Is The Skoda Enyaq vRS Actually Worth Having Over The Normal One?

For the last few months, I’ve been running a Skoda Enyaq iV 80 SportLine - to give it the full, rather lengthy name. It’s not the only version of the car you can buy, though. There’s also, for instance, the option of a ‘Coupe’ (which isn’t a ‘true’ coupe, but rather an SUV with a sloping roofline), and a high-performance Enyaq vRS.

I borrowed an Enyaq that combines both of these things. It also has a long name, being called the Skoda Enyaq Coupe iV vRS. Catchy.

It looks great, although this one is helped aesthetically by the Phoenix Orange Metallic paint, which at the moment is exclusive to the vRS. Another vRS-only hue is Hyper Green, which looks cool, although it might be a bit ‘out there’ for some. New colours aside, it’s not hugely different to look at from an Enyaq 80 Coupe.

There are big differences under the skin, though, as the vRS gets an extra motor for the front axle, giving all-wheel drive plus a total power output of 295bhp. Or to put it another way, 50 per cent more than ‘my’ Enyaq iV 80. That means the extra performance is very noticeable when you drive the two cars back to back, as I did.

0-62mph drops from 8.5 seconds to just 6.4, and the near-instant delivery of the torque (which you get 110lb ft more) makes full-throttle bursts great fun. My eldest son certainly loved going out in it!

The range penalty for the added performance is pretty modest - according to the official figure from Skoda, the range drops by only nine miles. Your wallet will feel a lot lighter after buying one, though, as the vRS is about £4,000 more expensive than the equivalent Sport Line Plus. But is it worth it? That’s not so easy to answer.

If it was me doing the buying, I’d happily pocket the change and stick with the iV 80, fun though the punchier performance is. The thing is, if you are interested in going fast, you may not find the vRS quite exciting enough. At least that’s what I’m told by CT group editor Matt, who’s also driven both cars and likes to drone on about stuff like understeer and body roll.

According to him, it feels a little too heavy for its own good (partly because it is, at 2.2 tonnes, but it also doesn’t hide the fat as well as some EVs). Also, neither of us are fans of the optional Vega Anthracite 21-inch wheels. I think the 20-inch wheels on ‘my’ Enyaq look better (as standard the vRS is on 20-inch wheels, but a different design), and on the smaller rims, the ride is better.

Making the decision harder still, there’s also a four-wheel drive Enyaq that gets the extra motor but with a slightly lower output than the vRS (261bhp) for about £2,000 cheaper. But still, the 80 SportLine looks like the best bet to me. It’ll be hard to give up the keys to this one, when it’s time.