Discussion
I'm an old school analogue/dials/switches petrolhead (currently rebuilding a Defender, previous fun cars were Caterhams) but I'm seriously thinking about joining a salary sacrifice EV scheme. Current car is a 2015 BMW 520d that has been a phenomenal car and I will miss it dearly, however it just makes financial sense to go down the EV route rather than dropping £30k plus on a depreciating second hand replacement or getting screwed for company car tax.
Looking at the numbers I can be driving an Enyaq for about £130 more per month than the BMW (11 years old, 133k miles) effectively costs to own. A colleague has an Enyaq and rates it.
I'd be looking at either a sensible 85X Sportline, Maxx pack 20" wheels in Smoky Silver, or a not sensible vRS in Hyper Green (same colour as my old Caterham). I'm keen to have AWD and adaptive dampers, but the numbers are very similar for both variants.
Questions:
1. Are there any other "must haves" spec wise?
2. The vRS is lower, with the adaptive dampers is the ride still plush enough in cruising mode or will I regret the lower ride height compared the the Sportline?
3. What is the "Lounge" alcantara/suede dash like to live with? Does it show every mark?
4. Do you rate the Enyaq?
There's a bit of me really wanting to go with the BMW i5 Touring as a direct replacement of my 520d with the extra boot space, however it's going to be a good £9000 more over the 3 years which is simply dead money. Man Maths would therefore suggest it's waaaaaay better to sell my old 5 series, sell my current 986 Boxster, "invest" that £9000 now and go and buy a 911 so I can cleanse my soul at the weekend when I start asking myself how I ended up driving an EV SUV as my daily.
Thoughts?
Looking at the numbers I can be driving an Enyaq for about £130 more per month than the BMW (11 years old, 133k miles) effectively costs to own. A colleague has an Enyaq and rates it.
I'd be looking at either a sensible 85X Sportline, Maxx pack 20" wheels in Smoky Silver, or a not sensible vRS in Hyper Green (same colour as my old Caterham). I'm keen to have AWD and adaptive dampers, but the numbers are very similar for both variants.
Questions:
1. Are there any other "must haves" spec wise?
2. The vRS is lower, with the adaptive dampers is the ride still plush enough in cruising mode or will I regret the lower ride height compared the the Sportline?
3. What is the "Lounge" alcantara/suede dash like to live with? Does it show every mark?
4. Do you rate the Enyaq?
There's a bit of me really wanting to go with the BMW i5 Touring as a direct replacement of my 520d with the extra boot space, however it's going to be a good £9000 more over the 3 years which is simply dead money. Man Maths would therefore suggest it's waaaaaay better to sell my old 5 series, sell my current 986 Boxster, "invest" that £9000 now and go and buy a 911 so I can cleanse my soul at the weekend when I start asking myself how I ended up driving an EV SUV as my daily.
Thoughts?
The vRS won't be too stiff, you may find the opposite, that the Sportline 85x, even with Maxx pack (which includes DCC to compare with the vRS) is still a bit soft. Depends what you're comparing it to...
The Sportline, even with DCC, will default to "Normal" even if you want Sport to be your default choice. This is because it was homologated in Normal, so legally it has to revert to Normal at startup. There's no way I've found to override this. So that's a double click on the mode button to get to sport when you want it. Not too annoying, but maybe a reason to go for vRS? I don't actually know what mode the vRS defaults to.
Performance wise, there's not a lot in it. The full power of the vRS is only available over 88% charge (hidden in the small print). But the default battery protection mode stops at 80% charge. So you'll never get it, because charging beyond 80% is not really ever done (if you don't know why, don't be afraid to ask). Honestly, neither are fast enough to feel fast. Both have enough instant EV torque to be nippy, but not fast. It's a great car, and it will get places with pace, but you won't push it hard enough to care about a second difference from zero to 60mph. If you did care, you'd probably be looking at other platforms which are much faster.
The 21s are not harsh. No need to choose 20s for comfort. Valid reasons to choose 20s are wider all-season tyre choice, better pothole protection (although the sidewall on the 21s is still reasonable), or your preferred wheel style. I went 21s on the Sportline for style reasons, no regrets, they feel ok.
