ŠKODA ENYAQ IV SPORTLINE 80 | Family Carrier Gone Tough
ŠKODA ENYAQ IV SPORTLINE 80 is quite the mouthful but everything in this name is equally important. So it’s time to disassemble that name! Enyaq translates into source of life, very green. But that iV thing? That's ŠKODA's embodiment of their effort to switch to zero emissions. That “80?’ You guessed it, that's the battery size of this BEV. And last on the list is the label ‘Sportline.’ It might cling to the back of the name but its an equipment level plenty of people will undoubtedly choose, making the car look a lot more pleasant while increasing revenue for ŠKODA. So is the ŠKODA ENYAQ IV SPORTLINE 80 the D-segment BEV you should go for? It just might be, let's run you through some of my thoughts on the car accompanied by a set of photos I shot during the week of testing.
So I guess you're wondering what lessons ŠKODA has learned from being part of the family? For one, they didn't rush to launch the Enyaq, they took their time to polish all the flaws out before releasing it. By now you'll have guessed that I'm referring to the Volkswagen ordeal back when the ID.3 was launched. It's reassuring that ŠKODA, despite the Enyaq being crafted upon similar MEB platform, didn't suffer from these issues. In fact, they've made the car more practical than ever. A ŠKODA thing I learned, They're obsessed with ergonomics. Albeit in a good way.
They're version of this EV recipe is cooked up just like Audi's Q4 e-tron and VW's ID.4. That means it measures a rather big 4.7 meters in length, 1.9 meters in width, and comes in 1.6 meters tall. Boot space is a massive 1710 liters with the seats down, and 585 liters with the seats up. ŠKODA style: there's an optional switch on the boot to drop the seats. ŠKODA offers a massive list of ergonomic options, too big to mention. ŠKODA offers two flavours of batteries in the Enyaq iV: one with a useable charge of 58 kWh and the 77 kWh unit for the test car here. First mentioned battery for the ŠKODA has an electric motor pushing out 180 horsepower onto the rear axle. For the 77 kWh unit, there's 205 horsepower and 310 Nm pushed on the rear axle. The top tier is an AWD variant with two electric motors. Because recuperation takes places on that rear axle in the RWD versions, the platform uses drum brakes and not discs as the VW-Group decided that was enough for cars on the MEB platform. Those drum brake aren’t as powerful as discs. With the car weighing in just over 2100 kilograms for the 77 kWh unit, the brakes did feel underpowered when the drive was a bit more spirited. And so did the recuperation, even in the highest setting it didn’t recuperate enough to allow for single paddle driving.
Sportline galore
Now I knew ŠKODA was capable of pulling off proper interiors but in all honesty: I was a bit blown away when I opened the door of the Enyaq Sportline. That had everything to do with the alcantara and leather covered seats you get in the Sportline trim. Built up by just two pieces and shaped like a bucket seat, they wouldn't look out of place in an Audi three times the prices of the Enyaq. Peer further into the cabin and you'll notice more details testimonial to the car's name. ŠKODA puts in a leather covered, three spoke steering wheel with contrasting grey stitching. It's a refreshingly simple and effective design, not too thick or too thin. Spot on ŠKODA, not easy to get that right. Last two things on the list are carbon-ish print on some panels, accompanied by high gloss black on others.
The Sportline sharpens up the Enyaq's exterior too, again with plenty of black details. Black logos, black window stills, black grille, black guard rails on the roof, and finishes it off with a black diffuser. There's rather huge 21" inch rims with polished metal parts on this test car, setting you back € 950 in BE. How does this all add up? Like a real head turner and I'm not kidding. People regularly stopped and stared at the ŠKODA Enyaq iV Sportline 80 for what must have been its looks. It simply looks mean and rather unique too. Whilst we're on the equipment tour: the Sportline also adds lovely LED matrix headlights too the Enyaq. Starting to see that the €4700 package is a good deal?
Lowered chassis
ŠKODA didn't stick to just aesthetic tweaks with the Sportline, it actually lowers the front by 15 mm and the back by 10 mm. And with the low centre of gravity BEVs have, that's quite enjoyable. Progressive steering also plays a part in how the Enyaq feels, again being part of this optional package. The Enyaq iV 80 Sportline is surprisingly enjoyable to put through corners and that’s thanks to MacPherson suspension upfront too. Body roll is acceptable, there's a decent RDW push to load up the car, and steering is rather direct too. But it still is a 2 metric tonne crossover, and despite it hitting a hundred in 8.7 seconds, the weight is always noticeable. Uncomfortably so when braking, sadly ŠKODA didn't have space to sort that out. There's too little braking power in this car, especially when you get a bit too enthusiastic. So is this a VRS equivalent? No, it really is nothing more than a thick sporty sauce poored with delicate care over the electric powered family carrier. But it really is a welcome addition to this Czech dish.
Sensible charge
Remember I referred to ŠKODA being obsessed with ergonomics? It shows throughout the car but it is most noticeable from the driver’s seat. There's barely any touch-based surfaces, a major plus. The layout of the dashboard is bold and minimal, it shows only what you need and nothing else. The centre console follows the same logic: nothing beyond what you need and all accessible with a single flick of a switch. It is only in the menus where ŠKODA seems to have gotten lost a bit, as the menus aren't as logically organised as I hoped. The menus don't always allow for the customization you want, and on some parts of the layout it allows huge amounts of tweaking. As if the brand didn't know what to do. Biggest thing to annoy me is that I couldn't seem to find my current charge speed. It only told me how many kilometers I got per minute.
Charging at Fastned did tell me the speed and the car delivers on its promises as you can see in Fastned their charge stats down below. It really does take the 125kW ŠKODA claims, but only up to just over 35% of the battery. After that, it starts dropping slowly. Again, nothing different compared to the Audi e-tron Q4 or Volkswagen ID.4. ŠKODA claims 525 kilometers of range for their “source of life” and I actually managed to get 485 kilometers out of a charge. Impressive? Over 50% of those kilometers ere spend in the city. So yes, impressive.
Sportline is what you need
ŠKODA has created an impressive vehicle that will transport many owners in comfort and in relative luxury for many emission-less kilometers. Their Enyaq is as straightforward to use as a car should be, that goes for any aspect of using a car. From starting it up to charging, nothing is too futuristic. Its range is impressive, and the charging speed is decent enough. The safety features are plentiful for a BEV of its price, with the car you see here costing just over €60.000 euros in Belgium.
So is the Sportline a must-take package? It is if you ask me. It adds a bit more spice to a well-developed, very rational BEV. But it also adds a bit of premium feel, which at €60K is a welcome bonus.
