First Drive: Skoda adds some racy vRS magic to baby Elroq

The resulting Enyaq vRS, available as an SUV and coupe-SUV, added some extra spice and aggression to an otherwise highly accomplished family car. Now, Skoda has done the same to the Enyaq’s baby brother, and this is our first drive of it.

It’s some extra garnish to what is already an excellent small electric SUV – one that, in non-vRS guise, became Europe’s best-selling EV in April – so there’s still the same comfortable interior, exterior tech, and spacious rear accommodation.

That power comes from a new 84kWh (79kWh usable) battery pack – the largest in the Elroq range, and unique to the vRS. Skoda claims up to 342 miles from a full charge, while a 10-to-80-per-cent top-up takes 26 minutes thanks to 185kW maximum DC charging.

With all of that and the small question of 335bhp, you might expect the Elroq vRS to be a humdinger, but it falls a little flat. It’s a really quick point-to-point car, and despite sharing the larger Enyaq’s underpinnings, the shorter Elroq feels noticeably more reactive on a twisting road. But it never really thrills, instead offering a surprisingly comfortable, wafty level of ride and highly competent handling, even though there are 15 different adjustments for the adaptive dampers. This might leave some keener drivers feeling a little underwhelmed.

Go for a less look-at-me colour and stick with the standard black-painted 20-inch alloys, and you’d be hard-pressed to tell the difference between this range-topper and the lesser SportLine model. That’s a shame, really, as is the odd decision to only stick vRS badges on the front wings; from the back, aside from the full-width reflector, there’s nothing to shout that this is the hot model.

Other than that, it’s standard Elroq. So, the dashboard is nicely laid out, it all feels very nicely put together, and the interior is spacious – the rear seats are supportive and offer great legroom, and the 470-litre boot is average for the class.

It has everything you need and more besides, but arguably so it should when prices start at £46,560…

In many ways, the Elroq vRS is true to the fabled badge’s heritage – it offers potent performance in a very nicely refined, easy-to-live-with package. But it does fall a little short on driver thrills, which is a key component of the vRS appeal traditionally, plus, it doesn’t really do a whole lot more than the lesser SportLine 85 model. That car is a whopping £4,950 cheaper, so you really have to want the extra 53bhp, the four-wheel drive, and the lime green details that come with the vRS.

That said, when treated like a fast, comfortable and refined range-topper with a bit of extra visual spice, the vRS impresses. But just don’t expect a thrill-a-minute driving experience.