Skoda Elroq 2025: Australian first drive

Does the Elroq mark a turning point for Skoda Australia’s flagging sales Down Under? Both the importer, and the small but dedicated die-hard Aussie fan base, hope so.

The Elroq, the brand’s second EV release behind the larger Enyaq, catches Skoda off the back of much needed recent updates to ‘classic’ ICE-based favourites — Kodiaq, Octavia, Superb — and the promise of more electrification through to 2027, including two new EVs, a pair of PHEVs and at least one new mild hybrid.

Pictured: the Elroq 130 Years Edition

That’s a lot of movement at the Czech station, albeit one without any logical self-charging series-parallel hybrid answer to the likes of Toyota’s RAV4, Corolla Cross or Corolla, and the various Korean and Chinese wannabes chasing that landscape — a topic of discussion for another time…

Another pivot point: Elroq introduces Skoda’s new Modern Solid design language to Australians, which is why it looks so different — and subjectively better — than the current Enyaq it’s technically twinned with, up until the new-look Enyaq arrives…next week.

Confused? Let’s clarify. Or at least attempt to…

Pictured: the Elroq 85 Select

The new Elroq sits on the same platform and has the same long (2765mm) wheelbase as the certifiably midsize (4653mm long) Enyaq.

Thanks to wonderful deft packaging, the passenger cell offers pretty much identical (and therefore midsize) volume, despite Elroq’s more compact (4488mm) length, which is bang-on that of Toyota’s Corolla Cross and technically the lengthier side of ‘small’.

So Skoda’s externally small electric SUV is functionally medium — if easier to park and smarter looking, what with its wheels-at-all-corners stance and Modern Solid neatness. So a medium SUV, as Skoda claims, it is.

Perception is important here, because Skoda’s smallest and humblest electric, with 210kW single-motor power, enters at tenner under $60K in its most basic form. And it’s ten-grand cheaper than the fancier featured, if no more electrically endowed, 130 Years Edition flagship.

What are the Elroq’s features and options for the price?

The Elroq is offered in two trims: the entry 85 Select, that’s priced from $54,990 list and $59,990 on-road, as well as the 130 Years Edition that clocks on at $64,990 list and slips in at just under $70K driveaway.

Both variants fit the same 210kW/545Nm single-speed, single-motor drive on the rear axle, paired with a 77kWh net (82kWh gross) lithium-ion battery. Peak charging is 135kW DC, or around 28 minutes claimed for the 10-80 percent charge.

In broad terms, the value looks promising given the similarly powered (210kW RWD) entry Enyaq Sportline — same wheelbase and cabin space, remember — enters at $69,990 driveaway. The jury is out, though, on how the soon-to-launch Modern Solid-look MY26 Enyaq compares (pricing TBC) but this adds a wagon body outgoing coupe-only line-up.

Other rivals? Corporate cousin, the technically related (210kW) Volkswagen ID.4 Pro, lists for $59,990, while the alpha nemesis in the (220kW) Tesla Model Y enters at $58,990 list.

Elsewhere, the popular if less-powerful (169kW) Kia EV5 Air kicks off from $56,770, while the underachieving (150kW) Toyota BZ4X clocks in at a whopping $66,000.

Of course, there’s also the growing field of price-busting Chinese imports such as the (150kW) BYD Seal, from $46,990, or the chips-cheap (125kW) MGS5 from just $40,490, to name just two.

When combining high-voltage stats with standard features, the base 85 Select appears to be good value. Less so for the 135 Years Edition, which adds most window dressing and smattering of added tech while not lifting output or range credentials.

Both variants are available in five colours, with the Velvet Red Premium Metallic option commanding an added $770.

The 85 Select fits the following features standard:

• 19-inch ‘Regulus’ wheels
• LED headlights, tail lights and DRLs
• Front and rear parking sensors
• Reversing camera
• Heated/power-folding mirrors
• 5.3-inch digital driver’s screen
• 13.0-inch touchscreen media
• 15-watt wireless phone charging with ventilation
• Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
• DAB+
• Eight-speaker 100-watt audio
• Dual-zone climate control
• Cloth/faux leather trim
• Manual front seats with heating
• 4 x USB-C outlets
• 1 x umbrella
• Mode 2 and mode 3 charging cables

The 130 years Edition adds:

• 21-inch ‘Supernova’ wheels
• Matrix LED headlights
• Leatherette dash trim
• Power front seats with memory/massage functionality
• TechnoFil grey leatherette trim
• Three-zone climate control
• Canton 12-speaker audio
• 360-degree camera
• Head-up display with augmented reality
• Interior ambient lighting
• Hands-free electric tailgate

How does the Elroq drive?

The Australian launch program offered both variants to sample one-, two- and three-up across a variety of conditions, from inner city Sydney backstreets through to highway cruising and twisty national park backroads. And the results were surprisingly mixed.

