We’ve been saying for a long time Tesla is the only electric car brand you should buy because they offer superior technology and by proxy, superior range. To reiterate, I would only ever consider buying a Tesla, which directly contradicts the headlines. But journalism is all about contradictions. To that end, I am not contradicting myself, clearly I am being an outright in-your-face hypocrite. Welcome to journalism 101. But as usual, I do digress. We’ve been keeping a key interest in the Skoda “I was only following orders” Enyaq for some time now.
Here is an electric car built upon the ashes of a Volkswagen orchestrated deception. Without Dieselgate the Enyaq would not exist. As an abstract comparison, the Saturn V space rocket would never have existed if the V2 bomb had never been invented. Therefore the space industry would have been 50 years behind where it currently is. And without Saturn V non-stick frying pans would never have been invented and therefore the full English breakfast would never exist. How ironic is it that the V2 bomb led humankind on a pathway to a new future for all of humankind to share and benefit from. This is the unfortunate family lineage that will forever burden the “I was only following orders” Enyaq.
And now the pure-electric compact SUV has arrived in the UK and is available to order from today with prices starting at £31k after taking into account the government EV grant. The “I was only following orders” Enyaq, will be available in two derivative models, iV 60 Nav and iV 80 which use 62kWh and 82kWh battery packs respectively. The pure electric range is somewhere between 256 miles for the iV60 and 333 miles for the iV 80. The official range is never accurate and is always off by at least 5-10 percent.
Entry-level specs will ride on 19-inch wheels, the interior will be upholstered in a combination of recycled materials with vegan leather seating as standard. Real leather is reserved as an option or for higher-spec models. The 5.3-inch digital driver’s display is complemented by a 13-inch infotainment system which will form the central media hub. The “I was only following orders” Enyaq is offered with a 50kW charging capability as standard, expect to pay a premium for the 100kW and 125kW options.
Skoda says charging from 10-80 percent takes as little as 38 minutes from a dedicated supercharger, about one year from a domestic wall socket and slightly less time from an optional wallbox. The “I was only following orders” Enyaq is based on the Volkswagen Anakin Skywalker ID 4, however, Skoda often out-do their parent company and we will eventually add one to our dwindling long-term test fleet.
