2023 Skoda Enyaq 80 Coupe Sportline Max review

Enyaq adopts a sportier look in its coupe guise. But does the racier roofline compromise the famed Skoda practicality?

Most of the SUV models based on VW’s MEB electric platform can be had in both wagon and coupe(ish) forms, the Skoda Enyaq being one of them.

Your keen eyes will tell you it’s the latter we have here. Actually, it’s the Enyaq 80 Coupe Sportline Max to give it its full name.

There are no mechanical/electrical differences between the variants, this model getting the same motor (singular), same battery and same outputs as the SUV. It’s the styling that’s different, this one a bit flasher.

And pricier at $89,990. That compares with the $84,990 asked for the regular Enyaq Max, while the entry-level Enyaq is $79,990.

There are some minor spec differences between the Max models, the coupe getting a glass roof for instance, but otherwise it’s the snazzier look that commands the premium.

And you don’t lose much in the way of practicality by opting for the coupe. It’s still a big five seater with a wealth of leg and headroom in the rear.

The boot is down a little on capacity, rated at 570 and expanding to 1610L while the same numbers for SUV are 585 and 1710L.

The difference is the sloping tailgate that eats (nibbles really) into its ultimate load lugging.

There’s still a thoughtful amount of underfloor storage for those charge cables, Skoda including leads for both public and home charging. And it can trailer up to 1000kg as well.

What do you get?

Returning to that price, this is the most expensive Skoda one can aspire to, pipping the top spec Skoda Kodiaq RS and the plug-in Superb.

As such, it’s well specified, some of the highlights being a 360-degree camera, self parking, LED Matrix lights, a heated windscreen and a glass roof. There’s also the Sportline black pack, restyled bumpers and the blingy ‘crystal face’.

You’ll find heating for the steering wheel and the front and rear seats (both powered up front) and sunshades on the rear windows. That’s along with three zones of air con, a 13-inch touchscreen with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay along with 12-speaker Canton (German) sounds.

The only options are the $1500 21-inch wheels and the paint upgrade to Phoenix orange metallic which is another $1000.

Numbers please

For those that love the stats, there is 150kW and 310Nm from the motor on the rear, the battery being a 77kWh unit, the consumption rated at 16.2kWh/100km and the WLTP range being 531km.

That’s a few more than the SUV thanks to the improved aeros of the fastback. With an 11kW on-board charger, a single-phase wall box will charge it overnight (13 hours) while a three-phase/11kW box will take 7 hours 30.

The max DC charge rate is 135kW, taking around 30 minutes for a 0 to 80 per cent fill.

The long term average was reading 16.8kWh/100km for this Enyaq and at pick up there was 461km showing on the DTE. After 40mins on a 50kW DC charger, 163km was added.

Confusing to drive?

Enyaq has a physical stop/start button (easily located by touch on the column where you would have slotted a key many years back) but it is ready to go when you hop on board.

It’ll even unlock as you approach, handy. The little gear lever is in the usual place, while there’s a small screen in front of you with all the relevant info. There’s also a head-up display which will throw some warning signs on the screen, highlighting your close proximity to the lane markings or traffic in front.

The logic behind the touchscreen operation would not sit well with Mr Spock; there are some funky ideas in terms of where things are located, and named. Sometimes it’s a bit slow too.

Weird that such a pricey ride has no sat nav nor speed limit information. There are a few favourite buttons you can tee up, one being the lane assist to quickly nip that, which is the only annoying feature among the plethora of safety assistants.

Some of the buttons on the steering wheel had us vexed as to their function. The cruise control is handled via a wand off the column, which isn’t our preferred way to operate such systems.

The cabin up front is spacious with ample storage spots, the pockets lined. It has sporty seats that could have been pinched from the Skoda Octavia RS, but are comfortable in a wrap-around, snug-fitting way.

Sporty too?

This Enyaq might have a Sport badge but it’s not an EV that’ll impress the impressionable with a blast off at the lights.

This is not that quick – think about 8.6 seconds to 100km/h – but then it’s just shy of 2.2 tonnes. However, there’s enough everyday torque for general needs.

Electric cars like Enyaq drive in an effortless, peaceful manner. The torque is always there, the vibrations and noise nixed. The steering here is light, consistently weighted with no self centring gremlins and there’s a good turn around considering the size and the wide rubber.

Wish there was a button to quickly summon the parking camera as the extremities of the Enyaq are hard to judge. But there’s a decent all-round view from the driver’s position otherwise.

This is fitted with sports suspension but thankfully of the adaptive variety. The default Normal ride is okay, while it’s better still in Comfort. Delve into the drive mode area and you can customise your set up as to steering weight, throttle response and how soft or hard you like your ride.

At a quicker clip, the steering remains accurate, though the feel is distant. The weight is telling, the outputs strained by the mass, though the Coupe is able to maintain a sense of poise through corners until the front end starts to complain.

The brake pedal has a short travel before it gets quite hard, making it more difficult to be smooth. It’s therefore better to use the motor regen to slow you.

This you can alter via the paddles or, if you can’t be bothered faffing about, select the B setting via the gear lever which introduces recuperation when you’re off the throttle.

What’s the competition?

You don’t have to look far, the VW ID.5 with a near identical price and spec, though you’ll need to pay on roads for the VW; the Skoda sticker is driveaway pricing.

It’ll come down to styling, inside and out, as to what your preference will be.

We’re still a fan of the Kia EV6 Air Long Range, a very competent machine while $10k cheaper, though without so many of the bells.

It’s everywhere however, where the Skoda is a bit unusual, if that’s your thing.

This story first appeared in the February 2024 issue of NZ Autocar magazine.