speed limits in the UK… and then we get two-tonne vehicles that charge towards you in urban areas, doing 0-30 in under 2 seconds. And all in near total silence. And because they’re SUVs, if they do hit a child, they’re much more likely to hit it on the head and cause a fatal injury. And at the very least, their fancy lights will be blinding oncoming traffic and those unfortunate enough to be in front of them in normal cars.

These safety systems also stop the cars with them fitted, from hitting said child - I know from experience on two occasions, where a human would not have been able to react and stop in time.

Also, EV's and hybrids are mandated to emit an external noise below 19mph


Also
"and then we get two-tonne vehicles that charge towards you in urban areas,"

Really ?!

And yes, sometimes the safety features are a good thing, but sometimes, say, on a narrow Norwegian road, they steer my wife into an oncoming lorry because it was a rented car, and until that moment, we didn't know that it had this 'safety feature'.

[je777]

kambites said:

Sadly there have always been morons on the road and a proportion of those morons have always had access to fast cars.

But - as I have said - high acceleration is now much more available.

And is achieved much more quietly.

[CKY]

je777 said:

All these mandatory ‘safety’ features – like the one that steers you into oncoming traffic if you cross a white line at the side of the road while moving out of the way of a large vehicle on a narrow road – the constant lowering of speed limits in the UK… and then we get two-tonne vehicles that charge towards you in urban areas, doing 0-30 in under 2 seconds. And all in near total silence. And because they’re SUVs, if they do hit a child, they’re much more likely to hit it on the head and cause a fatal injury. And at the very least, their fancy lights will be blinding oncoming traffic and those unfortunate enough to be in front of them in normal cars.

True, however some people seem to struggle driving the cars on the market even now - Anne Sacoolas, Claire Freemantle... they walk among us.

[Patio]

The dash looks abit tired, everyone else is going wrap around screens

Shape wise they all look the same now. Hard to tell the difference, is it a kamiq/karoq/2008 etc

[CrippsCorner]

WPA said:

theicemario said:

Another tall SUV thingy on stupidly large wheels. Smashing

Nice colour mind

+1 Just another bland blob on wheels

Absolutely my first impressions.

However, on further inspection it would make a fantastic family car, the rear end isn't bad, and the interior quite lovely really.

3/5 for me.

[Pica-Pica]

je777 said:

kambites said:

Sadly there have always been morons on the road and a proportion of those morons have always had access to fast cars.

But - as I have said - high acceleration is now much more available.

And is achieved much more quietly.

That is still in the control of the moron driving.

[pSyCoSiS]

I actually quite like this... Looks better than some of the other offerings within it's sector (IMO, anyway).

[budgie smuggler]

Why has everything got C4 Cactus headlights now? It looks st on everything that has it.

Aside from that, it looks decent, with a sensible amount of performance for a 'quick dadmobile'

[Pica-Pica]

I have been looking at the Elroq since it was announced. We have had Škodas and they are solid cars. This is a better size of ‘SUV’ now. (I put that in quote marks, if you look at 1950s dramas, cars then were just as tall).
All I need now is for public charging to be more plentiful and cheaper. Can I foresee a time when home charging rates go up to subsidise public charger installations, in order to boost EV uptake?