Baby Skoda Epiq promises 267-mile range with £25k pricetag
Skoda has revealed more details about its upcoming Epiq compact crossover, confirming it will be capable of travelling up to 267 miles on a single charge with two battery choices.
Additional reports suggest that the Renault 4 rival will be priced from around £25,000 when it goes on sale in the UK during the second half of this year, making it the entry-level car in Skoda’s EV range behind the Elroq and Enyaq.
This means the Epiq will achieve price parity with its similar-sized internal combustion-engined cousin, the Kamiq.
Skoda confirmed that the front-wheel drive Epiq will be available with two battery options. The range opens with the Epiq 35, which has a 37kwh lithium-iron phosphate (LFP) battery, 114bhp, and a 192-mile range.
The Epiq 40 gets the same battery and range, but power is boosted to 133bhp. Meanwhile, the flagship Epiq 55 comes with a 52kWh nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) battery, plus 208bhp with 267 miles of range. Thanks to the extra horsepower and range, these cars are expected to cost around £30,000.
When it comes to charging speeds, the LFP-batteried Epiq 35 and 40 can charge at up to 50kW and 90kW respectively, with the 40 capable of charging from 10-80% in 28 minutes. Thanks to a peak charge speed of 133kW, the Epiq 55 slashes charging time by five minutes.
Riding on the Volkswagen Group’s all-new, EV-only MEB+ platform, the Skoda Epiq is a sister car to the upcoming Volkswagen ID. Polo, and the Cupra Raval.
The Czech car measures 4.1 meters in length and offers 470 litres of boot space with the rear seats in place – more than the 420 litres in the Renault 4 and the 310 litres found in the Citroën e-C3. Fold the rear seats down, and the Skoda Epiq provides a cavernous 1344 litres of boot space.
Like the Elroq and the Enyaq, the Epiq follows Skoda’s minimalist ‘Modern Solid’ design language. Up front, there is the ‘Tech Deck’ housing the car’s electronic sensors, plus newly introduced T-shaped headlights, which will be added to all future Skoda EVs.
The O-form air intakes in the bumper feature active shutters to improve aerodynamics, as do the wheels, which range from 17 to 19 inches. Overall, the Epiq has a drag coefficient of 0.27.
Again, like the Elroq and Enyaq, the Skoda Epiq comes in three trim levels: entry-level Studio, mid-tier Loft, and range-topping Suite. Each uses 100% recycled materials for its upholstery throughout, while Loft and Suite cars come with ambient lighting.
In the centre of the dashboard sits a 13.5-inch infotainment display, and the driver gets a 5.3-inch digital instrument cluster.
