First drive: 2022 Skoda Enyaq Coupe iV prototype

If you want to get noticed on the streets of Munich during IAA week, a lurid Lamborghini or box-fresh Bentley just doesn’t cut it. With so many new machines being uncovered at various sites around the Bavarian capital as part of the international motor show this year, the normal exclusivity of cars is somewhat diluted and for just a few days in September, the locals are a little harder to please.

But there is still one way to pique the interest of car enthusiasts, as I found out with a heavily disguised model that’ll likely grace Australian showrooms before 2024.

In a basement car park two stories beneath the bustling streets of Munich, a new Skoda was waiting. But this enigmatic new model was not presented in an expected shiny hero colour, rather the sort of wrap journalists are not ordinarily invited to look at – let alone jump in and drive.

In automotive terms, this is the equivalent of handing a knife and fork to a fox and ushering it into the chicken coop. And yet here I was at the wheel of the as-yet-unseen Skoda Enyaq Coupe iV cruising Munich with nothing more than a photographer to chaperone me.

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Actually, this particular car had only a few secrets to hide and the new Coupe version of Skoda’s first pure electric vehicle is mechanically identical to the crossover version that is already selling throughout Europe like hot pretzels.

Four versions are available, starting with the Enyaq 50 and a choice of 60, 70 and 80 versions denoting the rough kWh capacity of their lithium-ion batteries.

The Coupe version that a significant number of pedestrians were stopping and staring at is the 80 (actually 82kWh), which produces 150kW and 310Nm and is good for more than 500km of range and a jog to 100km/h in 8.7 seconds.

I can understand their curiosity. If studied closely, the ‘camo’ wrap breaks up the Enyaq’s lines with a jumble of the letters SKODA but beyond the telltale wheel design, the car is genuinely enigmatic and impossible to identify.

The Coupe is the 80 (actually 82kWh), which produces 150kW and 310Nm and is good for more than 500km of range and a jog to 100km/h in 8.7 seconds.

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Not so on the inside, however, where the clean and minimalist cabin is pure Skoda with a selection of contemporary but tasteful materials including a convincing carbonfibre-look dash trim and a pleasant blend of synthetic leather and fine fabric for the upholstery.

Ergonomically, the Enyaq’s cabin is deceptively roomy with a huge standard panoramic glass roof and excellent use of space as has become a calling card of the Czech brand. The driving position is comfortably reclined while allowing a good view of the surroundings – and a constant flow of intrigued onlookers.

A few passersby asked “what is it?” but I’m not even sure if I was allowed to tell them nor did I feel happy admitting there’s an imposter at the wheel.

If I had gone all motor-mouth I would have told them that, from the B-pillar back, the Enyaq Coupe is completely redesigned along with the front and rear bumpers, but you’ll have to wait until as late as December to see the full effect officially revealed.

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When public though, the more elegant profile will not just introduce a stylish variant of the EV-only model but a version that compromises little. Compared with the more orthodox Enyaq, the coupe boot shrinks by 15 litres to 570L but the shape was rigorously developed using Audi’s wind tunnel to reduce drag.

Consequently, the coupe’s drag coefficient falls from the 0.25Cd of the crossover version to 0.24Cd and could even measure 0.23Cd for the final WLTP production version.

The result is a silky driving experience at speed with eerily low wind and tyre noise a constant reminder that this Skoda will go further on a single charge, while its vast 13.0-inch central screen displays, among other useful information, the position of abundant public charge points should you need to top up. It contrasts the tiny 5.3-inch driver display which feels tiny by comparison.

Even without the attention-seeking disguise, Skoda's EV offering feels different in all the right ways without feeling gratuitously so while conventional in others.

With a generous second row of seating and large boot, you certainly get a lot more for your cash compared with other similarly priced EVs such as the Mini Cooper SE, while the Skoda marque arguably inspires a little more confidence than challenger brands such as Tesla and its Model 3 that kicks off from about $65,000.

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The Enyaq's instant torque is perfect for negotiating the busy city traffic, while its legs are surprisingly long when the narrow streets widen into busy freeways.

Its stubby gear selector can be flicked from D to B mode on the fly for single-pedal driving but the regenerative effect could be a little more aggressive.

The ride is firm, its reassuringly solid feel matches with the smooth, direct steering and a low centre of gravity for unexpected agility.

Perhaps it shouldn’t be so unexpected though, because the Enyaq shares a majority of mechanicals with some family stablemates courtesy of its MEB platform that underpins the Volkswagen ID.4 and Audi Q4 e-tron – two models that have received wide acclaim.

While the ride is firm, its reassuringly solid feel matches with the smooth, direct steering and a low centre of gravity for unexpected agility.

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Most encouragingly, it’s looking likely the Enyaq range will come in Australia. Skoda Australia’s official line was previously that it had no plans to offer the Enyaq here, but the brand now says it's confident timing will be announced in 2022.

Ask the same question of Skoda E-mobility and Enyaq iV spokesperson Stepan Rehak, and he’ll pick up the phone then after a few lines of Czech comes the response “Working on it”.

What’s more, with the Enyaq retailing in the UK for the equivalent of about $9400 cheaper than the equivalent VW and Audi’s version expected to carry a decidedly premium price, the Skoda is shaping up to be the most affordable family EV in the VW Group fold.

2022 Skoda Enyaq Coupe iV specifications