Skoda Enyaq 250kW vRS 84kWh 4x4 5dr Auto

Ten Second Review

In top vRS form, Skoda's Enyaq mid-sized EV is at its sportiest. There's a choice of two body shapes, an SUV Coupe version, or the standard SUV model we look at here. This car didn't attract much attention in its original form but in this updated guise, the premium asking figure for this 340PS vRS AWD performance flagship model might seem a little easier to justify. Let's take a look.

Background

British buyers have always liked Skoda's vRS performance badge. The Czech maker even calls this 'a love affair'. Well that affection has been tested by this car, the Enyaq vRS. At its original launch back in 2023, first in this conventional SUV form and later followed by a sleeker SUV-Coupe version, it was by far the priciest Skoda the brand had ever brought to sale, taking the fast EV mechanicals we'd already seen in top versions of Volkswagen Group mid-sized Crossover coupe electric vehicles like the Volkswagen ID.5 and the Audi Q4 Sportback e-tron. This Skoda though, delivered them with more of a performance vibe. Fast forward to Spring 2025 and we got the updated Enyaq vRS model we're going to look at here, again available in the same two body styles. The front end look's a little different and the battery powertrain's slightly tweaked but essentially, everything's still much as it was. Let's take a closer look.

Driving Experience

This Enyaq vRS gets the largest available battery that can be fitted to Volkswagen Group mid-sized EV models of this sort - 84kWh in size, slightly larger than the 82kWh battery pack usually fitted to longer-ranging Enyaqs. That energy source is matched with an uprated version of the dual motor AWD powertrain that also features in slightly less powerful form in the Enyaq 85x. In this case though, instead of the 286PS output of that car, you get 340PS (up from 299PS with the original version of this model) and a whole heap of torque - 545Nm from the main motor at the rear and a further 134PS from the added motor at the front. As a result, this vRS takes only 5.2 seconds to sprint to 62mph (1.1s quicker than the pre-facelift model), on the way to a limited top speed of 111mph. Driving range is 344 miles (actually 26 miles more than the earlier car). What you don't get from this vRS are really engaging drive dynamics, this model suffering mainly (like many similar EVs) from heavy weight and anaesthetised steering. Still, like its lesser siblings, this SUV is superbly manoeuvrable for its size, jinking through traffic hold-ups and darting into spaces. As with other electric vehicles, this one's town travel is characterised by its need to constantly emit a strange 'e-sound', intended to warn pedestrians of its impending approach. You wonder though, why it's necessary for this feature to sound so other-worldly; other brands use film composers to create more pleasant melodies. Beyond the city limits, traction is impressive but there's a little more body roll through the turns than you'd get with the alternative Volkswagen and Audi versions of this VW Group design. The pay-off for that though, is a much better standard of ride, with suppleness over poor surfaces and speed humps that's un-bettered in this class and is far superior to most rivals.

Design and Build

Like the updated version of the ordinary Enyaq SUV, this top vRS SUV model gets Skoda's latest 'Modern Solid' design language. This means a very different front end, with a high-gloss black-illuminated 'Tech-Deck Face' housing important sensors, including radar, as well as the eye-catching vertical light grille. Characteristic vRS visual accents and black-painted accessories include the side window trim, roof rails, bonnet and tailgate lettering and wing mirror caps. There are bespoke front and rear bumpers (the latter featuring a distinctive full-width reflector strip); while vRS badges adorn the front wings and the 20-inch 'Draconis' alloy wheels have aero trims, with newly-designed 21-inch 'Vision' rims available as an option. As before, there's some real pavement presence here, thanks to the sharply raked roofline from the B-pillar backwards. In a shape that's 4mm shorter and 6mm lower than the alternative SUV-Coupe version. With short overhangs, big wheels, strong shoulders and a low roofline, this will look good down at the gym. Where the ordinary Enyaq lets itself down a little is inside, where the cabin is sensible but rather plain. But not in the case of the vRS, which pushes itself up market with upholstery that features a combination of leather and artificial leather with grey stitching. The front door panels and dashboard sport a carbon-look decor. As in an ordinary Enyaq, the fascia's dominated by a central 13-inch infotainment touchscreen, which can also be worked by both voice and gesture control. There's also a further 5.3-inch instrument binnacle display. A further interior highlight is the wonderfully-named optional 'Jumbo Box', which adds 6.2 litres of storage underneath the centre console. In the rear, a couple of adults will be comfortable with loads of leg space and room for a third because there's no centre tunnel. Boot space is rated at 585-litres, 15-litres more than the SUV-Coupe Enyaq body shape.

