At the end of the first quarter of the year, with most 261 sales locked in, Skoda is solidly in fourth place in overall car sales in Ireland, writes Brian Byrne. Unlike many competitor brands, it is also holding on to a strong customer base in diesel-powered cars, as a current radio ad campaign shows. Simply put, Skoda has a strong rural Ireland following, and for very many of them, diesel rules.
In a 9-model Skoda range, there are so far two electrics, the Enyaq and the Elroq, which, between them, have in this past quarter accounted for 15 per cent of all sales. In a spread where the diesel Kodiaq, Octavia and Superb account for half of all Skodas rolled out through showrooms, that's a strong electric performance, with a trend definitely upwards.
I first drove a Skoda Elroq last year, and was immediately impressed with what I called the 'Goldilocks' feeling. That, in very many ways, compared to outside-the-brand competitors and its larger sibling, Enyaq, it felt just right. For this week, I'm driving the RS, the sporty and more powerful version.
It’s no surprise the two electric Skodas look alike. They share the same front-end styling — the Enyaq got a refresh last year — along with a number of other panels. The Elroq is shorter, but also wider and taller than the Enyaq. They both sit on the same wheelbase, though the Elroq’s shorter rear cuts into boot space. In size terms, it sits somewhere between a Volvo's EX40 and a Hyundai Tucson.
It’s a really smart-looking car. The shorter length and sharper design details give it a sportier feel than the Enyaq. I also liked exterior details such as the proper door handles — I’m not a fan of the flush ones that pop out as you walk up to the car.
Skoda has done a nice job with the interior as well. The central screen is large, as you’d expect from VW and its sister brands, but it’s easy to use. The driver display is tucked away to cut down on glare and gives you exactly what you need to know, in a clear, simple way. The quality of the finish was no surprise, based on the other Skoda models I’ve driven over the past several years. In this RS variant, there's a suede finish to the dashboard that provides a comfortable and premium ambience, and my review car's trim included yellow stitching along door panel and seat edges and on the steering wheel. Thanks to the extra width and the Enyaq’s long wheelbase, three adults can fit comfortably in the back.
My car had an 84kWh battery, with a claimed range of 550km, though in real terms, think about 100km less, and that's still adequate. With 340hp and dual electric motors, it can do 0-100km/h in a brisk 5.4 seconds, a good 1.2 seconds faster than the next down, the Sportline. Though weighing about 2.2 tonnes, the car never really felt heavy, and includes an adaptive chassis as standard. If you push it, it's the fastest acceleration in the present Skoda lineup. Not a supercar, but sportily satisfying, and comfortable in the knowledge that the AWD will keep the drive in good shape.
Some cars take a while to get used to, while others feel familiar almost straight away. The Elroq, in both guises that I've driven so far, is definitely in the second group and shows well how to bridge the space between a compact city car and a larger family one. Skoda also does this well with its combustion cars. I've always felt that the Czech producer does a much more customer-satisfying job than its VW parent, and that's also why their diesel sales in Ireland are holding up. All their cars are well thought through for their local markets.
That’s how, if they get it right, Europe’s leading carmakers can stand their ground against the new arrivals, especially those from China. The next electric offering from Skoda will be the Epiq city SUV, sometime around the middle of the year. If what the brand has been producing in this field so far is an accurate guide, it will help push the Irish Skoda sales performance even further up the ladder and strengthen the share of electrics.
PRICE: From €56,850. WHAT I LIKED: Goldilocks with an edge.
