2025 Skoda Enyaq Coupe vRS | UK Review
Its latest update has made the Enyaq more recommendable than ever - but look elsewhere for fun
Fitness for purpose, that ability to wholly succeed in a given role, tends to mark out all great cars. A large saloon ought to be the pinnacle of refinement and luxury; a supercar should lap up the affection of onlookers just as well as it should lap a private race resort. We rightly expect a sports car to make even the busiest of B roads seem entertaining - you get the picture.
So what of the fast yet family-focused electric SUV? Well, it's a bit trickier. Go too easy on the makeover and it becomes hard to justify over the lesser models in the range; go OTT on the transformation and there’s a danger of losing the core appeal as ride quality and range are jeopardised for the sake of performance. And that's if you can overcome the inherent problems with making a near-silent, two-and-a-half tonne EV interesting to drive in the first place. But if Hyundai can do it, then the task is not impossible. And into what’s becoming a well-populated (i.e. profitable) niche - there’s the EV6 GT, Mustang Mach-E Rally and Ariya NISMO to consider alongside - there’s now an updated Skoda Enyaq vRS.
If it passed you by (easily done, let’s be fair, despite the lurid paint options), the 340hp flagship now boasts a revised look, a ‘more dynamic set-up’ for the suspension, more powerful brakes and some aero tweaks to eke out just a bit more range from the 79kWh battery. Officially, it’ll do more than 340 miles to a charge.
The revised exterior of the Enyaq is hard to love, in truth, primarily because it looks less like a Skoda now and more like every other SUV out there. Perhaps an illuminated grille was a tad naff before, though at least its appearance and the design of the lights gave it USP; now that’s only really confirmed by having the name literally spelled out across the bonnet. The Elroq was similarly afflicted, though of course without a direct predecessor to compare against. While EVs don’t require grilles, there must be a way to get rid without creating something so anonymous.
The majority of our miles in the Enyaq were spent driving to collect another EV— specifically the Jaguar I-Pace that’s recently joined the PH Fleet. And the Skoda was brilliant for the journey, it must be said. Being quiet and efficient and easy to use aren’t exactly sexy attributes when it comes to intended purpose, but the vRS nailed the required brief. The sports seats are really good, it’ll sit at 70 without chomping through its range, the default regen setting is nicely judged (with a less sticky pedal than an Elroq), and it’ll scoot away from roundabouts with reasonable gusto when required.
The stats for the trip were impressive, given the air con was blasting the whole way and no real concern was applied to maximising range: four and a half hours driving, 225 miles covered, a 50mph average speed and 3.9 miles per kilowatt hour. Given how EVs don’t love steady state driving, that seemed good— it wasn’t fully charged on departure, and it wasn’t completely drained back home. The Jag could only dream of such parsimony, basically a mile per kilowatt hour off— or 25 per cent worse— on the same drive despite the same sort of weight and only a little more power. That’s what a few years of battery advancement will do.
Where the old stager could counter, and what continues to let all the MEB-based cars down a tad, is the richness of the experience. New versus used is never a fair fight, granted, though this interior wants for more than contrast stitching to feel special, and the steering is desperate for just a bit of resistance to feel like you’re operating something real.
Predictably, these are the grumblings of an enthusiast (the brake pedal, if better than an Elroq, is still spongey), but they’re exactly the people a vRS ought to be aimed at. The parent who feels there’s still a bit of lead in their pencil and who places some value on the driving experience, even if it is just to the supermarket. Again. Or you’d save the hard-earned and buy a normal one. For all the claims about chassis changes, including a Traction drive mode ‘tailored to the all-wheel drive’, this vRS felt broadly very similar to the last on a twisty road. Which is to say composed, capable and disturbed by precious little, from mid-corner bumps to inappropriate throttle applications. ‘Twas ever thus. Certainly, a lack of engagement feels less of a concern in the Enyaq than the smaller Elroq, which you’d expect to be a tad sprightlier. And isn’t, really.
Cars across the VW empire have always featured commonalities, of course - the previous generation of vRS, GTI and Cupra hot hatches had their similarities, from the tug of the VAQ diff to the slight hollowness of the manual shift. Without engines, however, there are even fewer ways to tell them apart, and perhaps less inclination to go for a fast one. There’s just not very much in it. The Ioniq 5, EV6 and Genesis GV60 feel like very different cars on a common architecture in a way that Tavascan, Enyaq Coupe and ID.5 don’t.
Which brings us back to the intended purpose. Because if the Enyaq had been pitched as something akin to the rebirth of Skoda’s vRS line-up, or a new dawn for the electric SUV, then its mild manners might be disappointing. Yet this Enyaq costs just £3,200 more than the next rung down, which doesn’t seem unreasonable for some extra zip between traffic lights, a slightly jazzier interior, and the no-cost but vRS-exclusive option of Hyper Green paint. It occupies a position of slightly speedier Enyaq, rather than anything more gratifying, with everything good and bad that that status entails. It remains a hugely spacious, useful, efficient, comfortable family car, albeit without being enormously exciting.
