We test drove the Skoda Rogue: Skoda's new electric rock star

Can the new Elroq top the Skoda sales charts again? Elbil.no is among the first companies in the world to test drive a camouflaged version.

But before the main attraction arrives on stage, here's a fun fact:

The new Skoda Elroq is the electric alternative to the fossil-fueled Skoda Karoq. One ShElectrician KaroqHence the name Al-Ruq.

But this isn’t an electric conversion from a fossil platform. The Elroq is built on the Volkswagen Group’s MEB electric vehicle platform.

This means that Skoda can do wonders with interior space, something we'll come back to in a moment.

electric light show

The Škoda Rogue is the first in a series of six new fully electric models from Škoda over the next few years, and the first with the brand's new exterior design language, called 'Modern Solid'.

The design is strong, practical and simple, according to Skoda – anyone can understand that.

We've been able to see the production-ready Elroq without camouflage, but you'll have to be patient until the fall to see the uncamouflaged car.

Elbil.no can report that the traditional grill as we know it is gone. The Elroq has received a new facade called the “Tech-deck”. The fake grill is gone, and the lights are now two-piece:

• At the top, there's an LED light strip across the hood for driving and turn signals.
• At the bottom, there are two LED light units for the headlights and fog lights.
• Available in two versions.
• The top model uses an LED-Matrix main beam consisting of 36 individual light segments.
• The top model is also equipped with dynamic taillights with crystal elements.
• Function controlled light animations on both front and rear lights.

The overall impression is of a design that continues with the sporty and powerful design of Skoda, but now more elegant and discreet.

recycled quality

Inside, Skoda has also tightened up the design. We won't be allowed to show the driving environment until the global launch in October, but we can tell that the design has been tightened up, but it's still unmistakably Skoda.

The driver gets a 5-inch display, with a very small font size. But fortunately, the Elroq gets a new one. Head view (Optional equipment), With so-called augmented reality (Augmented Reality), which is so good that the screen becomes irrelevant.

In the middle is a 13-inch touchscreen with an improved user interface. The all-new My Škoda app is also included with new functions such as remote self-parking, climate control and smart charging.

Otherwise, more recycled materials are used in the dashboards, door panels and seats. For example, the Recytitan fabric, which is made up of 78 percent recycled plastic. For once, the tangible quality is a huge improvement over what we were used to before.

Master's place

The boot has room for 470 litres of luggage, including 1,580 litres with the rear seats folded down. Not bad for a car that’s only 4,480mm long. But what’s even more impressive is the legroom for rear-seat passengers.

The wheelbase of the Rogue is identical to that of its bigger brother, the Enyaq, although the Rogue is 160mm shorter. This benefits rear seat space, but comes at the expense of luggage space.

With the front seat set at 188mm, we got plenty of legroom under the front seat and plenty of knee room. With a wheelbase of 2,766mm, that’s a pretty good feat for Skoda to achieve.

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primitive cruelty

The Elroq is packed with clever solutions and storage space. Everything from the separate charging cable net under the hat rack to the umbrella hidden in the driver’s door. In total, there’s 35 litres of extra storage space in the Elroq. More automakers should be equally creative with their use of interior space.

The rear seats are split 60-40 – a ski hatch is present of course.

Additionally, you can hook up to 1,000kg on the hook in rear-wheel drive versions and 1,200kg in all-wheel drive versions. The latter will likely be increased to 1,400kg when final type approval is ready. Frank is unfortunately not available.

Choosing the motor and battery

There are four models to choose from, with three battery sizes. Only the largest, with a total of 82 kilowatts, can be ordered with all-wheel drive.

Pricing has not been revealed, but Skoda indicates that it will be very competitive.

If we were to guess, the starting price for the rear-wheel drive should be around 300,000 and around 400,000 for the all-wheel drive if the Skoda Elroq is going to be able to compete against the Hyundai Kona, Renault Scenic E-Tech or Volvo EX40, to name a few.

Quiet, Sarah

Elbil.no is among the first in the world to test drive a camouflaged version of the Elroq. Here, Skoda has focused a lot on comfort.

The test car is a 210kW rear-wheel drive 85 Elroq that accelerates from 0 to 100km/h in 6.6 seconds.

The impact starts off smooth and undramatic – and here there’s more than enough impact for most people. Braking response is a bit reminiscent of the Enyaq vRs – which was a bit tame and unresponsive at first. We hope Skoda recalibrates the brake feel before the final production car is ready.

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Almost perfect family racer.

The chassis is undoubtedly set up with an emphasis on comfort through a linear damper setup. For those who want a sportier driving experience, the Elroq can be ordered with adaptive suspension.

Most impressive is the low noise level. It's so quiet here that you'd think you were driving a luxury car.

Ideal for Norway

It's an impressive package that Skoda has put together that looks perfect for SUV-loving Norwegians.

The combination of all-wheel drive, plenty of space for both family and luggage, and many clever solutions in a compact car is fantastic.

Only the price will determine whether the sequel to the blockbuster Enyaq will top the sales charts.

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