Skoda's answer to the Tesla Model Y: Skoda Enyaq iV RS electric SUV revealed

Set to join the swoopier Coupe version, Skoda has revealed a more practical SUV version of the fully electric Enyaq iV RS.

The headline figures for the Skoda Enyaq iV RS in terms of performance are in line with the Coupe version: a 220kW/460Nm all-wheel drive electric powertrain, one motor for each axle, with the same 0-100km/h sprint of 6.5 seconds.

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It also boasts a decent battery range thanks to its quite low drag coefficient of 0.265Cd, with Skoda claiming the Enyaq SUV will achieve more than 500km of driving range on the WLTP test cycle.

Able to be charged with up to 135kW, the Enyaq’s 82kWh battery can be topped up from 10 per cent to 80 per cent charge in as little as 36 minutes.

Interestingly, Skoda has opted for relatively large 20- or 21-inch wheels on the Enyaq iV RS, as opposed to using smaller wheels like the Kia EV6 and Tesla Model 3 (around 18 or 19 inches) to reduce unsprung weight and allow the motors to turn the lighter wheels more easily.

Built on the Volkswagen MEB electric car platform, Skoda proudly touts that the Enyaq is the only model to use that platform being produced outside of Germany, instead being built in Skoda’s home Mladá Boleslav factory.

Skoda brand director Michael Irmer told CarsGuide back in July 2022 the Skoda Enyaq would come to Australia around the same time as the Coupe version, but not to expect them to arrive any time before 2024.

“Both of them at the same time. Deliveries will take place in the first quarter of 2024, say in February or March, but you’ll be able to order it in the second half of 2023.”

However, the RS version of the Enyaq isn't yet confirmed specifically for Australia.

In terms of pricing, a base model Enyaq in the UK is priced around the equivalent of AUD$62,000, though given the RS models have a larger battery and more performance engineering like sports suspension and design features both in- and outside of the car, it is likely a Skoda Enyaq iV RS, if it were to arrive in Australia, would cost noticeably more.

While Skoda internationally shifts to electric cars and focuses on the future, its Australian sales have slowed. A mixture of supply and fewer new models being introduced can be pointed to, but this year to the end of September Skoda Australia sold 4733 new cars, as opposed to 7745 during the same period last year.

The arrival of cars like the Skoda Enyaq, the local arm must hope, will help turn that almost 40 per cent sales drop around.