First Drive: Skoda’s Epiq broadens the brand’s horizons
The new Epiq continues Skoda’s EV expansion, but is it any good? Jack Evans finds out.
What is it?
The compact SUV segment is a lucrative one and Skoda believes that the Epiq can be the car to come out on top. We’ve been out to Austria to see how it gets on.
What’s new?
So despite being 7cm shorter than a Kamiq, you get a 475-litre boot which eclipses the 400-litre boot you’d find on the petrol-powered alternative. You can also add a 25-litre storage area under the bonnet as an optional extra to provide extra space for charging cables or other loose items. It’s a shame that it’s not equipped on all models as standard, mind you.
What’s under the bonnet?
The 55 also benefits from the highest charging speed of the lot, with a maximum rate of 105kW helping it to go from 10 to 80 per cent in 24 minutes. All versions are front-wheel-drive, too, which is core to the design of the MEB+ platform and is what helps the Epiq to deliver more space.
What’s it like to drive?
Visibility is good, too, and there are plenty of assistance systems to help you along. They’re easy to turn off if you need to, mind. This 55 model will also get from 0-60mph in 6.9 seconds, so it’s hardly a slouch and with the instant delivery of torque, the Epiq never feels out of its depth in terms of performance. It’s also impressively quiet and though there’s a small amount of tyre noise, it really isn’t too bad.
How does it look?
The Epiq has also been designed in a way which maximises aerodynamic efficiency, with a drag coefficient of 0.275 ensuring that it makes the very most out of each mile of range.
What’s it like inside?
Space-wise, things are great. The Epiq is quite boxy and that means headroom is good, while rear-seat legroom is spot-on for a compact family car. That large boot is easy to access, too, and there’s a large area under the boot floor where you can keep valuable items safe. Overall, the Epiq’s interior might not break the mould, but it all feels very robust and easy to use.
What’s the spec like?
Elsewhere, we’ve got a similar setup to the Elroq. The 13-inch display has plenty of features, and a handy range of physical buttons below it improves overall usability. Pricing-wise, the Epiq SE L 55, which gets features such as 18-inch alloy wheels, a 5.3-inch digital cockpit and predictive cruise control, starts at £27,700, while high-spec First Edition cars come in at £31,450.
Verdict
The Skoda Epiq feels like a solid expansion of the brand’s line-up. The compact SUV segment is heating up, and the Epiq arrives well presented, both in range and overall build quality. Its large boot means that it punches above its weight in terms of practicality, too.
We’d argue that the Epiq is best specified in the standard SE L trim which, though missing out on some of the high-end features of other specifications, keeps this car’s price very competitive.