Options wise, assuming you've already decided Maxx pack is essential (and I agree) then there's not a lot to add, as Sportline and vRS are both pretty good as standard. Winter pack is common and cheap, but only adds heated rear seats and a heated screen. The heated screen is fairly pointless in a car you can pre-heat remotely, so heated rear seats will depend on how much you love your children/passengers, as you'll never get a benefit from it.
All cars have towbar prep, but if you want it get it fitted from new, as dealers charge a fair whack to add it later. Towbar can only carry 75kg weight, and only tow 1200kg braked. Not particularly useful.
Sunroofs I'll discuss later...
Sportline has suede seats (without green piping), and a leather dash.
vRS has leather seats by default, and suede with green piping on the "lounge".
The (artifical) suede feels way nicer to me than the (artificial) leather.
All options feel like Skoda is punching way above their VW counterparts, which if you still subscribe to the VAG hierarchy will genuinely shock you. The Enyaq interior in some (emphasis on some) ways is better than Audi.
The tech is actually surprisingly good, the augmented reality HUD and predictive cruise are notably impressive. The ability to turn off the nanny settings is actually less of an issue when they don't get in the way so much, and the Enyaq, I find, is just about crossing the line from annoying to acceptable.
The menus and controls take a while to get used to, but most of the deeper menus are "set once and forget" stuff. You'll rarely visit them. The basic daily stuff can be added as a shortcut. Phone pairing and Android Auto is all flawless, IME. I would like to see driver profiles tied to keys. It remembers the last driver, and it's only a couple of clicks to change, but if you swap often with another driver, you're a few clicks to get the seats set and your profile loaded. On previous Porsches, your key sets your profile, and I assumed all cars did that, but no, you are asked to choose on the dash who is driving this time. A niggle.
You can set a shortcut to turn off lane assist (2 clicks) and speed warnings (one click).
I don't think you mentioned if you are after a Coupe or SUV Enyaq. The difference in boot space isn't massive, but the numbers and marketing photos don't tell the whole story. 570L vs 585L is only up to the back of the seats/headrests (for safe load level). There is more space in the SUV above that, if you're happy to use it, so the 15L difference isn't quite true. For dog owners, the SUV is the automatic choice.
The boot opening level is not the same. The SUV opening is lower, so in flush floor mode, the boot looks bigger. The Coupe boot flush-floor level is higher, making the height of the boot look shallower than the SUV. But the underfloor storage trays are removable, and on the SUV these are about 2" deep, and on the Coupe a much more useful 6" deep (not exact, just from memory). So remove the underfloor trays in both cars, and they're quite similar in the end.
Next difference is the parcel shelf, the hard hatchback type on the coupe, and the retractable tonneau type on the SUV. You may have a preference there. The glass is so dark I have no security worries about just leaving the coupe parcel shelf at home.
One gotcha is the roof. Standard fixed glass panoramic on all Coupes, full length right back over the rear passengers heads. No tinting (like the ID.7 or A6), but it's fine as standard in the UK without a shade, IMO. On the SUV you can spec an opening tilt/slide sunroof, but it is not what I would call panoramic, in that it stops short of the rear passengers. Most marketing photos hide this fact well. This makes a huge difference for the rear, as without the Coupe's full pan roof it's a bit of a dark cave back there. You can't delete the very dark privacy glass windows either, so because we have kids we opted for the Coupe. If we could have had an SUV shape with full pan roof, that would be perfect, but no way to do that.
Do I rate the Enyaq? Hell yes. Staggeringly good, because that's what Skoda do. Good cars. Not headline-breaking, record setting ring weapons, or novetly white-leather futuristic self-driving spaceships, just really good family cars. I think it's handsome from the front. I think the rear should have a similar facelift (arselift?) as they're a bit disjointed now, but you can't see both at once anyway.
I can't think what else to say really, but happy to answer any specifics.
The Sportline, even with DCC, will default to "Normal" even if you want Sport to be your default choice. This is because it was homologated in Normal, so legally it has to revert to Normal at startup. There's no way I've found to override this. So that's a double click on the mode button to get to sport when you want it. Not too annoying, but maybe a reason to go for vRS? I don't actually know what mode the vRS defaults to.
