Given the obvious and very low cost tuning potential inherent to electric motors, we can all look forward to some baffling model variants this decade as manufacturers try to separate the wheat from the chaff. Consider the new Enyaq Sportline iV, which should be simple enough to understand (it's the mildly sporty version of Skoda's electric crossover) except it's saddled with three performance grades.
Thankfully we only have to concern ourselves with the newest and most powerful version. Expected in showrooms this summer, the Enyaq Sportline iV 80x is notable for several reasons. Firstly, it gets 261hp which is quite a lot for a Skoda - only the combustion-powered Superb Sportline has been endowed with more. Secondly, its new output is enabled by an additional motor on the front axle, making it the first all-wheel-drive Enyaq. Thirdly, it leaves space for a forthcoming circa 300hp vRS model, which its new styling mods hint at.
The most significant of these is the lower ride height delivered by a new 'sports chassis', which drops the car 15mm at the front and 10mm at the back on model-specific springs and dampers; 20-inch wheels appear to be standard, with 21-inch black 'Betria' alloys on the option list. Elsewhere you get full-LED Matrix headlights, and a truckload of gloss black trim finish alongside body-coloured sills and bumpers.
For the most part, the iV 80x is driven by the beefier synchronous motor on the back axle; its new partner upfront is a 107hp asynchronous affair which is said to be perfect for 'short-term boosts' - hence the small print which points out that the model's 261hp and 313lb ft of torque can only be accessed for a maximum of 30 seconds. Still, that's sufficient for an (as yet unconfirmed) sub 7 second 0-62mph time, and claimed range of 290 miles. Just sporty enough to justify the name, in other words.
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