Meet the biggest ever Skoda: the new seven-seat, 400-mile Peaq SUV

This is the Skoda Peaq. No, we do not know what it means – ‘peak’ but misspelt because Sqoda? – but we know what it means. It’s the biggest, most spacious Skoda ever built, designed to accommodate several human beings, a massive battery and many other important SUV things.

“This is the ultimate Peaq!” said Skoda. As befits the biggest thing it’s ever created, the Peaq’s MEB-platform crests 4.87m long, which puts it just shy of stuff like the Disco and XC90. Heck, it’s bigger even than the superb Superb in wheelbase. That means it’ll “comfortably” fit up to seven human adults, and – in this guise – up to 299 litres of boot space.

Bin the third row and opt for the five-seat car, and you get 935 litres of boot, “more than any other Skoda model”. And because it’s an electric Skoda model, there’s a bit of space in the nose of the car too, because the power source sits underneath the five or seven humans sitting inside.

Lots of power, too: no less than “the largest-capacity unit of any Skoda electric vehicle” if you opt for the big 91kWh version. That’s available as a 282bhp/402lb ft ‘Peaq 90’ or ‘Peaq 90x’, the former a rear-wheel-drive SUV with a single rear motor, while the latter gets an additional motor on the front axle for “short term overload capability”.

The RWD 90 goes from 0-62mph in 7.1s, while the AWD one does it in 6.7s. Both top out at 112mph. There’s a smaller 63kWh battery version called the Peaq 60, which is rear-drive only, offers 201bhp/258lb ft, does 0-62mph in 8.4s and tops out at 99mph.

Range? There is some. The 60 gets up to 280 miles, the RWD 90 can travel up to 397 miles, while the AWD 90 claims 379 miles. It’ll do the whole ‘one-pedal’ thing using brake regen, can charge other things and send energy back to the grid, and gets an optional heat pump.

While those numbers swim around your brain, let us take in the Skoda Peaq’s visuals. It’s clearly a Skoda, because it says so on the front and the back, but it’s also clearly the delightful Vision 7S concept from 2022 made real. “Sleek” and “minimalist” is how Skoda describes the car, and it’s hard to argue with that.

There’s a funky light signature “first introduced with the Epiq”, flush door handles, and the biggest pano roof its bolted onto one of its cars. Skoda quotes a drag coefficient of 0.249, made possible by things like active shutters in the bumper, air curtains, finlets, wheel arch spoilers and aero-trims on the wheels.

Even the wipers get integrated washers. Look closer at the windscreen and you’ll spot three cyclists: a nod to Skoda’s origins. Sweet.

Naturally there are many options to choose from to make the inside much more to your liking, including a ‘Relax’ pack that offers up ventilated, massaging seats, pillows, a folding table and a wellbeing app. Also a Sonos sound system to potentially destroy all that wellbeing, chiefly because it’s a 16-speaker setup with a 755w output.

You’ll notice the 13.6in vertical display, wireless phone charging, and other interior appointments that make it easy to use. Plenty of driver assistance bundled in as well, while enthusiasts of sporty SUVs will be delighted to learn there’s a ‘SportLine’ version (the blue car above). Think gloss black detailing, sports seats, bigger wheels… that sort of thing.

“The Peaq represents a new reference point for Skoda as our brand flagship, bringing together our core strengths in a way that reflects where we are heading as a company,” said boss Klaus Zellmer. “It expands our appeal to new customer groups, while continuing to deliver the qualities our customers value – space, practicality, and strong value for money.”

Speaking of money, UK customers will only get the big battery car – the Peaq 90 – with prices kicking off at £51,980 for the SE L, £55,130 for the ‘Edition’ versions, and £58,280 for those schporty SportLine cars.