BMW X1 vs Skoda Enyaq

What's the difference?

This new BMW X1 feels like it's been built by a team of parents because it’s one of the most practical and easy to use small SUVs my family and I have ever lived with and, trust me, they’ve seen a lot of test cars come through the Berry garage.

We loved the roomy interior with high ceilings, the clever storage everywhere from the giant door pockets to the floating centre armrest up front and big boot for our pram.

Entry and exit is easy through the tall and wide doors, something my back was thankful for every time I had to put our baby into her car seat.

Driving is easy, with great visibility and the engine that comes in the xDrive20i M Sport makes this X1 sporty and fun to pilot, too.  

The only drawback is the price, it's a bit expensive but at the same time you are getting a high-quality feeling SUV.

The Enyaq facelift is a big deal, and hopefully the start of a fresh era for Skoda, marking a long-overdue return to brand values. Its first Toyota RAV4-sized family EV SUV nails it for value, functionality, comfort, ease, driving enjoyment, efficiency and even the overall ownership experience.

We have yet to drive the base 60 Select with that headline low price so cannot make a definitive call, but the more-expensive 85 Sportline proves Skoda is taking the family EV very, very seriously. Consumers considering a BYD Sealion 7, Kia EV5 or Tesla Model Y would do themselves a disservice to not check out the Enyaq first. The most convincing Skoda in years.

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with travel, accommodation and meals provided.

This current generation of X1 arrived in late 2022 and finally looked more like part of the BMW SUV family with tall and boxy styling rather than the sleek, but raised hatchback it seemed to be before.

My test car had 'M Portimao Blue' metallic paint - a flattering hue that showed off the X1’s lines as you can see in the images.

I like the X1’s oversized grille which suits the angry looking front bumper that comes with the M Sport inclusions, but balanced by pretty headlights.

Inside, the X1 xDrive20i M Sport is modern and minimalist in design. I like the floating centre armrest in between the driver and front passenger and the way it creates a feeling of more space and adds more storage.

The double screens are nice, but we’re seeing this same design and tech now in budget cars such as the Chery Omoda 5 and Haval H6. BMW needs to be even slicker and more stylish if it wants to maintain its edge.  

If you like your SUVs sporty looking then check out the BMW X2, X4 and X6. These are coupe style SUVs (but with four doors).

Fun fact. The Czech-built Enyaq’s handsome nose treatment was inspired by the Mandalorian helmet in the Star Wars universe. It’s a massive improvement over the old Kodiaq-esque proboscis that the previous version wore, almost as a mask of apology for being an EV.

Along with the addition of a more-traditional SUV bodystyle that seems to really suit the restyled front, key changes include improved airflow for some pretty impressive efficiency-enhancing aerodynamics (now down slightly to 0.225 Cd and 0.24 Cd for the Coupe and SUV, respectively), varying LED lighting elements according to grade, redesigned wheels, new colours and the abolition of the old Skoda logo for lettering.

Compared to the pre-facelift version, the new Coupe is 5.0mm longer at 4658mm, the same width at 1879mm, 2.0mm higher at 1623mm and 1.0mm-longer in wheelbase at 2766mm. Except for being 1.0mm shorter, surprisingly, these are also the same dimensions for the latest SUV shape.

The Enyaq’s cabin has been subtly revised as well, with a larger touchscreen boasting physical buttons and updated software for improved functionality, though the basics – which have always been sound – remain.

Being a more practical and family-orientated model, the SUV seems more consistent with Skoda's no-nonsense brand values, putting function over form. If you want form over function, go for the (albeit still practical) Enyaq Coupe.

My family found the X1 xDrive20i to be one of the most practical small SUVs we’ve lived with thanks to its spacious interior, clever cabin storage and plenty of convenient features.

I need to point out the door pockets - they’re the biggest I’ve ever seen. They’re more door buckets than pockets and super helpful over the week not just for bottles but for everything else that I needed to dump out of my own pockets and into them.

The floating centre armrest up front looks like an ironing board and has a tonne of storage underneath.

The wireless charging is handy but the holster is a bit un-user friendly in terms of access, but it held the phone tight and stopped it becoming a projectile when driving, which is what you want.

There are power outlets galore, too, proximity unlocking, and a gesture tailgate.

Legroom in the back is excellent and there’s so much headroom throughout. 

The X1’s 540-litre boot capacity is excellent for the class and meant we could fit our baby’s big pram and the seven-year old’s scooter and still have room for the grocery shopping.

Either Enyaq body style majors on practicality. Large doors open wide, high seating points allow for easy entry/egress, and – once sat – there is an abundance of interior space. Like, heaps.

Where the SUV beats the Coupe is in extra glass area, since the higher – or more formal – roofline allows for bigger windows that in turn improve vision out. And more cargo capacity of course.

Only two 85 Sportline models were available for us to review at the launch, so we cannot tell you about the feel and finish in the new base 60 Select grade. But in Sportline, the ambience bristles with upmarket aspiration, thanks to synthetic leather/suede trim, high-quality plastics and nice contrasting materials. Showy but not overdone.

No complaints about the driving position either, due to a pleasing amount of seat adjustment. Those sporty buckets, by the way, are superb (pun intended) providing ample comfort and support. They look cool, too.

The VW Group has obviously listened to criticism over the glitchy electronic multimedia interface in the earlier MEB vehicles, because the 2026 Enyaq’s 13-inch touchscreen is blissfully easy and drama-free. It may not have the crisp modernity of the vast all-in-one displays found in most Chinese alternatives, but for functionality, it gets the job done.

Key points to keep in mind are that all the major vehicle controls, from climate and audio to phone and car settings, are accessed via buttons or toggles either permanently on the screen or as actual hard switches below the vents.

