Škoda Enyaq 80x in the winter test: This is how the Stromer performs in icy temperatures

Created: 02/17/2022, 08:37

By: Sebastian Oppenheimer

In addition to the long charging times of electric cars, use in winter in particular causes doubts among interested parties.

How does the Škoda Enyaq 80x fare in the cold?

Kaprun (Austria) - If you are looking for an ideal family vehicle for use in winter, you can hardly avoid an all-wheel drive model and Škoda has also had this in its portfolio for some time with its electric SUV Enyaq.

In view of the high unladen weight of more than two tons, you should avoid the smaller versions with 132 kW/180 hp and 150 kW/204 hp for the 4.65 meter long Enyaq and opt for the all-wheel drive version with 195 kW/204 hp right from the start. 265 hp and large battery pack, which will soon be crowned by the 300 hp RS model.

The main work on the rear axle is done by a synchronous electric motor that delivers 150 kW/204 hp and 310 Nm.

More important than ever for solid propulsion in winter is the additionally driven asynchronous front axle, which with an additional 80 kW/109 hp and 162 Nm torque ensures that

For the Enyaq 80x, Škoda states a range of more than 500 kilometers – in real operation in winter it is significantly less.

© Skoda

Škoda Enyaq 80x in the winter test: This is how the Stromer performs in icy temperatures

The winter 2021/2022, which has been quite mild and calm so far, is taking a break around Zell am See this morning, because although there is unusually little snow in the popular winter sports region, it is freezing this morning, because the tiny instrument unit behind the wheel shows a temperature of minus 9.5 degrees Celsius.

The Škoda Enyaq 80x is preconditioned in the underground car park, which means the interior is pleasantly warm and the vehicle was just hanging from the charging station.

But with the promised range of 500 kilometers with one battery charge, it is more than poorly ordered, because the battery indicator promises a range of just 292 kilometers - not too much for a fully equipped mid-range SUV, the more in the chic Sportline equipment than 50,000 euros.

(Electric cars in the cold check:

Škoda Enyaq 80x in the winter test: Seat heating should have a little "more pepper".

"If you follow a few tips, you can significantly increase the range of your electric car in winter," explains Axel Andorff, who is responsible for electric models at Škoda. "Preconditioning the vehicle is just as much a part of it as parking it in the garage." But more After all, an electric car is about the electrical consumers that rob it of the all-important kilometers until the next charging stop, especially in the cold season.

"It makes more sense to heat surfaces such as seats or the steering wheel than the entire passenger compartment," adds Andorff.

Nevertheless, you want it to be warm and cozy in the electric car, and so not only the driver's seat is heated, but also the interior of the Czech crossover with a temperature of 22 degrees.

Takes longer than you are used to due to the lack of a combustion engine,

but after a few minutes it is pleasantly warm on the well-contoured sports seats, whose seat heating, however, could have a little more pepper in the third stage.

(E-car in winter: cold eats up range - this is how you extend your battery life)

The all-wheel drive in the Škoda Enyaq 80x is not only noticeable in snow.

© Skoda

Škoda Enyaq 80x in the winter test: Moderate range with an almost full battery

After a few kilometers, the on-board computer shows just 271 kilometers left – with an almost full battery, a moderate value that would make you ponder at the start of a longer journey.

After a short passage on country roads, you go up into the mountains from Zell via Kaprun and Uttendorf via the narrow panoramic road up to the Weiß- and Tauernmoossee winter sports region.

The four-wheel drive Enyaq is in its element here.

It's brisk and stoically calm up the sometimes icy roads and with a lot of pressure from low speeds, even the tight bends become a pleasure.

As with many electric models, the steering is somewhat artificial;

smooth-running and always precise - no matter which of the different driving programs you are on the road with.

(Tesla installs new chips - with consequences for the range)

The slightly lower chassis with damper adjustment is always convincing, but could offer more comfort.

On this Thursday afternoon there are only two handfuls of skiers in the lift parking lot who wanted to swing up to whiter heights.

The battery indicator of the Enyaq 80x has already shrunk a lot at 231 kilometers before it goes back towards the valley.

Here you can quickly feel the mighty weight of the electric crossover on the road, which is as narrow as it is curvy, because despite its manageable dimensions, it weighs around 2.2 tons - more than any luxury sedan with a combustion engine.

In the tight curves and hairpin bends, the weight is noticeably pushed downwards, while the winter tires with optimized rolling resistance successfully try to grip the road.

(Turkish electric car manufacturer Togg: competition for German manufacturers?)

The not even six-inch digital display behind the steering wheel of the Škoda Enyaq is not very convincing © Škoda

Škoda Enyaq 80x in the winter test: the digital display behind the steering wheel is not very convincing

You quickly settled into the chic Škoda Enyaq.

The seats with good lateral support, the non-slip control and the large central display for navigation, sound system and air conditioning are particularly appealing.

The less than six-inch digital display behind the steering wheel, the loveless hard plastic handles in the doors and the dashboard covered with inexpensive-looking artificial leather are less convincing.

A volume manufacturer like Škoda, which has long been knocking on the premium door with an electric SUV like the Enyaq, shouldn’t allow that either.

There's plenty of space in the front and rear, and the load compartment has an impressive 585 liters, which can be expanded to more than 1,700 liters if the rear seat is folded down.

There is a small detour on the descent into the valley: an icy and snowy path leads up to two farms and down again.

This shows more than ever why you should choose an Enyaq with all-wheel drive.

It brings safety and driving dynamics on such slippery slopes and this has a positive effect even without snow, because the ample torque of 425 Nm reaches the ground more sovereignly than just via the rear axle.

However, that does not hide the annoyance of the overly limited top speed.

Tempo 160 is out of the question as a limitation and even if a model like the Enyaq drains its battery too quickly at higher motorway speeds,

Škoda Enyaq 80x in the winter test: This is how much the E-SUV costs with some equipment

After a successful descent, the battery pack is strengthened by recuperation to almost 250 kilometers, only to commute back to 220 dimensions a short time later.

Not much for a still bulging battery pack, but users of an electric model have to get used to that.

Instead of the nominal range, you have to deduct 30 to 40 percent in reality, especially in the freezing cold winter, and plan significantly more charging stops.

And you can't avoid the largest possible battery pack in serious everyday use anyway.

No wonder that more than three quarters of most brands and models opt for the largest available battery pack - in the case of the Škoda Enyaq 80x, the 82 kWh variant, which, with the appropriate comfort and safety equipment, quickly costs 55,000 euros.

.