How the Skoda Enyaq vRS amps up electric driving

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7 mins read

31 January 2024

The future of driving is all-electric: there’s no doubt about that. But while the benefits of going all-electric in terms of lowering your running costs and your environmental impact are clear, there’s still a lingering question around whether electric cars will ever be as fun to drive as their petrol-powered equivalents.

The newly updated Skoda Enyaq vRS – available as both a stylish SUV, and an even sleeker Coupé – is here to bust that myth wide open. As the first all-electric model to carry Skoda’s vaunted performance vRS badge, the Skoda Enyaq vRS has an enviable pedigree to live up to. But, as we’ll explain, it also has the raw stats and credentials that prove it’s up to the task.

Building on the base of an award-winning model that has picked up a five-star What Car? review, the Skoda Enyaq vRS offers all the practicality of a family-friendly SUV, allied to lots of impressive tech and impressive safety, alongside its sparky performance and driving character.

Now, the Skoda Enyaq vRS has been updated to offer even more performance, even more range and even faster charging. So, let’s break down the big ways in which it can let you enjoy more smiles per electric mile.

Take a test drive in the Skoda Enyaq

#1 Amped-up performance

Let’s start with the performance figures that matter most: horsepower, torque and 0-62. And, thanks to recent enhancements to the already potent fully electric powertrain of the Skoda Enyaq vRS, it now delivers even more of all three.

The Skoda Enyaq vRS now boasts power output of 340PS from its fully electric twin-motor all-wheel drive powertrain – an increase of 41PS over the previous model. It also delivers 545Nm of always-instantly-available all-electric torque through the rear wheels, with 134Nm of additional torque through the front wheels.

Those figures – allied to the added traction of the all-wheel drive powertrain – mean that the Skoda Enyaq vRS is now the most potent and fastest-accelerating Skoda ever, letting you do the 0-62mph dash in just 5.5 seconds.

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#2 Sparky handling

A lot of electric cars can claim to have impressive acceleration, but the Skoda Enyaq vRS has also been tuned to be more engaging to drive in the bends.

The low-slung position of the Skoda Enyaq vRS’s battery between the front and rear axles optimises weight distribution – lending the car an excellent sense of ground-hugging stability – while a lower ride height and adjustable adaptive suspension deliver a more intuitive and responsive handling character, especially when you engage Sport mode. Finally, the Skoda Enyaq vRS’s twin-motor all-wheel drive ensures confidence-inspiring traction in all corners in all conditions.

#3 More range to enjoy more thrills

Think the extra performance of the updated Skoda Enyaq vRS will compromise its range. Fret no more. Thanks to improvements in the efficiency and performance of the Skoda Enyaq line-up’s electric motors and batteries, the range of the updated Skoda Enyaq vRS has actually been boosted by around 15 miles.

In the case of the Skoda Enyaq vRS SUV that means a range of up to 336 miles, while the Skoda Enyaq vRS Coupé boasts up to 340 miles of range. That’s easily enough to travel the 230 miles from London to the heart of Snowdonia, where you can find some of the UK’s most spectacular and scenic driving roads.

#4 Hassle-free ultra-rapid charging

When you’re enjoying the drive, you don’t want to be held back by having to stop to recharge. Thanks to the ultra-rapid 175kW charging capability of the Skoda Enyaq vRS, you can take your journey even further with less delay.

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Obviously, the vast majority of your charging will probably take place at home when your Skoda Enyaq vRS is parked up anwyway – letting you make the most of more cost-effective overnight off-peak and EV-friendly home energy tariffs, while also enjoying the benefit of starting every journey with the maximum possible range.

When you do top-up on the move, the 175kW charging capability of the Skoda Enyaq vRS gives you access to even more of the UK’s fast-growing network of ultra-rapid chargers. With these, you should be able to do a 10% to 80% top-up of the battery in your Skoda Enyaq vRS in as little as 28 minutes. That’s’ barely enough time to take a pause for lunch and the chance to plan the next leg of your journey.

Skoda’s smart connected tools also make charging easy and stress-free, leaving you to simply focus on enjoying the driving experience. You can use the in-car Skoda Connect capability of the Skoda Enyaq vRS and the MySkoda smartphone app to plan your route and charging stop from the comfort of your sofa, before syncing it with the smart always-online electric-focused sat-nav inside your car – with the flex to adapt your route and charging on the move.

