Currently reading: Reaching new heights: 7 must-know things about the Skoda Peaq

Skoda is going all in on luxury with the new Peaq electric SUV, but it hasn’t forgotten its roots in the process

The new Skoda Peaq is appropriately named because it represents the absolute pinnacle of the Skoda range.

Not only is it larger, roomier and more luxurious than any Skoda before it, it’ll also go further and charge faster than any electric model the Czech company has ever produced. That’s thanks to a whopping 86kWh battery, which offers up to 395 miles of range and accepts charging speeds of up to 199kW.

As cover letters go, those figures alone already make the Peaq a pretty impressive candidate. But there’s much more to its CV than impressive numbers, so we’ve picked out seven of the most compelling reasons why the new Skoda Peaq should be at the very top of your electric SUV shortlist.

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It’s the biggest Skoda ever

As the biggest Skoda ever, the Peaq undoubtedly provides room with a view. It’s almost 4.9 metres long and 1.7 metres tall, plus almost two metres wide, all of which translates into the sort of cabin space the average ocean liner would rightly envy.

There’s also almost a full three metres between the front and rear wheels, which makes for vast amounts of passenger space. Second-row seats can slide and recline, while the third row has more than enough room get comfy, meaning that even with all seven seats in use, everyone has the ability to sit back, stretch out and enjoy the passing view through the large side windows and enormous panoramic roof with innovative Dynamic Shade Control (more on that in a moment).

Better still, with the Peaq there’s no need to send the luggage on ahead or simply go without for a few days. No, the Peaq has a simply gargantuan load-carrying capacity. Even with all seating rows in use, there are 299 litres available in the boot, which is more than some hatchbacks can manage. If the two rear seats are folded down, the Peaq has 890 litres of space, which is more than most estate cars can manage. And with all five rear seats folded flat, there are 2075 litres of space, which is more than some vans… Well, you get the point.

The boot is also full of smart compartments, cubbies and hooks to keep everything where you put it in the first place. So, if you need to carry a lot of people, a lot of stuff, or sometimes both, the Peaq is a peak choice.

It makes long trips easy

Let’s face it, the whole point of a big, luxurious SUV is being able to travel long distances in complete comfort. But in many rivals, there simply isn’t enough battery range to make long journeys genuinely effortless. Not so in the Skoda Peaq, which has the largest battery ever fitted to one of the brand’s models, at 86kWh.

This means that it can cover up to 390 miles (WLTP) before you need to recharge the battery, so you can set off from London and be almost in Edinburgh before needing to stop.

Better still, when you do need to recharge, the Peaq has a rapid-charging capacity of 199kW, which means that even though the battery is huge, it takes around 28 minutes to charge from 10-80% – barely enough time for a brew and a leg stretch.

So, after less than half an hour of stationary time, you have another few hundred miles ahead of you. Watford to John O’Groats, on just one charging stop.

And when you’re back on the road, you’ll get there briskly, too, thanks to the Peaq’s strong performance. It’ll do 0-62mph in just 6.8 seconds and has a top speed of 111mph, so cruising at the motorway limit is a supremely relaxed affair.

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It’s brimming with tech

The Skoda Peaq is an absolute tech-fest, even if it doesn’t shout about it. Instead, its smart features are designed to make every interaction with the car as easy and seamless as possible. Take the electric tailgate with Virtual Pedal, for example: just wave your foot beneath the rear bumper and the boot opens automatically. Then there are two wireless smartphone charging pads, which are not only illuminated and cooled to prevent your phone from overheating, but magnetised to stop it sliding around while you’re on the move.

There’s wireless smartphone connectivity, too, allowing you to run Apple CarPlay or Android Auto through the enormous 13.6-inch central touchscreen. You also get Skoda’s crisp, 10inch Virtual Cockpit as standard which puts vital driving information right in your line of sight.

And when you’re parked, the Peaq can even help you switch off with its optional Relax Package. Recline your seat, raise the footrest and enjoy a gentle massage, all while your favourite music plays through the 16-speaker Sonos sound system. It’s less like sitting in a car and more like having your own little lounge on wheels.

It will keep you safe

When it comes to the safety of you and your passengers, the Peaq is nothing short of a fortress. Its high driving position and great visibility both help to prevent accidents in the first place, as does Travel Assist 3.0 – Skoda’s most advanced active safety system yet. It also comes with 10 airbags as standard, should the worst happen.

Just a few of the Peaq’s safety features include Lane Assist, which gently helps keep you on the straight and narrow, and Blindspot Assist, which lends you an extra pair of eyes on the motorway. Turn Assist monitors opposing traffic when you’re turning across it and can stop the vehicle to prevent an unplanned interaction, while Predictive Cruise Control helps maintain a safe distance from the car ahead.

And that’s just scratching the surface – in a Skoda first, the Peaq can even recognise traffic-light signals.

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With most electrically powered vehicles, the flow of power goes only one way: from the national grid to the vehicle’s battery, via a charger. But not with the Skoda Peaq.

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You see, the Peaq has the benefit of Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) charging, which means it can also send electricity back out to power other devices such as a kettle or even an e-bike, helping to make it the most versatile vehicle Skoda has ever produced.

Parking pressures? Your Peaq has it sorted

There’s no denying that over the past couple of decades cars have got larger. But unfortunately, the places everyone is expected to park them remain the same size as when they were built way back when. There’s a disconnect there that means parking can be more stressful at times than it used to be.

However, the Skoda Peaq has this completely covered, with numerous systems designed to take the pain out of parking. Take Trained Parking, which learns as you complete a parking manoeuvre in a familiar environment, such as at home, then carries it out on its own thereafter. There’s also Reversing Assist, which remembers the way the car parked itself and reverses the manoeuvre on the way back out – all you have to do is operate the pedals.

But wouldn’t it be cool if you could carry out these manoeuvres without actually being inside the vehicle? This could be particularly useful if you’re parking in a really tight spot.

Well, the Peaq is all over that, too, with Remote Trained Parking and Remote Parking. Once it has learned a parking manoeuvre, you can allow it to carry it out while you’re standing outside. All you need to do is keep a button pressed in the MySkoda app, and it’ll all happen before your eyes.

Stay in the shade. Or not.

Wouldn’t it be incredible if you could turn the sun off and on, like a light? Well, with the all-new Skoda Peaq’s optional Panoramic sunroof with Dynamic Shade Control, you can.

And this isn’t just any panoramic sunroof – it’s the biggest ever fitted to a Skoda. Obviously, you get all the benefits of a huge expanse of panoramic glass, which means you can lie back and watch the birds during the day, or the stars at night. But for those occasions when the sunlight is just a bit too strong, the dynamic sunshade feature allows you to dim the sunroof completely at the press of a button. Indeed, the system allows you to set nine different segments to either clear or dim mode.

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As the largest vehicle that Skoda has ever produced, the all-new Peaq provides all the benefits you would expect, including vast cabin and load-carrying space, and a luxury interior for everyone to enjoy.

But it brings so much more, because it can cover huge distances in luxurious serenity, and won’t require a long stop to recharge when the battery becomes depleted. And when you are stopped you can recline your Relax seat and simply enjoy the ambience. You’ll be safe, comfortable, and the Peaq can take care of parking at journey’s end.

It really is the electric SUV that can do everything, which is what makes it the peak car to choose.

Learn more about the Skoda Peaq

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