Performance wise, there's not a lot in it. The full power of the vRS is only available over 88% charge (hidden in the small print). But the default battery protection mode stops at 80% charge. So you'll never get it, because charging beyond 80% is not really ever done (if you don't know why, don't be afraid to ask). Honestly, neither are fast enough to feel fast. Both have enough instant EV torque to be nippy, but not fast. It's a great car, and it will get places with pace, but you won't push it hard enough to care about a second difference from zero to 60mph. If you did care, you'd probably be looking at other platforms which are much faster.
The 21s are not harsh. No need to choose 20s for comfort. Valid reasons to choose 20s are wider all-season tyre choice, better pothole protection (although the sidewall on the 21s is still reasonable), or your preferred wheel style. I went 21s on the Sportline for style reasons, no regrets, they feel ok.
Options wise, assuming you've already decided Maxx pack is essential (and I agree) then there's not a lot to add, as Sportline and vRS are both pretty good as standard. Winter pack is common and cheap, but only adds heated rear seats and a heated screen. The heated screen is fairly pointless in a car you can pre-heat remotely, so heated rear seats will depend on how much you love your children/passengers, as you'll never get a benefit from it.
All cars have towbar prep, but if you want it get it fitted from new, as dealers charge a fair whack to add it later. Towbar can only carry 75kg weight, and only tow 1200kg braked. Not particularly useful.
Sunroofs I'll discuss later...
Sportline has suede seats (without green piping), and a leather dash.
vRS has leather seats by default, and suede with green piping on the "lounge".
The (artifical) suede feels way nicer to me than the (artificial) leather.
All options feel like Skoda is punching way above their VW counterparts, which if you still subscribe to the VAG hierarchy will genuinely shock you. The Enyaq interior in some (emphasis on some) ways is better than Audi.
The tech is actually surprisingly good, the augmented reality HUD and predictive cruise are notably impressive. The ability to turn off the nanny settings is actually less of an issue when they don't get in the way so much, and the Enyaq, I find, is just about crossing the line from annoying to acceptable.
The menus and controls take a while to get used to, but most of the deeper menus are "set once and forget" stuff. You'll rarely visit them. The basic daily stuff can be added as a shortcut. Phone pairing and Android Auto is all flawless, IME. I would like to see driver profiles tied to keys. It remembers the last driver, and it's only a couple of clicks to change, but if you swap often with another driver, you're a few clicks to get the seats set and your profile loaded. On previous Porsches, your key sets your profile, and I assumed all cars did that, but no, you are asked to choose on the dash who is driving this time. A niggle.
You can set a shortcut to turn off lane assist (2 clicks) and speed warnings (one click).
I don't think you mentioned if you are after a Coupe or SUV Enyaq. The difference in boot space isn't massive, but the numbers and marketing photos don't tell the whole story. 570L vs 585L is only up to the back of the seats/headrests (for safe load level). There is more space in the SUV above that, if you're happy to use it, so the 15L difference isn't quite true. For dog owners, the SUV is the automatic choice.
The boot opening level is not the same. The SUV opening is lower, so in flush floor mode, the boot looks bigger. The Coupe boot flush-floor level is higher, making the height of the boot look shallower than the SUV. But the underfloor storage trays are removable, and on the SUV these are about 2" deep, and on the Coupe a much more useful 6" deep (not exact, just from memory). So remove the underfloor trays in both cars, and they're quite similar in the end.
Next difference is the parcel shelf, the hard hatchback type on the coupe, and the retractable tonneau type on the SUV. You may have a preference there. The glass is so dark I have no security worries about just leaving the coupe parcel shelf at home.
One gotcha is the roof. Standard fixed glass panoramic on all Coupes, full length right back over the rear passengers heads. No tinting (like the ID.7 or A6), but it's fine as standard in the UK without a shade, IMO. On the SUV you can spec an opening tilt/slide sunroof, but it is not what I would call panoramic, in that it stops short of the rear passengers. Most marketing photos hide this fact well. This makes a huge difference for the rear, as without the Coupe's full pan roof it's a bit of a dark cave back there. You can't delete the very dark privacy glass windows either, so because we have kids we opted for the Coupe. If we could have had an SUV shape with full pan roof, that would be perfect, but no way to do that.
Do I rate the Enyaq? Hell yes. Staggeringly good, because that's what Skoda do. Good cars. Not headline-breaking, record setting ring weapons, or novetly white-leather futuristic self-driving spaceships, just really good family cars. I think it's handsome from the front. I think the rear should have a similar facelift (arselift?) as they're a bit disjointed now, but you can't see both at once anyway.
