{"id":518895,"date":"2026-06-26T04:34:19","date_gmt":"2026-06-26T04:34:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/518895\/"},"modified":"2026-06-26T04:34:19","modified_gmt":"2026-06-26T04:34:19","slug":"skodas-new-peaq-lifts-the-brand-well-above-its-bargain-roots-the-irish-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/518895\/","title":{"rendered":"Skoda\u2019s new\u00a0Peaq\u00a0lifts the brand well above its bargain roots \u2013 The Irish Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

Buying the then-state-owned Skoda<\/a> brand from the Czech government in 1990 looks more and more like one of the canniest moves the former head of Volkswagen<\/a>, the legendary Ferdinand Piech, ever pulled off. <\/p>\n

While the VW Group\u2019s premium brands \u2013 Audi and Porsche \u2013 have lately struggled to pull in the profits, Skoda has leapt ahead, and while its total cash contribution to the VW coffers isn\u2019t massive, it is making a roughly 8 per cent profit margin on its supposedly humble cars, which is a premium-level margin. <\/p>\n

Then again, Skoda\u2019s prices have crept steadily ever upward. It\u2019s not that you can\u2019t buy an affordable Skoda \u2013 the Fabia hatchback is still reasonably priced, and the new electric Epiq crossover starts at less than \u20ac25,000 \u2013 but there are now genuinely expensive Skodas.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve recently tested Enyaq<\/a> and Kodiaq<\/a> models whose options-in prices soared above \u20ac70,000, which is surely more comfortable territory for BMW or Mercedes?<\/p>\n

[\u00a0The Irish Times\u2019 best new cars for under \u20ac40,000Opens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n

Prepare yourself for a higher peak of Skoda prices, because here comes the battery-powered Peaq. This is Skoda\u2019s new flagship, a seven-seat electric SUV which is as much about luxury and comfort as it is about sensible, affordably family motoring. <\/p>\n

\"Skoda’sSkoda\u2019s new\u00a0Peaq: it will be January before the first customer cars arrive in Ireland <\/p>\n

It will be a direct rival to the likes of the Hyundai Ioniq 9 and the Kia EV9, and Skoda Ireland will preview it in August with a nationwide \u2018road show\u2019 showing off a new Peaq at its dealerships, while it will be January before the first customer cars arrive in Ireland.<\/p>\n

The Peaq also essays something of a new look for Skoda. Not entirely new \u2013 that \u2018tech-deck\u2019 face, as Skoda calls it, which looks as if the car has a very neat moustache, is lifted from the current Enyaq and Elroq, and the T-shaped LED daytime running lights at the outer edges of the front are lifted from the new, small Epiq. <\/p>\n

[\u00a0Skoda\u2019s new Epiq majors on space and priceOpens in new window<\/a>\u00a0]<\/p>\n

There is a sense of higher quality about the Peaq\u2019s styling, though, which sounds silly until you look at the subtle way the metalwork of this car\u2019s body panels is curved and the way the roof \u2013 tall enough to turn this into a roomy seven-seater \u2013 angles gently downward at the rear. This Peaq is a car that looks as expensive as it\u2019s likely to be (Skoda hasn\u2019t confirmed a price at the time of writing, but expect it to start with a seven). The flush-fit door handles pop out as you approach, and they include a clever \u2018ice hammer\u2019 function, whereby they can rapidly pulse against any heavy frost to free themselves up on a cold morning. <\/p>\n

Under that handsome bodywork there\u2019s an updated version of the VW Group MEB electric car platform, so the Peaq will largely be a rear-wheel-drive car. There\u2019s a basic Peaq 60, which gets a 63kWh (gross) capacity nickel-manganese-cobalt battery for a potential range of about 460km, with a 204hp rear-mounted electric motor.<\/p>\n

The more popular model will most likely be the Peaq 90, which gets a 91kWh battery, and a 286hp rear-mounted electric motor, giving it a range of more than 600km. There\u2019s also a range-topping Peaq 90x, with two motors, giving it four-wheel drive and 300hp, which impressively also has a 600km-plus range, according to Skoda. That model will likely be of somewhat minority interest in the Irish market, though. <\/p>\n

Maximum charging power, on a DC fast charger, ranges from 150kW for the Peaq 60 to 210kW for the Peaq 90 and 220kW for the 90x, allowing a 10-80 per cent battery top-up in 27-28 minutes. <\/p>\n

\"Skoda’sThe boot of the Peaq is simply massive <\/p>\n

The Peaq is a properly big car, 4.9 metres long, and very nearly three metres of that is in the wheelbase, making for a massively spacious interior. Certainly in the middle row, there\u2019s lounging space for tall passengers, and Skoda has carved out enough foot space in the back so that you don\u2019t feel as if your knees are up around your ears, which is usually something on which electric cars rather fall down. <\/p>\n

\"Skoda’sIn the third row there is just about adequate space for adults <\/p>\n

In the third row there is just about adequate space for adults, but to fit seven fully grown people in the Peaq, you\u2019ll have to use the sliding function of the middle row seats to juggle legroom between them and the folding third row. Third-row headroom is also a touch tight if you\u2019re anything close to 185cm (six-foot) tall, so consider that a space largely destined for children, or just any short friends you might have. <\/p>\n

The boot of the Peaq is simply massive \u2013 there is a five-seat model, which makes for a maximum possible boot volume of 935 litres up to the luggage cover, and that\u2019s augmented, for the first time in a Skoda EV, with a \u2018frunk\u2019 storage space in the nose, which is large enough to hold a couple of charging cables. That space in the nose is also the home for the electric retracting luggage blind when you don\u2019t want to use it, such as when folding down the middle-row seats to unleash more than 2,000 litres of cargo space. <\/p>\n

Up front, the Peaq gets a new portrait-style 13.6-inch touchscreen, which uses software based on Google Android tech, so it\u2019s considerably slicker and quicker than the systems we\u2019ve been used to in electric VW Group cars. <\/p>\n

Better yet, the Peaq marks a return to common sense, as it sees the end of the annoying \u2018slider\u2019 volume and heating controls in favour of proper physical buttons. That\u2019s true of the steering wheel as well, and you now get four proper electric window switches on the driver\u2019s door. <\/p>\n

Being a Skoda, you\u2019ll be expecting some useful, clever touches and you\u2019ll not be disappointed. There\u2019s still a handy ice scraper, which now lives in a slot in the boot lid rather than inside the charging flap. <\/p>\n

\"Skoda’sThe Peaq gets a new portrait-style 13.6-inch touchscreen, which uses software based on Google Android tech <\/p>\n

The windscreen wipers now feature integrated washer jets, while there\u2019s also a handy USB-C socket built into the rear-view mirror, which is handy if you want to install a dashcam. <\/p>\n

There are also two 25-watt wireless phone chargers, which get magnetic tips, so that they hold your phone in place and stop it skittering off the charger when you\u2019re going around a roundabout. <\/p>\n

Finally, there\u2019s a QR code inside the boot, which, when scanned, gives you a handy demonstration video of how to maximise the space on offer when you\u2019re loading up lots of chattels. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Buying the then-state-owned Skoda brand from the Czech government in 1990 looks more and more like one of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":518896,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[72,8856,61,60,30477,18043],"class_list":["post-518895","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-business","tag-business","tag-electric-vehicles","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-skoda","tag-volkswagen-vw"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/518895","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=518895"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/518895\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/518896"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=518895"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=518895"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=518895"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}