Totally electric and designed from the ground up to deliver a completely fresh driving experience, the Škoda Enyaq iV sets new benchmarks for room and technology.

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As becomes a vehicle that’s starting a bold period in Škoda engineering and design, the Enyaq iV ushers in a range structure based on battery size rather than customary trim designations. You can choose between a couple of battery packs, 62kWh and 82kW, and then select one of five interior design selections and pick from option packs.

The Enyaq iV introduces an all-new drive notion that entirely exploits the possibilities that the Volkswagen Group’s modular electric car platform has to offer. The MEB consists of the “skateboard platform”, in which the battery is added into the floor to save room. At launch, both Enyaq iV 60 Nav and Enyaq iV 80 models feature a rear-mounted motor and rear-wheel drive, marking a return to the drivetrain layout that came to typify the brand’s products in the 1960s and 70s.

The entry-level 62kWh battery model is fortified with a 179PS motor that propels the rear wheels via a single-speed transmission. It has a combined range of 256 miles on a single charge. The meatier 82kWh model that I drove makes 204PS and can return up to 333 miles on one charge.

The Enyaq iV offers a trio of charging methods, too. On top of using a household socket, it can be charged up at home overnight using a 7.2kW wall box. Depending on the battery size, the wall box charging process takes between nine and 13 hours. The model can also be hooked up to rapid DC charging units with a capacity of 125 kW. This enables the iV to be charged from 10 to 80 per cent in just over half an hour.

I’ve already touched on room, but there’s no harm in declaring here that the Enyaq iV makes one hell of a family car. Measuring 1,879 wide and 4,649 millimetres long, the electric vehicle delivers the space and practicality people have come to expect from Škoda’s SUV offerings.

Thanks to its platform, the iV has a cabin unburdened by the packaging compromises of a conventionally powered car. This means you and your passengers can make the most of a spacious cabin with a flat floor and a boot that can take 585-litres of luggage. This can be lengthened to 1,710 litres with the rear seats folded down.

What’s more, all Enyaq iV variants offer advanced connectivity and infotainment features. You’re shown all the info via a 13-inch central display, and a head-up display is available as an optional extra. A permanent internet connection ensures that all information is always up-to-the-minute, while a connected app allows you to control and schedule cabin pre-conditioning and charging remotely.

As for the drive, the £40,920 Enyaq iV 80 I drove feels large, solid and planted. The iV accelerates from zero to 62mph in a mere 8.5 seconds and has a maximum speed of 99mph. The test route from the lovely Milton Keynes to the rural fringes of Northamptonshire and Leicestershire meant I drove the electric Enyaq on a whole bunch of different roads. The Enyaq’s size made me twitch a bit in the villages. It’s a wide car, but then I was in a left-hand drive version, so I was perhaps anxious about kerbing the iV’s 21-inch alloy wheels. The light steering gave me oodles of confidence to perform a U-turn, though, and the performance, especially when “Sport” mode is chosen, is almost clinically rapid. I also appreciated the “Comfort” mode. In this setup, the iV becomes an utterly refined machine with scarcely any wail from the motor.

Essentially, the new Škoda Enyaq iV is a car that looks and feels great. Electric vehicles are here to stay, so if you’re considering jumping from the internal combustion engine ship now, then as far as electrified family cars go, this is one of the best there is on the market.