I can't think what else to say really, but happy to answer any specifics.
B5mike said:
Solid choice, but consider the range loss from AWD and big wheels. Most EVs have plenty of performance - range is what really matters.
The 4WD penalty isn't as bad as some cars, as the front motor is asynchronous and partially disconnected when not needed. It's not zero impact, but it's not analogous to traditional haldexy sort of 4WD, where everything suffers 10% losses, if you see what I mean. Choose the 85x by all means. It feels a little heavier, but only back to back.This is an individual preference, but having done long range in the Enyaq 85x, I don't find that 20 miles more range from 2WD or smaller wheels would make the slightest difference to cost of ownership or time killed in service stations. I think there's a point where it doesn't matter how much extra range you have, you're just lugging more batteries around, and very rarely actually using the range. For me, the Enyaq already hits two requirements: It can go further than my bladder or my numb backside can without a leg-stretch, and it can be charged up to 80% pretty much before I'm finished that leg-stretch, loo break and coffee purchase. So what use would another 20 or 30 or 300 miles of range be to me? Very, very rarely would it actually come in handy, and you know what, for that rare occasion I'll just accept the one extra charge stop and have 4WD and nice looking wheels instead. Now, everyone has their own idea of what that range needs to be for them. For me, 250 miles in the real world is absolutely enough, and I've never seen the 85x do less than that, no matter how I drive it.
All personal choice, of course. I drove an 85 (non-x) and it was great too, but not really perceptibly different, so might as well have the 85x, I reckon.
Jermy Claxon said:
Very useful info...
Thanks for taking the time to write such useful info...much appreciated.So let me get this right, if I got the loony green vRS, I can only go faster than the sensible one until I run the battery down to 88% and then it just becomes the same performance as the Sportline anyway? So it's basically pointless to own, and only exists so Skoda can say they've brought out a "fast" one?
I think I understand the 80% thing...am I right in saying charging the battery up to 100% will shorten its life unless you're going to do a long journey the next morning, so most people just charge to 80%. Although it begs the question, if its not my car, is it my problem?
I'd 100% go for the SUV not the coupe as I need the maximum loadspace available occasionally. Not bothered about the rear seat heaters. Not bothered about the winter pack as I think that's an option aimed more at Scandinavian/alpine customers. Also not bothered about a panoramic roof, I've never had one on a daily, my wife's rattles (BMW) and if I want to look up and see the sun I'll take my Boxster.
Towbar is OK, it will only be used for a bike racks or a lightweight sailing dinghy.
We do already have an EV point at home, so it does seem like quite a compelling proposition. I "like" the Renault 5 but it's way too small, and the BMW/Audis are just too dear. I think I'd rather take the bus than drive a Jaecoo or a BYD, so it kinda brings me round to the Enyaq, which I have to say is actually quite a handsome looking thing for what it is.
I’ve been really pleased with mine. It’s just the 85, but plenty quick enough for what it is. Comfortable and really good space inside.
I tried a Model Y Juniper and whilst on paper the boot is huge, it’s not as practical a shape as the Enyaq SUVs.
Done 5k miles in it over the last 2.5 months and really can’t fault it.
I tried a Model Y Juniper and whilst on paper the boot is huge, it’s not as practical a shape as the Enyaq SUVs.
Done 5k miles in it over the last 2.5 months and really can’t fault it.
plfrench said:
I ve been really pleased with mine. It s just the 85, but plenty quick enough for what it is. Comfortable and really good space inside.
I tried a Model Y Juniper and whilst on paper the boot is huge, it s not as practical a shape as the Enyaq SUVs.
Done 5k miles in it over the last 2.5 months and really can t fault it.
Second that. Range 280 - 300 miles so far. Build quality great, feels well put together, both hardware and software.I tried a Model Y Juniper and whilst on paper the boot is huge, it s not as practical a shape as the Enyaq SUVs.
Done 5k miles in it over the last 2.5 months and really can t fault it.
B5mike said:
Solid choice, but consider the range loss from AWD and big wheels. Most EVs have plenty of performance - range is what really matters.