And that’s sort of fine; it’s easy to see why that might appeal, particularly as the cars built on this MEB architecture continue to improve in terms of usability and perceived quality with each update. But if the budget is beyond £50,000 - and more like £55,000, with the bigger wheels and a heat pump added on - then something like a Kia EV6 GT becomes unavoidable. What it loses out on efficiency, it more than makes up for in driver reward. And for as long as PH is PH, that has to matter more.
SPECIFICATION | 2025 SKODA ENYAQ COUPÉ VRS
Engine: Two permanent magnet synchronous motors, 79kWh (usable) battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic, all-wheel drive
Power (hp): 340
Torque (lb ft): 402
0-62mph: 5.4secs
Top speed: 111mph
MPG: 342-348 miles WLTP range, 3.8-3.9 miles/kWh claimed, 185kW DC charging
Weight: 2,220kg
Price: from £53,860
In that analogy, the Enyaq feels like the C70. The sort-of-sports-coupé-but-not-really model which feels kind of out of place against the rest of the range and doesn't really play to their strengths.
Firstly, why are more and more manufacturers replacing actual logos with plain lettering? I noticed this in a Skoda hire car I had earlier this year. While their badge wasn't the most exciting thing ever, are we now at a point where manufacturers now need to spell out their names so people notice?
Secondly, on what planet is this an SUV? Sure, Skoda can call it one but, aside from being quite tall in the body, I don't see any SUV characteristics at all? It's got the overall shape of a large hatchback and no more ground clearance than most normal cars. It's funny how manufacturers are marketing SUVs because they think people want them, yet are slowly making their SUVs more and more like normal cars.
Private buyers will pick these up for £35k this time next year, a decent proposition then..
85x sportline models are available on heavily subsidised lease deals at the moment. No one in their right mind would tie their capital up or borrow to buy one outright.
At the bottom end of offerings on this MEB platform, if you really do want to buy rather than lease, drivethedeal now have the base ID3 for £21k, that's £10k off list.
I do not doubt this would be a very pleasant thing to have sat perched on my drive and I expect it would be much nicer than the modern ICE VAG hatchback my firm provide. But I see so little to be excited about or even particularly interested in. I’m sure in the past “sporty” or “top of the range” “normal” cars were more appealing. Nostalgia, eh?
As a potential private buyer pricing seems so crazy in the modern era, too. It’s going to list at £55,000 for one with a heat pump and so on. That seems like an enormous sum. I don’t care what people say about having to suck up inflation. Wage inflation for me and millions of others has been pitiful this millennium.
I guess large numbers of these devices are sold to fleets with enormous discounts, offered to a fortunate few (a surprisingly large number!) via hugely discounted salary sacrifice schemes or brokered through lease companies at enormous discounts.
Private buyers apply later.
Firstly, why are more and more manufacturers replacing actual logos with plain lettering? I noticed this in a Skoda hire car I had earlier this year. While their badge wasn't the most exciting thing ever, are we now at a point where manufacturers now need to spell out their names so people notice?
Secondly, on what planet is this an SUV? Sure, Skoda can call it one but, aside from being quite tall in the body, I don't see any SUV characteristics at all? It's got the overall shape of a large hatchback and no more ground clearance than most normal cars. It's funny how manufacturers are marketing SUVs because they think people want them, yet are slowly making their SUVs more and more like normal cars.
As for this Skoda there seems nothing at all that appeals. These types of car may well do a job, and some may do it well, but they're appliances now. That said, we still need to remind ourselves that outside of PH most peeps care little for interesting drivers' cars.
Firstly, why are more and more manufacturers replacing actual logos with plain lettering? I noticed this in a Skoda hire car I had earlier this year. While their badge wasn't the most exciting thing ever, are we now at a point where manufacturers now need to spell out their names so people notice?
Secondly, on what planet is this an SUV? Sure, Skoda can call it one but, aside from being quite tall in the body, I don't see any SUV characteristics at all? It's got the overall shape of a large hatchback and no more ground clearance than most normal cars. It's funny how manufacturers are marketing SUVs because they think people want them, yet are slowly making their SUVs more and more like normal cars.
This is obviously done to reduce the vehicle's profile and increase range in the hope that fresh faced SUV buyers that like sitting high up won't notice.
But why can't Skoda crack the spongy brakes issue? It's 2025, Skoda are part of VAG, spongy brakes shouldn't even be a thing. Is it deliberate to downplay it's standing in the market?
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