Market and Model

How much would you expect to pay for one of these. Just under £52,000 is the answer - £1,900 less than vRS trim will set you back with the Coupe-SUVl Enyaq body shape. For reference, a slightly smaller Elroq vRS with the same battery and AWD drivetrain costs around £5,000 less. The vRS trim level gets you LED Matrix beam headlights and LED rear lights with dynamic indicators. Plus you also get 20-inch 'Draconis' alloy wheels (with bigger 21-inch 'Vision' rims optional); and a black panoramic glass roof that flows seamlessly into the rear section; Skoda reckons it's the largest panoramic glass roof it has ever offered. The LED tail lights have a 'Coming/Leaving home' function. And as with the ordinary model, media features are taken care of by a 13-inch central infotainment screen and the 5.3-inch Digital Cockpit instrument binnacle display, which is supplemented by a head-up display with augmented reality. Inside, you get electrically adjustable front seats with memory function, massage function and lumbar support. The upholstery is in a leather and artificial leather combination, plus there's a heated steering wheel, tri-zone Climatronic air conditioning and rear side window sun shades. There's also a head-up display with Augmented Reality, an area view camera and a 12-speaker CANTON sound system with a total output of 635-watts. Optional is a 'vRS Lounge Design Selection' package which sees the black seat covers upholstered in a combination of microsuede and artificial leather, with lime green contrast stitching. As for safety, well standard is the latest version of Travel Assist, which combines Adaptive Lane Assist, Predictive Adaptive Cruise Control, Traffic Jam Assist, Emergency Assist and Side Assist. As before, the 'Front Assist' autonomous braking system incorporates 'Swerve Support' that stops you from turning into a junction into the path of another car. Plus there are the usual 'Dynamic Road Sign Display' and 'Lane Assist' lane-keeping systems.

Cost of Ownership

We gave you the EV range figure in our driving section - 347 miles. That's based on 3.8mpkWh efficiency. The Enyaq vRS has the fastest DC charging speed Skoda can offer in this class of car - 185kW. This means a 10 to 80% DC charge can be completed in 26 minutes. Using 7.2kW home AC wallbox, you'll need around 12 hours for a full charge. The battery's optimised pre-heating function increases efficiency at DC fast-charging stations. It is either activated automatically when using the navigation system's route guidance or can be started manually in the infotainment system's charging menu. The current temperature of the battery and the current state of charge are constantly monitored by the battery thermal management system, which activates the temperature control if necessary. There's a fixed servicing schedule, with a basic inspection after two years (unlimited mileage) and subsequent services every year or 18,750 miles. Skoda says that its aim is to make sure that the battery pack lasts as long as the car too and, sure enough, that battery pack is warrantied to have at least 70% of its usable capacity after eight years or 100,000 miles. There's the usual unremarkable three year / 60,000 mile Skoda warranty (only the third year has a mileage limitation). And there's 12 year body protection guarantee, a three year paint warranty and three years of Skoda assistance, which includes European breakdown cover. Insurance is group 39E.

Summary

It's hard to imagine why you'd choose this Enyaq vRS over the usefully less expensive Elroq vRS model that shares all its engineering. But if you need the Enyaq's extra space and like what Skoda's tried to do with this car, there might be something for you here. If anyone was in any doubt that the Czech brand plans to move up-market, then this vRS model should prove the point. The asking price initially looks off-putting - until you go and compare it to what's required to own comparable GTX versions of the Volkswagen ID.4 and ID.5 EVs that share almost identically-engineering to this Czech model under the skin. This particular vRS doesn't quite have the sporty fizz that marked out Skoda vRS hot hatch models of yesteryear, but that's because it's a 2.2-tonne EV designed for a very different age. A very different kind of Skoda then. But one not without its own special brand of appeal.