Test drove an Enyaq today, was intrigued to see how it would perform.  As expected it was a very nice drive, that quiey, effortless surge of EV acceleration is seductive.  No engine noise is a plus under acceleration, very refined. However the ride comfort was no better than the Superb, there was arguably more road and cabin noise at speed.

 

I appreciated how some of the driver controls were familiar, steering wheel, adaptive cruise control. The touchscreen wasn't as bad as I was expecting.

Anyway, just curious to see heard anyone else considered migrating over to EV.  I would fear I would regret moving on as I the Superb it's just such a well rounded machine, and suits almost every eventuality.

Difficult question, I´m still a diesel driver. And I have to say I´m not ready to switch to 100% electric car at this time...

 

If you´re doubting, maybe a PHEV Superb could be a intermediate solution?

@Steviedakota  Will you be able to charge the car at home or work on cheap electric, and will you be doing the length of trips requiring public charging?

 

 

1 hour ago, Steviedakota said:

 No engine noise is a plus under acceleration, very refined. However the ride comfort was no better than the Superb, there was arguably more road and cabin noise at speed.

A lot will be due to wheel size and tyres.

However with an EV there is no background engine noise so your perception of other sounds will be higher (even if not actually louder)

 

The EVs tend to get big wheels, with wide summer tyres, that are Eco / low rolling resistance (firm in simple speak), and like many modern summer tyres tend to be optimised close to WLTP test temperatures (which is about 8 or 9c higher than UK average temperature).   
 

Putting it bluntly in plain speak, those tyres tend to be hard (and therefore rumbly) at UK temperatures from October to April.  Would have been softer if it was warm day nearer 25c but you probably tested it near 10-14c

 

Try one with smallest wheel size, and if it is a coldish day, assume changing to good all season tyres will be quitter still (as they are softer at low temperatures).   In meantime here is link to Skoda wheels catalogue which shows all the wheel options for Enyaq

 

https://www.skoda-auto.com/_doc/6d5c59b3-5d97-451a-ab78-2ef185e6e373
 

26 minutes ago, Ootohere said:

@Steviedakota  Will you be able to charge the car at home or work on cheap electric, and will you be doing the length of trips requiring public charging?

 

 

 

I can charge from home, have solar panels, and most of my journeys are quite short. So it would be ideally suited, however running costs wouldn't be the key motivator here, more the effortlessness of an EV drivetrain. 

The EV life is nice.  Cheap running and no gears (even DSG) is a nice feel.  The PHEV is not all it's cracked up to be as far as a stop gap.  It's a tool for a job and if you are in a position to go EV it's a better solution.  With PHEV you still have all the maintenance of a regular car with the added complexity of the EV bits.  One plus side is components cost the same as the regular models (just picked up front discs and pads for £120).  If your normal running costs can make good use of the EV mode on PHEV then you will also benefit from running a pure EV.  You'll also have to charge less often.  Plugging in every day wears thin.

I often beat myself up for getting rid of the octavia tdi for the passat gte.  For the money I out into the purchase I could have got a half decent small EV for daily duties and kept the skoda for tip/weekend/family/bike trips.

I do not know the situation in Ireland but i would not be buying an EV as a private car unless keeping it for many years and not concerned over depreciation. 

Leasing if there are tax benefits then that is a different matter.

 

@Stonekeeper has moved from an ICE to an Enyaq is the last few weeks.

No, I am not ready for an EV with the usage that I make, I already have a city runabout that takes the brunt of the day-to-day, so I needed a 'travel car'. And inspite of all the pushing and shoving, when I am facing +1000km travel in a short time, long stops are not what I am thinking ....

 

I would have liked the 'bridge' of a PHEV, but since I did not want a SUV but wanted 4x4 and decent performance, the only decent options were MB, Audi, or Volvo. None of them three filled the blanks needed, hence I skipped the PHEV phase ....

Next in line was a decent and balanced ICE, and here I am.

5 hours ago, SurreyJohn said:

A lot will be due to wheel size and tyres.

However with an EV there is no background engine noise so your perception of other sounds will be higher (even if not actually louder)

 

The EVs tend to get big wheels, with wide summer tyres, that are Eco / low rolling resistance (firm in simple speak), and like many modern summer tyres tend to be optimised close to WLTP test temperatures (which is about 8 or 9c higher than UK average temperature).

Thanks for the explanation! I was actually thinking why the emphasis on so large tires on EVs, for me the antithesis of "economy running", but I guess I was wrong.

3 hours ago, MarkyG82 said:

I often beat myself up for getting rid of the octavia tdi for the passat gte.  For the money I out into the purchase I could have got a half decent small EV for daily duties and kept the skoda for tip/weekend/family/bike trips.

Pity to hear you missed that option. I thought hard and long and this is the way I intend to do, once the runabout expires, which she does not want to 🤪

I test drove one and didn’t like it, felt too big and bulky without the room of the Superb

18 hours ago, Ootohere said:

I do not know the situation in Ireland but i would not be buying an EV as a private car unless keeping it for many years and not concerned over depreciation. 

Leasing if there are tax benefits then that is a different matter.

 

@Stonekeeper has moved from an ICE to an Enyaq is the last few weeks.

 

Would only buy nearly new so some of the depreciation hit would be taken, but very aware that I would be wedded to the car for some time. I usually keep my cars for 5 years plus so hopefully it would work out. 

Check out the Enyaq section then on which are hard on tyres, and software updates etc.