The importance of an EV's ultimate range comes down to the individual and their usage. Ours will do 250 miles at a push, but as we only do a trip of anywhere near that a couple of times a year it doesn't matter. For 99% of our usage 100 miles would be more than enough.Even efficiency matters little if you're on an EV tariff, the difference between a car doing 2.5 miles/kWh and 3.5 miles/kWh at 7p/kWh is .8p per mile or an additional £80 per 10,000 miles.
SWoll said:
The importance of an EV's ultimate range comes down to the individual and their usage. Ours will do 250 miles at a push, but as we only do a trip of anywhere near that a couple of times a year it doesn't matter. For 99% of our usage 100 miles would be more than enough.
Even efficiency matters little if you're on an EV tariff, the difference between a car doing 2.5 miles/kWh and 3.5 miles/kWh at 7p/kWh is .8p per mile or an additional £80 per 10,000 miles.
Completely agree. I like the tighter turning circle of the rwd version so wasn’t bothered about AWD when on the look out. I wanted the newer APP550 motor, so that automatically came with the larger battery, but range really wasn’t a worry. I’m currently only charging to 70% overnight as I’m working towards one of the Skoda app challenges which you need to keep between 20 and 80 % for x number of journeys - really not a problem for the vast majority of our use despite doing over 20k miles per year. Even efficiency matters little if you're on an EV tariff, the difference between a car doing 2.5 miles/kWh and 3.5 miles/kWh at 7p/kWh is .8p per mile or an additional £80 per 10,000 miles.
We are just coming to the end of four years of Enyaq ownership. We have a 2022 85, but not a sport or VRs. Its been an excellent vehicle, everything you could want from a regular use car. Large, quiet, comfortable, good build quality. The only thing my wife doesn't have on the car that she misses, is wireless charging. With regards to heated seats etc, they are a bit pointless as you can precondition the car for your leaving time. It then thaws and warms everything inside to whatever temp you want. She has also charged it to 100% overtime and we haven't notice a discernable drop in range. We do somewhere between 200-240 per charge.
Timely. I’m currently waiting for my VRS coupe to be delivered today, so good to hear all the positive comments.
I went VRS coupe (with 21”s) mainly for the pan roof and because I’m a tart and preferred the looks. Boot is plenty big enough.
Lounge interior looks particularly nice and as others have said perceived quality looks good and comparable to my outgoing XC90.
I went VRS coupe (with 21”s) mainly for the pan roof and because I’m a tart and preferred the looks. Boot is plenty big enough.
Lounge interior looks particularly nice and as others have said perceived quality looks good and comparable to my outgoing XC90.
Thanks again all. I think it's the probably the car for me on balance.
I'll be going for the AWD version as I live out in the sticks, roads often aren't gritted and if there's any snow it's a nightmare. There will also be the occasional muddy field, farm track or boat slipway to contend with.
I just can't decide whether to go with a sensible grey or just say "sod it" and go for the Hyper Green. At least no-one can EVER say it's just a boring EV SUV! As it happens I do really like the colour, here's my old Caterham and I loved the car in that shouty hue!
I'll be going for the AWD version as I live out in the sticks, roads often aren't gritted and if there's any snow it's a nightmare. There will also be the occasional muddy field, farm track or boat slipway to contend with.
I just can't decide whether to go with a sensible grey or just say "sod it" and go for the Hyper Green. At least no-one can EVER say it's just a boring EV SUV! As it happens I do really like the colour, here's my old Caterham and I loved the car in that shouty hue!
Hard-Drive said:
Jermy Claxon said:
Very useful info...
Thanks for taking the time to write such useful info...much appreciated.So let me get this right, if I got the loony green vRS, I can only go faster than the sensible one until I run the battery down to 88% and then it just becomes the same performance as the Sportline anyway? So it's basically pointless to own, and only exists so Skoda can say they've brought out a "fast" one?
Hard-Drive said:
I think I understand the 80% thing...am I right in saying charging the battery up to 100% will shorten its life unless you're going to do a long journey the next morning, so most people just charge to 80%. Although it begs the question, if its not my car, is it my problem?
The battery care is a thing, but the main reason nobody really charges beyond 80% (at least not on public chargers) is that the rate of charge drops off a cliff after 80% full. A good analogy is that the battery is a carpark, and charging it is like a line of cars entering the carpark. When the carpark is 10-80% full, the cars can all enter the car park without delay. After that, queues start to form as people circle looking for spaces, and things slow down. The same happens as the BMS manages topping off individual cells and keeping them balanced at higher states of charge, so the charging rate slows down to a crawl.It takes as long to charge from 80-100% as it does from 10-80%, so on long journeys using public chargers, it is absolutely best practice (and polite) to stop charging at 80% and drive on. It saves you loads of time overall, and frees up the charger for the next guy.