Skoda’s Powerpass app, card and streamlined membership packages give you seamless hassle-free one-account access to more than 500,000 charging points across Europe from multiple suppliers, including the ultra-rapid IONITY network. So, no need to worry about juggling a wealth of charging cards, apps and memberships with different suppliers, or paying a premium for pay-as-you-go charging.

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#5 Bags of standout style

It isn’t just the technical enhancements under the skin of the updated Skoda Enyaq vRS that make it a joy to drive. Skoda has gone to equally great lengths to ensure that the exterior styling is something to stand back and be proud of.

The more aggressive stance of the Skoda Enyaq vRS – its sharp edges, its artfully-designed front and rear LED lights and its aerodynamically honed styling – take the already standout design to another level, especially if you pick the sleek Skoda Enyaq vRS Coupé.

The Skoda Enyaq vRS also comes with the striking Crystal Face grille, containing 131 LEDs across 18 strips, as standard, adding a real wow factor. Add in even bolder paint options, the optional 21” Vision anthracite metallic alloys, and the full-length red reflector strip at the rear, and you really start to see the sporting heritage of the vRS badge stand out.

#6 Cosseting luxury & smart tech

Inside, the updated Skoda Enyaq vRS has been designed to offer both the driver and passengers an environment that you can truly relish spending more time in.

Performance-themed carbon effect inserts, aluminium pedals and LED ambient lighting all add to the comfortable yet sporty feel, while the standard tri-zone climate control mean that all occupants can be catered for when it comes to temperature.

The Skoda Enyaq vRS comes with two model-specific interior trim options – vRS Lounge and vRS Suite. There are also two optional equipment packs available to make your journeys even more special: Advanced and Maxx.

The Advanced pack includes a head-up display (HUD), heated rear seats, heated front windscreen and a 10+1-speaker CANTON sound system, while the Maxx pack adds electrically adjustable front seats with memory function, power lumbar support and massage function for the driver’s seat and a three-spoke leather heated sports multi-function steering wheel (among other things).

All of which means you should feel exhilarated and comfy when driving the car, and refreshed when you get out of it. But there’s more…

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#7 Loads of practicality

As we said from the start, while the Skoda Enyaq vRS is easily the most exciting model in the Skoda Enyaq line-up to drive, it also delivers on all the family-friendly space and versatile practicality you’d expect of a five-star What Car? SUV.

As What Car? highlighted in its five-star review, even six-footers have plenty of headroom and leg room in both the front and the back of the Skoda Enyaq vRS, meaning everyone can travel in sublime comfort. Plus, for smaller family passengers, you get convenient dependable ISOFIX attachments on the front seat and two outer rear seats, including top tether hooks.

Up front, the Skoda Enyaq vRS is dotted with a wealth of storage solutions, cubby holes, phone pockets and cup holders for the driver and front passenger, while the double pockets and foldable tables on the back of the rear seats and dedicated rear USB-C sockets let rear passengers juggle a bevy of devices for on-the-road entertainment, while always keeping them permanently charged up.

When it comes to luggage, the Skoda Enyaq vRS helps you pack more into every epic drive, with up to 585 litres of luggage space as standard in the Skoda Enyaq SUV, or up to 1710 litres with the 60:40 split-rear seats folded down. According to the five-star What Car? review, that’s enough for nine carry-on suitcases. Pick the sleek Skoda Enyaq Coupe, and you still get 570 litres, expanding up to 1610 litres.

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What Car? had particular praise for the Skoda Enyaq’s wide tailgate opening and low load lip in its five-star review, and selected trims add an electrically operated tailgate. Finally, if you pick the Transport Package, you get an easy access button in the luggage space that lets you quickly fold the rear sears down – as well as a range of storage nets and an underfloor storage compartment for the boot that let you neatly store your charging cables and other regularly used items.

So, whether you’re looking to enjoy more of the road less travelled, or more of your destination when you get there, those are all the ways in which the Skoda Enyaq vRS puts the spark back into electric journeys.

Take a test drive in the Skoda Enyaq