Skoda Enyaq: performance, motor & drive

Based on the Volkswagen Group’s now-ubiquitous MEB platform, designed specifically for electric vehicles, the Enyaq is like all its siblings – predominantly a rear-motor vehicle, with the option of a twin-motor model further up the range.

The Enyaq 60 gets a single, rear-mounted motor powering the rear wheels to the tune of 201bhp, for a brisk 0-62mph time of 8.1 seconds and a top speed capped at 99mph. Stepping up to the Enyaq 85 sees an increase in power to 282bhp and a corresponding drop in the 0-62mph time to 6.7 seconds, while top speed rises to 111mph. Curiously, the Enyaq 85x gets an extra motor at the front axle and an additional 134Nm of torque (to the rear motor’s 545Nm), but neither the official power output, 0-62mph time, nor top speed changes by even a single digit. Instead, Skoda says it’s simply for more traction, but the identical performance is peculiar nevertheless.

Not that the Enyaq is in any way a hot hatchback. It still drives like a heavy crossover, with vague steering, a fair degree of body lean, and a feeling that B-roads aren’t its natural environment.

In town driving or on the motorway though, it’s in its element. On urban streets the light steering and tight turning circle are both very useful indeed, while on the motorway, the soft ride that hampers its handling does a great job of soaking up bumps. The ‘Travel Assist 2.6’ predictive adaptive cruise control function is useful too, though we didn’t have much luck getting the semi-autonomous lane-changing feature to work.