At home overnight(and on a lease car) you can absolutely top it off to 100%, because there's no inconvenience. I keep mine set to 80%, because I own the car and intend to keep it a long time, but on a lease I wouldn't care.
Hard-Drive said:
I'd 100% go for the SUV not the coupe as I need the maximum loadspace available occasionally. Not bothered about the rear seat heaters. Not bothered about the winter pack as I think that's an option aimed more at Scandinavian/alpine customers. Also not bothered about a panoramic roof, I've never had one on a daily, my wife's rattles (BMW) and if I want to look up and see the sun I'll take my Boxster.
Sounds like the spec is nailed down then, and well chosen.Hard-Drive said:
Towbar is OK, it will only be used for a bike racks or a lightweight sailing dinghy.
For sure then, spec with a towbar from new, as it's £££££ to add later, and some dealers struggled to even quote for the job, I don't think they retrofit many.Hard-Drive said:
We do already have an EV point at home, so it does seem like quite a compelling proposition. I "like" the Renault 5 but it's way too small, and the BMW/Audis are just too dear. I think I'd rather take the bus than drive a Jaecoo or a BYD, so it kinda brings me round to the Enyaq, which I have to say is actually quite a handsome looking thing for what it is.
I don't think there's anything out there for the same money that does a better job. Ours is a solid keeper. Great choice. Hope you enjoy it! Edited by Jermy Claxon on Tuesday 19th May 11:30
Edited by Jermy Claxon on Tuesday 19th May 11:30
I was in a similar situation to yourself. I was very close to getting an i5 M60, but by the time i added the options I wanted the cost was just silly. I had decided I was going for an enyaq, but then started looking at the ID7 GTX. For my needs I got a faster, better kitted out car with longer range for less cost per month. If you like the idea of a large estate i'd have a look.
ZiggyNiva said:
I was in a similar situation to yourself. I was very close to getting an i5 M60, but by the time i added the options I wanted the cost was just silly. I had decided I was going for an enyaq, but then started looking at the ID7 GTX. For my needs I got a faster, better kitted out car with longer range for less cost per month. If you like the idea of a large estate i'd have a look.
Oh, good suggestion, I'd almost forgotten about that, as we dismissed it quite quickly after a drive, but it's definitely worth a look.I tried the ID.7 GTX before getting the Enyaq, and it's definitely a good car. My notes on back to back comparison...
The ID.7 GTX is fully loaded. A good, premium feel. VW did a nice job of their flagship. Not much you'd need to add to GTX spec except towbar.
Proper massage seats on the ID.7 GTX, the Enyaq has "massage", but they're not the same, they just inflate and deflate the lumbar. The GTX massage seat is the real deal with all-over motors, seat base, back the lot. Way better. The fact that both have it in the spec is misleading, not comparable at all.
The full-length pan roof on the GTX is electro-tintable. Flick a button and it darkens a bit. A bit of a gimmick as it's neither shaded enough to keep the heat out on a sunny day, nor clear enough to feel really light and open when untinted. But marginally better than the Enyaq which has no shading at all.
The interior black piano plastics in all IDs (and etrons) are... not my cup of tea. They feel cheap and attract fingerprints. The lighting effect on the doors and dash was not to my taste, but can be turned off. Enyaq interior wins hands down for just having nicer matte finish plastics, carbon "effect", etc. If you get piano black, you'd better carry a duster!
The tech/infotainment bit is mostly identical, except the ID.7 has a 15" screen vs 13" in the ID.4/5 and Enyaq. The buttons and controls are the same size, but you get more screen real-estate for the map. Bigger is better, I suppose, but I can't say the Enyaq screen feels too small.
Handling, even on the GTX, is very much comfort-oriented. GTX does not in any way imply a GTI equivalent. That's not a criticism, it's a very relaxing car to drive, but Enyaq for me remains the better steer. Performance of the GTX is much the same as the Enyaq VRS, which as previously discussed is not really much better than a 85x. None will set your socks on fire. I thought I'd want the quicker VRS/GTX but after testing none really felt different from the others.
