2024-07-17 10:33:19
With the Elroq, Škoda will launch a new SUV in the compact class next year. It will initially be the cheapest electric car in the VW Group. The benefits were obvious on the first test drive, especially in the city. However, in one major criticism Elroq seems outdated.
It ranks among the top ten best-selling electric cars in the country. And despite the fact that the Škoda Enyaq currently costs at least 48,900 euros. Expectations were accordingly high when she adopted a little brother at the beginning of the year. Because then the VW subsidiary will launch the Elroq, which will start at less than 35,000 euros.
This means that it is not a third cheaper than the debut electric, but it will also be the cheapest battery car in the VW Group until the debut of the three small cars VW ID.2, Cupra Raval and Skoda Epiq from 2026 .So it is not surprising that the Czechs have high expectations of the child and cannot keep it under wraps. Instead of waiting until the official unveiling in October, they are making the first prototypes available for test drives.
As usual, the cars are also decorated with paint for camouflage. But the design is already recognizable – with a new front design with a closed radiator grille and two separate levels for the headlights. And Skoda makes no secret of the format anyway. Elroq is 4.49 meters and almost 20 centimeters shorter than Enyaq.
But because it shares a 2.77 meter wheelbase with its big brother, the interior space is not bad: you can sit comfortably in the front and still good in the back. Only the trunk is a little small at 470 liters.
The cockpit of the Škoda Elroq is familiar
But the Czechs have found a clever alternative to the missing frunk, trunk under the hood. And instead of hiding the charging cable in the basement of the trunk and forcing the driver to charge before charging, there is a net under the pocket shelf from which the cable can be pulled.
Up front, however, the design looks familiar and greets drivers with familiar components from the company’s electronic module system. These include a small screen behind the steering wheel, a head-up display with turn signals and warnings designed to reflect the real environment, and a large touchscreen on the dashboard.
But even if Skoda has to get an annoying sensor bar under the screen, the Czechs have their own steering wheel with traditional buttons and have moved the selector lever for the direction of travel to the central tunnel.
They allow themselves to be less stubborn when it comes to driving – after all, it is the same parts that ensure a low price. That’s why Skoda uses the well-known components of the VW MEB electronic module and combines four variants for the Elroq: with 125 kW/170 HP and a 52 kWh battery for around 360 kilometers up to 220 kW/300 HP all -wheel drive vehicle with 77 kWh for around 560 kilometers in the top version.
The motor power is more than enough and the battery sizes fit within the budget. But when you pick it up, you notice that the MEB components are starting to become outdated, almost ten years after the development.
Neither 11 kW on the wall box is necessary, nor 125 kW on direct current, with which at least two small batteries can be charged to the scale. After all, the big battery produces 175 kW and is at 80 percent in just under half an hour, just like the small batteries.
Škoda Elroq feels similar to ID.3
The differences between electric cars are naturally small, even if they all come from the same module system. That’s why the Elroq, with its neutral stance and comfortable chassis, doesn’t feel much different from the ID.3 and – apart from the lively acceleration of course – only offers limited driving pleasure.
And here as it is there, many will miss driving a scooter because the recovery is not strong either with a soft pedal on the steering wheel or with a change from “D” (like Drive) to “B” (like Brake) for better power. recovery on the switch is enough to slow the Elroq down to standby.
But compared to Enyaq, the more powerful version appears to be more light-footed, better faster and, above all, more controllable and efficient, making it easier to find your way through the struggle and bustle of the great city. Driving on country roads is child’s play.
End: Significantly cheaper than before and not a penny-pincher: Even if Škoda is only announcing the final prices in October, the Czechs are demonstrating with the Elroq that the electric mobility has become important. Because as an affordable SUV in the price from the compact class, it offers everything that customers know from the Karoq, which is currently priced at least 32,930 euros – and not only without emissions, but for a moderate additional cost for electric power.
Data sheet: Škoda Elroq 85 design
Motor and electric motor
- Drive: Max power: 210 kW/286 HP
- Maximum torque: 545 Nm
- Drive: rear-wheel drive
- Transmission: Automatic only
mass and weight
- Length: 4490mm
- Width: n/a
- Height: n/a
- Wheelbase: 2770mm
- Limitation: n/a
- Payment: n/a
- Trunk size 470-1580 l
Driving data
- Maximum speed: 180 km/h
- Acceleration 0-100 km / h: kA
- Dosage: n/a
- Battery capacity (net): 77 kWh
- Distance: 560 km
- CO₂-Emissions: 0 g/km
- AC/DC charging power: 11/175 kW
dpa/jk
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