MAKE NO mistake Skoda’s Enyaq Coupe iV vRS is a very special vehicle. Skoda? Special? Yes!

Take it from me that in an era when electric vehicles are all the rage this offering is not too far from being top of the tree. The vRS is a standalone model, and comes with lower suspension and a special interior design with black leather and contrasting grey stitching. This version also gets unique wheels, plus Skoda’s stunning illuminated Crystal Face grille.

Who is it aimed for? Well, it’s designed to appeal to those who want the higher ride height than the standard Enyaq, in this case accompanied by a zero-emissions powertrain, and who don’t need quite so much practicality.

For your money you get a 82kWh battery, twin e-motors, four-wheel drive and 296bhp. Add more aggressive bumpers, flashier alloy wheels, sports seats and vRS badging and you can see right away some stark differences to the aforementioned standard Enyaq.

The coupe got the curious neighbours peering from behind their curtains because let’s be honest, it’s a good looker

The ride quality is generally smooth and well-damped, although sharp imperfections can shudder through and destabilise its equilibrium. High-speed refinement is impressive, with low levels of wind and road noise, and you come away feeling that this is a very well thought out product. I found out during a round trip from London to Luton just what a wonderful cruiser this coupe is – it was an absolute doddle in terms of comfort and general handling.

Of course with the main – and important – questions around EVs are centred on its range. Your promised 335 miles but in reality it is a tad less than that. Fast charging at up to 135kW is standard, enabling a top-up to 80% charge in 36 minutes minutes.

Plug into a home wallbox and your Enyaq will take around 13 hours to fully recharge. I still take my ‘mobile office’ when charging EVs as I can make full use of the time working on my laptop or tablet to make best use of the time.

For those who want a sportier look for their Enyaq Coupé, but who don’t want the price or pace of the vRS, a SportLine trim level is available. It steps up the wheel size to 20 inches (with 21s as an option) and gets the same drop in ride height – 15mm at the front, 10mm at the rear – as the vRS. Other standard SportLine features include acoustic glass, different interior materials and for shrinking violets, the ‘Crystal Face’ illuminated grille, featuring 131 individual LEDs.

My Phoenix Orange Metallic coupe (optional extra at a cost of (£390) certainly got the curious neighbours peering from behind their curtains because let’s be honest, it’s a good looker.

Besides the relatively long range, the Enyaq has a smart interior with the biggest touchscreen fitted to any VW Group electric car, plus a tinted panoramic sunroof, big alloy wheels and bright  LED headlights. The Enyaq Coupe iV is a spacious car and even offers plenty of headroom, while the boot is still an impressive size. It’s certainly one of the most convincing coupe SUVs to date.

My test drive came with the Comfort Seat Package Plus
(£540) and 21” Vision anthracite metallic
iV Universal charging cable with industrial
connector 32A / 230V (£680). In total the evaluation vehicle came to a whopping £56,600 which is one of the reasons that some potential customers are put off by EVs. That said, in time those stiff prices will reduce as they continue to grow in popularity.

The Comfort Package gives you a plethora of extras which includes electrically adjustable front seats (driver and passenger) with memory function, power adjustable lumbar support for front seats (driver and passenger) and a massage function for driver’s seat.

There’s lots of head room in the back – despite the sloping panoramic roof which is so big that on a really hot summer’s day will have you reaching for some headwear. All but the tallest adult passengers will fit in absolutely fine, and generous rear knee room means there’s plenty of space for long legs.

The Enyaq Coupé successfully wraps up the qualities that make the regular model so appealing – comfort, refinement, range and even practicality – in a more visually striking package and

fits into the vRS family perfectly and will no doubt prove a tempting choice for many despite the price.