Brakes, I could not get on with the ID.7 pedal at all. It never seemed to be in the right place, and I caught my foot on the edge of it coming off the accelerator. I don't get this in the Enyaq. Not sure this is a problem everyone would have.
The ID.7 Tourer boot is bigger on paper (605L vs 585L for the SUV Enyaq), but that's meaningless, it's long and shallow, less useful in shape than a SUV Enyaq, and the flexible floor is not really as useful as on the Enyaq, IMO. As the salesman said to me, "The litres figure only matters if all you intend to carry is loose water". Enyaq SUV wins if lugging boxes matters.
ID.7 headroom is lower, if you are tall, the Enyaq will be the obvious choice. Your eyeline will be mid-screen on the Enyaq, and at the top of the screen (and obstructed by the mirror) on the ID.7. Enyaq ingress/egress is far easier, not requiring a head-duck for me. If you're of average height (I mean if you don't automatically get into every car and lower the seat to the floor like I do), this may not be an issue.
Rear legroom in the ID.7 is insanely huge. We didn't find this useful, as the rear legroom in the Enyaq is already more than enough for adults, so having more room there seems like a waste of wheelbase. Surely a bigger boot would be more use?
ID.7 is slightly more efficient, so if range mattered you'd get the 2WD ID.7, but the GTX is largely in line with the Enyaqs. GTX vs Enyaq is negligible though.
ID.7 GTX seemed like the obvious choice for us, and I found a lovely red one for sale, but we tried it and went straight back to the Enyaq. If the idea appeals though, it's definitely worth a look. Great suggestion.
Edit to add: The steering wheel buttons on the ID.7... the haptic thing that all the VW reviews moan about, I had no real issue with on a test drive, but the Enyaq physical buttons (and 4x window switches) are definitely better.
Another Edit: The ID.7 matrix LED headlights are very good. The Enyaq matrix headlights are another spec-sheet box tick. They're fantastically bright, no complaints there, but the shading/boxing around other road users is rubbish. I just dip them manually and forget they're even supposed to be matrix. Let them do their own thing and they're distracting, dim-witted, and you'll get flashed a lot from oncoming cars. It's either a very cheap or very old implementation.
Edited by Jermy Claxon on Tuesday 19th May 12:55
Edited by Jermy Claxon on Tuesday 19th May 14:50
Thanks guys. I'm definitely going to have a look at an ID.7, what I need is the longest load bed I can find, and the ID.7 is absolutely enormous, bigger than my 520 if I've got the numbers right! I have a boat down on the coast, so I'll often be heading down with me and my wife in the front, my 10 year old in the back on one seat, with the 60% split folded down for the dog in his bed, outboard engine, oars, pump, kitbags etc. This is all stuff where I need floor area, not stackable volume, as the dog won't be happy if I put the outboard on his head for the journey.
I'm also a cyclist and being able to put my bike in the back is really helpful, and I can actually get our tandem in the 520 if I push the passenger seat right forward and take the front wheel off.
It's a shame, as the ID.7 from the outside does absolutely nothing for me, I much prefer the Enyaq, but the load bed numbers don't lie...
ID.7 1948mm
520 1910mm
Enyaq 1770m
I'm also a cyclist and being able to put my bike in the back is really helpful, and I can actually get our tandem in the 520 if I push the passenger seat right forward and take the front wheel off.
It's a shame, as the ID.7 from the outside does absolutely nothing for me, I much prefer the Enyaq, but the load bed numbers don't lie...