I had 2 Superb estates, one diesel one petrol and they absolutely lived up to their name. 

in 2021 I got an Enyaq 80x, much as I liked the Superbs, the Enyaq does the job equally well, but is quieter and smoother, on Wednesday I changed the 80x for a vRS.

I’m not going back to ICE, there is nothing an ICE can do that an Enyaq can’t, not load lugging, not long distance (>600miles), not comfort, I proved this over 3 years.

For clarity my cars are not company cars.

I was reading about the VED starting from April for EV’s, certainly less attractive already

It is not very much to pay for VED on BEV,s.

 

The new VED cost on new Petrol Diesel and Hybrids from April 2025 is going to be something that might bother those looking at getting a New vehicle. 

1 minute ago, Ootohere said:

It is not very much to pay for VED on BEV,s.

 

The new VED cost on new Petrol Diesel and Hybrids from April 2025 is going to be something that might bother those looking at getting a New vehicle. 

£10 for the first year, then £170 a year which is also back dated to 2017 EV’s

 

Then if the car is over £40k which is basically all EV’s you’ll have to pay an additional £350 or so a year too.

 

So from year two on an EV you’ll be paying £400 something a year on VED which let’s be honest is just another tax.

 

I don’t have the exact figures but it’s something like the figures above.

 

Typical labour going after “rich” car owners 😭

Provided you can get a car with RRP below £40k the £170 is not actually that much and the fuel saving far out ways the cost. Over "luxury" tax threshold and it adds a sting to the savings. 

14 minutes ago, MarkyG82 said:

Provided you can get a car with RRP below £40k the £170 is not actually that much and the fuel saving far out ways the cost. Over "luxury" tax threshold and it adds a sting to the savings. 

Not too many decent EV’s are under £40k and I believe it’s not based on base level so any extras brings you over as well.

 

If someone only does small miles then getting an EV isn’t going to make any sense now, might as well get a diesel like mine and still only pay £35 hmm

 

 

As long as one can charge on the cheap, and overall can achieve lower running costs, definitely. 

 

Also that it suits the use case. People who daily their cars 400miles probably need not apply. 

 

I recently done a trip to scotland, longest journey in a day of 520miles. It would be fine in an EV with 250miles of useable motorway range. 300+ would make it a doddle. But I am OK with my 280 ... Burning through 270quids worth of petrol for the whole trip (1300miles!)

As far as the introduction of VED on the EV,s and people home charging off peak then 250 miles or charging for £5 means that you are not doing 250 miles and buying 5 or 6 gallons on petrol or diesel.

Your savings in a few weeks of a 500 miles a week has covered the cost of the VED. 

Business users & Businesses are laughing anyway with the saving running a company BEV rather than an ice and plenty run them with high weekly mileages. 

 

It is the Public Charging and private users that are not maybe benefiting financially once paying over £5 for 10 kWh of electricity and not getting 4 miles a kWh.

Paying £6-9 for getting 40 miles or less is just not 'Simply Clever' unless there are other benefits, free parking or such. 

I remembered this topic the other day, in my friends' showroom there was a red 80x and while he was on a call I had all the time to peruse it at will.

Size wise, is more compact than a Superb, more Octavia-size. The taller roofline is weird to me, as I am used to swap between a car (the Superb) and a proper SUV (the Range Rover) ... this fits in the middle, gives me the feeling of having both cars' disadvantages and none of the advantages.

Inside, not to diss on Paul as each one has its opinions, but I do not think is any better. More restricted driving position, much more plastic everywhere, clever the use of the space in the lower central dash, but the overall feeling is ... cheap, like most EVs. Pity.

Rear seat is a bench, and legroom is limited. Boot space is maybe half to 2/3 of the size of the Superb combi, considering there was no double floor and less length ... if the car is still there next week I might take the tape measure and get some recordings ...

These are my impressions, I like the car overall, but not so much as the Superb ....

 

Note: just to give an idea of what I mean by space, I managed to fit in the boot: 4 alloys 18s, a glovebox complete, under steering wheel cover, a steering wheel complete, other odds and ends and my travel bag. Under the vario floor, the trasversal roof cargo bars, and on the side wedged between the seats and the pillar, the longitudinal roof cargo bars! All this in a discreet manner, without having anything to be seen from outside ... should have taken pictures, but was in a hurry.

 

Interesting @leolito.  I guess it is not just the practicality that we need to compare with the driving and ownership experience, and the EV certainly has the advantage with regard to refinement and day to day running costs.  The superb is so good in so many areas it is very tough act to follow.

Totally agree with you, I must say if infrastructure was a tad better, even a petrolhead like myself would feel seriously tempted. There are certain aspects of the EV motoring which are really alluring, like the antonishing get-up-to-speed, the regen capability, and the disarming simplicity of the drivetrain.

And while some cars tend to overdo it in the styiling department (Tesla for one), some others have nothing to fear from their 'thermal' cousings. I had the chance to drive a BMW ix3 and while I am allergic to Bavarians, there was nothing that would make you feel in a lesser car compared with its X3 sibling, nothing really.

 

But you said it correct, Superb is a tough one. In my case, all the stuff I was lugging was from one of the vehicles it is replacing, a P38 RR which has been surprisingly reliable, considering its fame. And I managed to fit all that junk without the need to retract the cover, handy when you have to pass border police ... and I did almost 40MPG (Imperial) over couple thousand km of highway ... by myself and did not even get tired ... what can top it indeed 😁