Elroq sits on Volkswagen Group’s now-well-honed MEB platform, with passive strut front and multilink rear suspension and a staggered tyre spec fitting 235mm front and 255mm rears, regardless of whether it’s sat on base 19s or flagship 21s. Like its ID cousins, it’s disc front and drum rear braking.

There do seem to be some common traits baked into MEB-based models wearing any VAG badge: solidity, predictability, and a natural balance across the axles when pushed.

As we discovered testing the Enyaq RS — “excellent body control, precise wheel control…real confidence” — Skoda can inject real engagement and sporting character, too. But not Elroq, at least in these two launch trims.

Our test cars felt dependable and surefooted if somewhat numb and, frankly, unmarkable. And, strangely, there were some inconsistencies in the four different variants — two base, two flagships — that we drove. This included steering which, in the 85 Select, feels direct if underassisted and slightly ponderous.

Strangely, too, is that the 130 Years Editions sat on 21s seemed to steer and ride nicer than the 85 Selects on 19s. Go figure…

Where we’ve praised the larger Enyaq in the past for what’s class-leading ride and handling balance, the Elroqs’ chassis seem less resolved.

The newcomer seems to lack the innate, well-sorted compliance of its longer stablemate, and the refinement we’d gushed about in the past just isn’t there with the same level of execution and conviction.

It doesn’t feel distinctively Skoda-like, in that from the helm this could be a Volkswagen ID.4 Pro. Any meaningful differentiation, one feels, might demand close back-to-back examination.

The stiff rear suspension, in particular, feels particularly terse and rigid when being driven around town in the second row.

Perhaps the tune enhances the control of its hefty, near 2.2-tonne, mass. Perhaps it pays dynamic dividends with a head of steam on the backroad. But its around-town commuting manners should be more polite.

Quick? At 6.6sec claimed for the 0-100km/h sprint, it’s just two-tenths shy of a Chasing Cars favorite, the Octavia RS, so the Elroq is fittingly rapid outright and for how the SUV is pitched. A dual-motor RS version has been confirmed by Skoda Australia, one that will hopefully tap some dynamic mojo from the Enyaq RS while it’s at it…

Better yet, delivery is linear and progressive in Normal and punchy yet measured in Sport, with little call to jump between the two during the balance of regular driving.

Regenerative braking, too, seems to amp up in the hotter drive mode, though there’s no quick and logical way to adjust regen on the fly, as you might find in paddleshifted electric Kias. If there’s a one-pedal mode, it appears to be buried in some submenu vault, somewhere…

On braking, one 85 Select tested refused to pull up with much urgency. A wooden pedal, no low-speed bite, the 2180kg EV seemed intent on impaling the car ahead short of a seriously hard prod of the left foot. The 135 Years versions, however, offered stronger, more natural braking feel.

Efficient? Even in extremely mixed driving conditions, the Elroq sits frequently in the low-to-mid-15kWh/100km range, occasionally dipping into the 14s. That’s pretty good, with a real-world driving range beyond 500 kilometres without a sympathetic driving style between charges, or where it ought to be in 2025.

But we’ll need more seat time with the Elroq in the Chasing Cars garage to make a more committed call on the depth and quality of the rest of the driving experience.

How is the Elroq’s interior?

Before diving inside, let’s touch on exterior styling. The Elroq, with its Modern Solid design, is vastly more handsome than the style-by-Grand Theft Auto Enyaq. Sharp, clean, muscular, contemporary…this new look ought to transform the imminent Enyaq remake.

The four-eyed Matrix LEDs, so-called Tech Deck face, the 21s: the 130 Years Edition — a homage to Skoda’s bicycle-making heritage, apparently — is the looker, especially in the minty hero hue called Timiano Green.

But the regular 85 Select is handsome enough in its own right. Stretching big wheels to the body’s extremities does wonders for styling and stance. And the Czechian-built SUV compliments its fine looks with a cabin design that’s fresh yet familiar and ‘Skoda enough’ in flavour and ambience.

Unsurprisingly, it’s dead-ringer for the Enyaq cabin: fluid with lots of organic curves, a vibe that blends minimalism with just enough techy flash and interesting material choices, without messy and illogical user interfaces of overblown sportiness. At least, this is, in the toned down 85 Select version.

The new look S-K-O-D-A wheel features time-honoured roller controls and frames the digital driver screen that, at just 5.3 inches, looks tiny on paper but is pleasingly simple and useful in use.

The floating 13-inch touchscreen just avoids some of those clumsy Volkswagen Group UI traits of recent times, with customisable home screen shortcut icons for functions such as climate control adjustment. Content is clear, legible and natural…and unlike Tesla, (wireless) Apple CarPlay or Android Auto connectivity anchors infotainment.