ID.7 1948mm
520 1910mm
Enyaq 1770m
I'm 10 months into a company lease of an 85X Sportline. I'd agree with pretty much everything Jermy says above. Overall they're great cars, I'd happily lease another one over pretty much anything else available at sensible money, would just add:
- definitely take the AWD. The power modulation/distribution is so well done, coming off wet roundabouts with foot planted is very like my old M4440i Xdrive in terms of there being a bit of rear bias but an overall feeling of getting as much power down as possible while still pointing in the right direction
- my Sportline is actually pretty thumpy on the 20's, my 2nd biggest complaint about the car. Have had it checked by the dealer but no obvious fault. Some other owners report similar, but most reviews praise the ride. Don't know what to make of that. Adaptive dampers are probably higher quality, quite apart from being adjustable, so hopefully you won't have a problem;
- by far my biggest gripe is brake pedal feel/travel. It's a lucky dip, as you go through the regen zone and the pads actually start to clamp the disks. What will you get ? It's not that the car doesn't have the stopping power, it's just that the effort and travel required to achieve a given deceleration depends on how recently you last dabbed the pedal, regen level selected, whether there's an "r" in the month... (this is a common complaint across the VW group models on this platform). I think you must drive one before you commit, and see if you can live with it;
- high standard spec means these are cheap to lease compared to certain other makes. HUD and a half decent stereo for example are standard;
- worth playing around with the boot floor to maximise space. I just took out all the expanded polystyrene filler and so on, dropped the floor, using some cut out old carpet underlay to cushion it. I think removing the packing around the subwoofer also helps a little with its rather modest output...
- re max power and battery level, I suspect what's actually meant by Skoda is that max SUSTAINED power for at least 30 seconds may start to drop below 88% SoC. I'm basing this on some original German wording discussed at 2:00 here: https://youtu.be/kAfA-UsZaeI?si=GLD11yBcpGn2h5Fo&a...
HTH.
- definitely take the AWD. The power modulation/distribution is so well done, coming off wet roundabouts with foot planted is very like my old M4440i Xdrive in terms of there being a bit of rear bias but an overall feeling of getting as much power down as possible while still pointing in the right direction
- my Sportline is actually pretty thumpy on the 20's, my 2nd biggest complaint about the car. Have had it checked by the dealer but no obvious fault. Some other owners report similar, but most reviews praise the ride. Don't know what to make of that. Adaptive dampers are probably higher quality, quite apart from being adjustable, so hopefully you won't have a problem;
- by far my biggest gripe is brake pedal feel/travel. It's a lucky dip, as you go through the regen zone and the pads actually start to clamp the disks. What will you get ? It's not that the car doesn't have the stopping power, it's just that the effort and travel required to achieve a given deceleration depends on how recently you last dabbed the pedal, regen level selected, whether there's an "r" in the month... (this is a common complaint across the VW group models on this platform). I think you must drive one before you commit, and see if you can live with it;
- high standard spec means these are cheap to lease compared to certain other makes. HUD and a half decent stereo for example are standard;
- worth playing around with the boot floor to maximise space. I just took out all the expanded polystyrene filler and so on, dropped the floor, using some cut out old carpet underlay to cushion it. I think removing the packing around the subwoofer also helps a little with its rather modest output...
- re max power and battery level, I suspect what's actually meant by Skoda is that max SUSTAINED power for at least 30 seconds may start to drop below 88% SoC. I'm basing this on some original German wording discussed at 2:00 here: https://youtu.be/kAfA-UsZaeI?si=GLD11yBcpGn2h5Fo&a...
HTH.
Edited by occasionalranter on Wednesday 20th May 11:56
Hard-Drive said:
Thanks guys. I'm definitely going to have a look at an ID.7, what I need is the longest load bed I can find, and the ID.7 is absolutely enormous, bigger than my 520 if I've got the numbers right! I have a boat down on the coast, so I'll often be heading down with me and my wife in the front, my 10 year old in the back on one seat, with the 60% split folded down for the dog in his bed, outboard engine, oars, pump, kitbags etc. This is all stuff where I need floor area, not stackable volume, as the dog won't be happy if I put the outboard on his head for the journey.
I'm also a cyclist and being able to put my bike in the back is really helpful, and I can actually get our tandem in the 520 if I push the passenger seat right forward and take the front wheel off.
It's a shame, as the ID.7 from the outside does absolutely nothing for me, I much prefer the Enyaq, but the load bed numbers don't lie...
ID.7 1948mm
520 1910mm
Enyaq 1770m
I have a Golden retriever who fills most of my boot, so like yourself the length is more important then the height. Be mindful that stock cars will likely be 2025/6 MY, where as 2027MY has brought in a number of changes.I'm also a cyclist and being able to put my bike in the back is really helpful, and I can actually get our tandem in the 520 if I push the passenger seat right forward and take the front wheel off.
It's a shame, as the ID.7 from the outside does absolutely nothing for me, I much prefer the Enyaq, but the load bed numbers don't lie...
ID.7 1948mm
520 1910mm
Enyaq 1770m
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