Europe was still cold in March, and I had the privilege of leaving from Budapest to take part in a snow and ice experience in Skoda on the shores of Lake Zell in Austria. Experience three Skoda products throughout the process and get a glimpse of the current situation and future of this century-old brand.
Skoda Kodiak RS
Heroes' Square in Budapest, the capital of Hungary, is one of Budapest's most famous historical shrines and the starting point of the trip. The first test drive was the all-new Škoda Kodiak RS. The car is powered by a 2.0t turbocharged engine from the Volkswagen Group, which produces 245 horsepower, and it uses Haldex's fifth-generation full-time all-wheel drive system. At the same time, this car actually has 7 seats, and it can be said that this car is my dream car: four-wheel drive, 7-seater, high-performance gasoline engine.
Kodiak RS is the largest size in Skoda's current car series, but its driving experience is very dexterous, especially this car is equipped with DCC dynamic chassis control system as standard, this system can switch many modes, including fuel saving mode, comfort mode, normal mode, sport mode, snow mode, and a custom mode, you may think that these modes are a bit similar to Porsche Macan?
Yes, a group has a lot of technology that is shared. Because this car is indeed the ceiling of Skoda, starting from 60,000 euros, if you choose a glass top with 7 seats, adding up to almost 63,000 euros, why spend 60,000 euros to buy a Skoda? That is the issue of discussion.
People who often run high speeds in Europe are most afraid of Skoda, why? No matter how good or fast you drive, there's always a Skoda that's going to bite you in the back. It's not a meme, because I had this experience myself. He is not trying to surpass you, but always gives you a sense of oppression.
I don't understand why Skoda can run so fast, until today I drove the Kodiak RS. Only to know that Skoda runs really fast, 245 horsepower 2.0t TSI engine, power on call, for example, has driven to 150 kilometers per hour, and then make up a foot of throttle, push back feeling slowly.
Skoda is also one of the few centuries-old brands, and its history is much longer than BMW, similar to Mercedes-Benz and Peugeot. Skoda was also a brand with a sports pedigree, it was the only manufacturer of racing cars in the socialist camp in Eastern Europe at that time, so the Škoda mass base was very good. And Europeans are pragmatic, The richest country in Europe, Switzerland, where the best-selling car is the Octavia of Skoda. Because it's really real, the word of mouth has accumulated over the years is also very good: reliable, practical, affordable.
After a long day of test drives, I finally drove from Budapest to lake Zell in central Austria. I found that the return rate of this Kodiak RS along the way was still quite high. In addition to the new face modification, it has some features of the exclusive RS, such as the X-shaped front bumper, and then all the decorations are blackened.
Look at some details: Kodiak has a very thoughtful design, there is a protective edge on the door edge, and it will automatically come out as soon as the door is opened. And not only in the front row, but also in the back row. Because they often take the elderly out, they have no concept of the width of the door, it is easy to rub into other cars, this design is very useful; there is also a caring design, the co-pilot's door has a brush, this brush is used to sweep the snow on the windshield or sweep the dirt on the shoes is particularly convenient. So it can be seen that Skoda has done the ultimate in terms of humanization, Rolls-Royce provides two umbrellas, but Rolls-Royce never provides brushes.
Skoda Enyaq iv
After test driving Skoda's Kodiak RS, it was a gasoline-powered car. Then we entered the future of Skoda and began test driving the Enyaq iv of Skoda, the first pure electric platform of Škoda, and the Sport line is a very traditional product line of Skoda, which is relatively more sporty.
The location is in a mountainous area about 100 kilometers south of Salzburg, Austria, surrounded by snow-capped mountains and snow all over the ground, so Skoda prepared me a four-wheel drive vehicle this time. This electric vehicle has two motors in front and rear, which can output a total of 265 horsepower, but the power of the two motors is not the same, the front motor is almost 60 horses a little more, and the back is about 200 horsepower.
The above data has yet to be confirmed by the official final, but the mileage is no problem, because it has undergone rigorous testing, can reach about 500 kilometers, and in the winter its mileage is still undiminished. At test drive briefings, Skoda told us the tricks to extend the range of an electric car for a few winters: including the tires should be full of gas, the driving mode should be soft, and most importantly, you should have as little stuff in your car as possible.
Friends who are familiar with the Skoda product line may feel that the Enyaq iv is not a brand new car, but Sport line uses a lot of black design in the overall body design: the front face is black, all the decorative strips are also black, of course, the same is black, and the word Enyaq in the back, Skoda's logo is also black, and black represents sports.
The Enyaq iv is a series that uses the Electric Platform of the Volkswagen Group and is very popular under the Skoda brand, with 44,700 units already delivered in the European market, followed by an order for 100,000 units. According to the latest sales figures, it is already in the top three in the local electric vehicle market in Germany, the Netherlands and Norway, so we say that the blockbuster car is this kind of car.
The Enyaq iv is light to drive, and because the body is not very large and its total weight is not high, the handling is very good, and it has multiple driving modes to choose from, and the DCC system is also standard. My Test Drive Enyaq iv x80 is slightly more expensive than yesterday's Test Drive Kodiak RS, but it's still cheaper than other luxury brand electric cars.
Enyaq iv gives people the feeling that although cheap is not cheap, such as the very large central control screen in the interior, and I have a HUD with AR in front of me, in addition to the speed and mileage prompts, there is a navigation that needs to turn left or right, and there will be arrows that will be displayed and combined with the real scene is very advanced. And the workmanship of this car is very delicate, including the design of the overall instrument panel is also the latest Skoda design language, completely getting rid of the simple and simple feeling of 10 years ago, I can seem to be able to experience a little luxurious feeling on this car.
Skoda Fabia electric rally car
Finally, I tested out ŠKODA Fabia's latest electric rally car, a product developed by Skoda in collaboration with Austrian electrification supplier KREISEL, which has a total power of 350 horsepower. This car is actually a test of water, before Fabia won countless championships in the WRC 2 group, is the well-deserved flower in the WRC 2 group, so now it adopts a new power system what will happen? I can't test drive, but I'll experience it in the car.
I've never experienced what's going on inside a WRC car, it's so exciting! If I've been training for 50 years, I can be an F1 driver, but it would take 150 years for me to be a WRC driver because it's another driving skill, it's shocking! By the way, this car is very well powered, not worse than a fuel car at all. Starting with the WRC in Austria, which started this year, Fabia's new racing electric racing car is sure to be a blockbuster.
At the same time, we also thought about it, that is, after the electrification of passenger cars for the whole people in the future, what should be the next step of electrification?
It should be racing, because now both Formula E and the Dakar Volkswagen Group are actively involved in electric racing cars, and now Skoda will soon take the electric baton and go to the electric Fabia to participate in the WRC. The most important thing is that Skoda has been immersed in the technical strength of the rally for many years, and it will definitely be able to work together to achieve very good results.
summary
Originally, some of my preconceived impressions of Skoda before the test drive were all broken through this test drive. In the European market, Skoda is a brand that can be equated with the public. In the domestic market, Skoda also has many models on sale, including the Kodiak I drove this time, and the price of the same configuration model in the domestic market is more favorable, and domestic consumers and friends can completely trust the brand of Skoda, it is really great.
Through this winter test drive, I got a more complete picture of Skoda: I saw the most attractive part of it and what its future looks like. Skoda is moving closer to luxury, it is more in line with its century-old brand positioning, and its history will be more glorious.