Our 130 Years Edition test car’s two-tone interior treatment is far racier than the subdued 85 Select’s, complete with orange seatbelts and an activewear theme befitting a proper RS version.

Skoda calls this variant’s more vibrant aesthetic ‘Lodge Design Selection’ and while it makes an impact, the “sustainable” trim materials — largely recycled plastics and nylons — aren’t very luxurious or tactile.

The flagship is essentially the base car with added windowdressing for fancier and sportier effect, but does it feel $10K richer or more opulent than the base version? Not really.

You do get added party tricks such as the augmented reality head-up display, essentially a regular projection that adds turning arrows and distance notifications.

It works with some phone mapping apps, though we didn’t manage to get the system to play ball during the test using Google maps mirrored via CarPlay on our own devices.

Perhaps the big persuader to opt for the Elroq over a Tesla is that the former inject some effort to deliver an experience closely aligned to the brand’s ICE models, or anyone’s ICE models for that matter. No assumed knowledge or user learning curves required.

But Elroq’s grand achievement is packaging. Roominess and a sense of space in both rows is excellent. Class leading? Perhaps not. But it’s certainly about as much accommodation as designers could possibly carve out from the vehicle with the external dimensions of a Corolla Cross.

Understandably, where the Elroq cedes over its larger Enyaq stablemate is boot space, advertised as 470 litres — 100 litres down on Enyaq — including the underfloor cubbies that house the (thankfully) standard-fit Mode 2 and Mode 3 charging cables. This expands to 1580 litres as a two-seater.

Of course, Skoda has pumped the Elroq with signature ‘simply clever’ tricks, no less the obligatory umbrella tucked into the driver’s door. Elsewhere, the EV adds a charging cable tidy under the parcel shelf, which itself offers an ‘intermediate’ position to double as a surrogate table.

Elsewhere, the luggage compartment fits storage cubbies in the sidewalls (with bag hooks), and tailgate pull handle moulded into the latch, a row two storage box housing into the back of the centre console, and there’s even a QR code posted in luggage compartment for quick referencing the car’s features on your phone.

Is the Elroq a safe car?

To date, ANCAP has not tested the Elroq. As a fairly long if somewhat indicative bow to draw, the related Enyaq scored five stars under now defunct 2021 protocols from European testing performed by Euro NCAP. Take from that what you might…

A lack of traffic sign recognition functionality might potentially stymie the Elroq’s chances at a maximum Euro NCAP/ANCAP rating if and when assessment is conducted.

Standard safety features include:

• Seven airbags (85 Select)
• Nine airbags (130 Years Edition)
• Forwards AEB with pedestrian and cyclist detection
• Blind spot monitoring with lane assist
• Active lane keeping
• Rear traffic alert
• Turn/junction assist
• Driver fatigue monitor
• Adaptive cruise control with stop and go
• Front and rear parking sensors
• Reversing camera (85 Select)
• 360-degree camera (130 Years Edition)
• Head-up display with augmented reality (130 Years Edition)

We found that the tuning of the safety features of both variants were generally well calibrated during our test.

What are the Elroq’s running costs?

As mentioned, with circa 15kWh/100km consumption, 500 kilometres of range should be easily accessible through balanced driving — a best-case theoretical city range is quoted as 661km WLTP.

While Skoda had not revealed servicing costs at the time of review, an eight-year package covering 120,000km for its Enyaq technical twin was listed at $1650. Intervals are a long two years and 30,000kms.

Charging peaks are 11kW for AC and 135kW for DC capacities, with Skoda quoting eight hours for AC (0-100 percent) and approximately 28 minutes for the 10 to 80 percent DC recharge.

The honest verdict on the Elroq

Due to the nature of the Australian launch drive program and seeming inconsistencies in driving manner between the four examples we drove, it’s tough to draw definite conclusions — or hand down ratings — on Skoda’s electric newcomer.

We arrived expecting a reasonably faithful replication of the Skoda Enyaq Sportline 85 experience – our reigning Five-Seater Family Car Of The Year no less — in a more smartly packaged and price-savvy combination.

In so many ways, from its intuitive cabin and tech through to thoughtful features, Elroq certainly is. And this new Modern Solid design language really hits the bullseye fair and square.

And yet…the driving experience, for whatever reasons, hasn’t quite translated as emphatically as we’d hoped. The ride and handling balance isn’t as sweet as we remembered in Enyaq. Braking is mystifyingly unresolved. And there’s little of that spicy Skoda essence in its character that’s expected by fans of the marque.

This one deserves a deeper dive, and of individual variants in isolation, in the Chasing Cars garage. Not because there’s anything necessarily bad about Skoda’s other midsize electric SUV, but perhaps because it’s not yet sparkled as brightly as we’d hoped it otherwise might.