The ŠKODA ENYAQ COUPÉ RS iV has won the prestigious Golden Steering Wheel 2022. Readers of the German automotive trade magazine ‘Auto Bild’ and the newspaper ‘Bild am Sonntag’ initially voted the ENYAQ COUPÉ RS iV into the final three in the ‘mid-size SUV’ category before a panel of experts put the model through its paces at the Lausitzring. This year’s trophy is now the eighth Golden Steering Wheel ŠKODA AUTO has won. ŠKODA AUTO CEO Klaus Zellmer accepted the award yesterday at the gala in Berlin.
“Many thanks to all the experts and readers who voted for us. And of course to the many Škodians who were involved in creating this great vehicle! The award means a lot to all of us. The ENYAQ COUPÉ RS iV fought off strong competition from both internal combustion engine and electric drive systems in this contest. This is the eighth Golden Steering Wheel for ŠKODA, and it shows that we build very attractive cars for our customers – regardless of the drive system. And we will continue to do so with great passion in the future.”
Klaus Zellmer, ŠKODA AUTO CEO
ENYAQ COUPÉ RS iV holds its own against electric cars and ICE models
47 automotive innovations introduced over the last twelve months faced off in one of eleven categories for the Golden Steering Wheel 2022. This time, the organisers did not differentiate between cars with combustion engines and electric motors.
The ‘mid-size SUV’ category included nine vehicles, six of which had electric drives. As one of the three favourites in its category in the readers’ poll, the ENYAQ COUPÉ RS iV was put to the test by a 19-strong panel of experts, comprising journalists, presenters and well-known racing drivers in comprehensive test drives at the Lausitzring. The judges included motorsport legend Hans-Joachim Stuck, the former Formula 1 driver and Le Mans winner, former Formula E driver Daniel Abt as well as Maximilian Götz, the 2021 DTM champion. They evaluated criteria such as handling, all-round visibility and spaciousness.
The ENYAQ COUPÉ RS iV boasts all-wheel drive and two electric motors and is ŠKODA’s most powerful current production model with a system output of 220 kW. It won over the panel with the most coherent overall package among all the mid-size SUVs.
Sporty coupé rounds off the upper end of the ENYAQ series
As the first all-electric member of the sporty ŠKODA RS family, the ENYAQ COUPÉ RS iV complements the successfully launched ENYAQ iV electric SUV. With its gently sloping roofline from the B-pillar onwards, the ENYAQ COUPÉ RS iV offers generous space in the back and a boot capacity of 570 litres. The excellent drag coefficient of cw 0.248 contributes to the model’s impressive range of over 500 kilometres in the WLTP cycle.
ENYAQ COUPÉ RS iV wins eighth Golden Steering Wheel for ŠKODA
The first Golden Steering Wheel was presented by ‘Bild am Sonntag’ in 1976. Since 2009, the German Sunday newspaper has awarded the prize in collaboration with ‘Auto Bild’, Europe’s largest automotive magazine. The success of the ENYAQ COUPÉ RS iV this year marks ŠKODA AUTO’s eighth win in the renowned automotive competition. The Czech car manufacturer’s first Golden Steering Wheel went to the first-generation FABIA in 1999, with its successor repeating the feat in 2007. The second-generation OCTAVIA won in 2004, while the second-generation SUPERB took the prize in 2008. In 2017, the KAROQ left the competition behind, and the KAMIQ secured the coveted award in 2019. Last year, the Golden Steering Wheel went to the ENYAQ iV.
