The Skoda Elroq is riding high, as evidenced by its sales figures. It is only 17 centimeters shorter than an Enyaq and much more affordable. Especially the latter aspect is popular with company car drivers. Skoda is now launching the RS. Is that version worth the additional cost of €7,700 compared to the Sportline?
The fastest RS to date
Skoda celebrated 50 years of RS last year, the abbreviation for Rally Sport. The first production car with those two letters after the type designation was the Octavia RS in 2001. In 2003, the Fabia RS came with a 130 hp TDI. Yes, an RS with a diesel engine. That caused just as much controversy as the electric one does now. After Skoda entered the EV arena in 2021 with the Enyaq, an RS could not be left out. It was introduced in 2022, in the Netherlands only as a Coupé. Now it is the turn of the Elroq, according to Skoda the fastest RS to date. At least, in terms of acceleration. Until now, the Octavia RS 245 took that honor. It shoots from standstill to 100 km/h in 6.6 seconds, compared to 5.4 seconds for the Elroq RS. That is 1.3 seconds faster than the Elroq Sportline 85. The top speed is 180 km/h in both cases.
The dashboard, the seats and part of the doors are covered with material that looks like suede.
How do I recognize the Skoda Elroq RS?
The fastest Elroq is easy to recognize by the RS-specific color Mamba Green, but if you don’t check anything, the RS comes in Energy Blue, the base color for the Elroq. The window frames, brand and type badges, roof rails and mirrors are black and the 20-inch Draconis wheels are specific to the RS. The brand logo can only be seen on the hubcaps. Skoda is spelled out in full on the edge of the hood and on the tailgate, as with every Elroq.
The RS is 15 mm lower at the front, 10 mm at the rear. The headlights are equipped with LED matrix technology and are connected to each other by a light bar built from vertical LEDs. In the interior, almost everything is black, interspersed with lime green stitching on the seats and in the dashboard. Furthermore, we note stainless steel pedals, a sports steering wheel and sports seats.
The sports seats are comfortable. You will find the bright green stitching throughout the interior.
Slightly faster at the fast charger
The technology of the Skoda Elroq RS is not unknown. This powertrain can be found in the GTX versions of Volkswagen, in the Audi Q4 e-tron 55, in the Ford Capri and Explorer AWD and in the Cupra Born VZ. With its power of 286 hp, the rear motor is as powerful as the 3.5-liter six-cylinder of the first BMW M5. It is accompanied by a 110 hp asynchronous motor on the front wheels, bringing the combined power to 340 hp. The torque is a maximum of 679 Nm.
All that power is not always available. The SOC of the battery must be at least 88 percent and the cell temperature must be between 23 and 50 degrees. The battery has a capacity of 84 kWh (79 kWh net) and can be charged at a fast charger with 185 kW. Charging from 10 percent to 80 percent takes the RS 26 minutes, which is two minutes faster than the Elroq 85. The stated WLTP range is 560 kilometers and the tow bar can handle a maximum of 1,200 kg.
The only place on the outside where you will find the RS logo.
Front motor usually doesn’t participate
So two motors, the front one of which is often in the idle position. As long as you don’t ask for too much power, only the rear motor provides thrust. With its considerable number of hp and 545 Nm of torque, it is already no slouch. We put that into perspective again, just because it’s so much fun: the 5.5-liter V8 of a 2005 Mercedes 500 conjures up 530 Nm. Fun fact: that fat Benz also goes from 0-100 km/h in 5.4 seconds!
In short, the rear machine is up to the task and does not need assistance from the extra power source on the front wheels under normal circumstances. This way you have less frictional resistance and that results in lower consumption and more range. Essential for an electric car. As soon as you firmly press the accelerator pedal, the front motor joins in, so you usually only use the motor in the rear. Recuperation is possible by putting the lever in B or with the flippers on the steering wheel, but in that case you have to reactivate it every time while driving.
How does the Skoda Elroq RS drive?
But what about the RS experience? That was once partly determined by the rousing sound of a turbo engine, even though that was hardly the case with the Fabia RS TDI. The seating position is good in any case and the sports seat perfectly encloses your torso. The slightly lowered chassis in combination with the adjustable dampers and progressive steering give the inherently comfortable Elroq an edge of sportiness. With the slider on the screen you make the dampers hard or soft, in the sport mode they are hard by definition.
The fact that the RS weighs more than 2.1 tons can somewhat conceal the generous torque and power. There is enough grip, partly thanks to the set of 21 inch (235 front, 255 rear) under the test car. The qualification ‘light-footed’ for this car may be going a bit too far, but you can chase through bends at a nice high pace. The pace is there, the pure experience is missing. The 326 hp rear-wheel drive Cupra Born VZ does that better.
In the back seat, the Skoda Elroq is just as spacious as the longer Enyaq.
What does the Skoda Elroq RS cost?
We understand that the Elroq is a success. It offers a good overall package. Spacious, steers well, excellent range and competitively priced. From a historical perspective, it is understandable that Skoda wants to keep the RS label alive, but the intensity of its petrol-powered predecessors is missing. An Elroq Sportline with 286 hp and 545 Nm costs € 45,290. The Elroq RS is no less than €7,700 more expensive. In exchange for that amount you get 4WD, 54 hp extra (which is not always available), 200 kg more towing capacity, RS wheels and interior and the LED bar (crystal face) between the headlights. In addition, two minutes earlier ready at the fast charger. But it is not frighteningly faster or more sensational than its slightly tamer namesake.
Only in terms of luggage space does the Enyaq (585 l) beat the Elroq (470 l).