It is very difficult to poke holes in Skoda these days. In an age of overcomplicating absolutely everything for no apparent reason, it is even more impressive to still be so good at what you do.
The latest example of this is the Skoda Elroq, an all-electric compact SUV that sits just below the Enyaq in the Czech Republic brand's range. It is only when you see the Elroq in person do you really get a sense of its generous dimensions. It is about 20cm shorter than the Enyaq but beats it ever so slightly in width at 118.4cm, making the Elroq an excellent package when compared with obvious electric rivals such as the Kia EV3, Ford Explorer and Volvo EX30.
The Kia in particular received glowing praise in these pages not so long ago, so Skoda has had to be on the ball here.
The Elroq stands out for being the first model to adopt Skoda’s new 'Modern Solid' design language. This comprises a glossy black tech-deck face to replace the typical Skoda grille, while the new front is characterised by a robust bumper with a dark chrome insert. The Elroq is also the first model to feature the Skoda lettering on both the bonnet and steering wheel.
Potential buyers have a healthy amount of choice, too. The Skoda Elroq is available with three different battery sizes and powertrains. Outputs start at 125kW for the Elroq 50 (55kWh battery ) from €36,545 with a claimed range of 370km. The Elroq 60 (63kWh battery ) has a quoted range of 440km and is priced from €38,416. The long range Elroq 85 is said to do up to 560km and is priced from €42,315 after rebates and delivery charges are applied.
Tested here was the latter in Sportline trim, boasting the same 82kWh battery with 210kW/281hp and, as it proved, a range of over 540km (571km quoted ) from a full charge. The Elroq 85 Sportline trim starts from €50,360, making it cheaper than a non Sportline Enyaq 85. An RS version of the Elroq is also due later this summer from €53,350. There's some food for thought.
All Elroq versions are rear-wheel-drive for the moment but you should be able to opt for the Elroq 85x (AWD ) later this year. Charging rates of up to 175kW at DC fast-charging stations enable the 82kWh battery of the Elroq 85 to recharge from 10 to 80 per cent in a little under half an hour.
Inside the Elroq, and in typical Skoda fashion, is a well laid-out cabin providing a generous amount of space. This includes 470-litres of luggage capacity (up to 1,580-litres with the rear seats folded down ). There is 48-litres of storage capacity throughout the interior, as well as a storage net for the charging cable under the parcel shelf.
In front of the driver is a five-inch heads-up display, which admittedly is a bit squashed being situated next to the central 13-inch infotainment screen. There's a bank of shortcut keys underneath for climate control et al but no dials or knobs. I'm not convinced by haptic sliders in cars but on this occasion they worked well enough to not bug me.
The Elroq's suspension impressed on various surfaces while road noise was quiet on motorways.
Add everything up and you are left with a fine electric vehicle and another Skoda that's 'made for Ireland'.