As such, the display is responsive, feels slick to the touch and looks the business, and doesn’t even attempt to distract you to the degree of many others. Even the volume slider is effective. Possibly the best ever experienced.

Even in driving rain and ensconced in thick fog, the ventilation system made light work of clearing the screen and maintaining the desired temperature. You gotta love German cars for that. Myriad storage options include a hungry glove box, handy centre console with ratcheting armrest for extra comfort and even flocked door bins for bottles and other bits and bobs. And let’s not even mention the umbrella storage within. Skoda’s most enduring calling card, surely.

Result? There aren't shortcuts inside today’s Enyaq, making this one of the most thoughtfully presented EVs, period.

Likewise, the rear seat. Large in structure and equally-friendly in nature, you could be forgiven for thinking you’re sat in an Audi, such is the look and feel in the 85 Sportline. Surely to the annoyance of Q4 e-tron owners. We imagine the 60 Select would seem more like a grey flannel suit, texturally speaking. Which has its own aesthetic appeal for some.

The wide (fixed) bench should fit three across in comfort, vision out is enhanced by narrow front seats to lessen the sense of confinement, and all the little helpful things are present and ready to serve. Vents for faces. Temperature controls. USB outlets for devices. An armrest for elbows. Two types of cupholders – as over-engineered in said armrest as the one within a removable caddy on the floor feels flimsy. Door storage for days. Slots for phones. Sleeves for maps. Lighting for reading. Handles for scaredy cats. And hooks for coats. Skoda puts the metaphorical yak in Enyaq.

Finally, in the business end out back is a massive load area, defined by a high-opening (and powered, remember) tailgate, low ‘n flat floor and typically sensible additions like standard charging cables, remote seat-back folding, shopping hooks, underfloor storage and extra lighting. Capacity is 585 litres in the SUV, up from 570L in the Coupe, while extending the luggage area by dropping those 60/40 seatbacks boost volumes to 1710L and 1610L respectively. Great for sleeping in. Braked trailer towing capacity is 1000kg.

About the only real black mark is the lack of a spare wheel, which could turn a trip away into a nightmare. Instead, the poor Enyaq owner and their family must rely on a tyre inflation kit, which is useless if the wheel has been gashed and is expensive to replace. Destroys the tyre even if it’s just a fixable puncture. Not good enough.

Otherwise, you’ll struggle to find a more-complete, family-focused medium SUV EV. Singles should get a kick out of it too.

Years ago, an international Skoda boss revealed to us that their brand offered, roughly speaking, 10 per cent more VW for 10 per cent less money and 10 per cent less technology.

So, a decade ago, a base Octavia cost less than the smaller Golf that it was derived from, but cruise control wasn’t standard (or operated via a stalk rather than the VW’s steering-wheel buttons) while the rear suspension featured simpler torsion beams rather than a costlier multi-link set-up.

Skoda was all about being cheaper to build. But things became muddy when both brands started chasing premium buyers, closing the price gap. For these and other reasons, Skoda sales are down. China’s emergence and bullish brands like Kia have also taken their toll.

Which, now, is why the decision has been made to fight back by harking back to previous values, starting with the facelifted Enyaq for 2026, introducing the SUV wagon version hitherto unavailable in Australia.

A new, lower-specification 60 Select version debuts and it starts from a sensational $50,990 (all prices are before-on-road costs). This compares to the old Enyaq Coupe’s $69,990 opener. This is a night-and-day difference.

That’s right. An electric mid-sized SUV from Europe, for not much more than the Chinese Geely EX5 and Leapmotor C10 EV SUVs, and less than the BYD Sealion 7, Kia EV5 and Tesla Model Y that are also from China at the time of publishing.

In fact, the Skoda’s about on a-par with mid-spec hybrids like a Toyota RAV4 and Hyundai Tucson HEVs.

Okay, do keep in mind that the 60 Select grade has a bit less power, at 150kW, and a smaller, 63kWh battery offering 410km of range, compared to the new, $59,990 85 Sportline’s 210kW, 82kWh battery and 547km range.

But, it’s still more than enough performance and battery for most buyers on a budget and is consistent with the EV best-sellers in this class. Crucially, the 60 puts a brand-appropriate distance between the Enyaq and the very-closely-related VW ID.4 Pro 82kWh (also from $59,990), as well as its Cupra Tavascan Endurance 82kWh (from $60,990) and Audi Q4 45 e-tron 82kWh (from $84,900) cousins.

And, being native EVs based on the VW Group’s widespread 'MEB' 400V architecture (like the ID.4, Tavascan and Q4), both the Enyaq 60 and 85 are rear-wheel drive, with a motor mounted out back. A bit like the old Skodas of the Cold War era…

Speaking of Socialist things, please note that some of the Chinese brands do include more kit for less cash, like a glass ceiling, synthetic leather upholstery and powered front seats.

But, for a base Enyaq, the 60 Select isn’t exactly barren, with keyless entry/start, adaptive cruise control, a 13-inch touchscreen display with wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, a wireless charger, digital radio, heated front seats (with adjustable lumbar support), front and rear climate control, front/rear parking sensors, a gesture-operated powered tailgate, an umbrella in one of the doors, charging cables, luggage nets, a removable storage caddy, 19-inch alloy wheels and a seven-year warranty. But no spare wheel, sadly, just a tyre repair kit.

Also fitted are the seven airbags and full ADAS advanced driver-assist systems, including autonomous emergency braking (AEB), lane-support tech and rear cross-traffic alert. And you can find out more on those in the safety section further down.

The racier-looking 85 Sportline adds more muscle and range, as well as matrix LED headlights, leather and synthetic-suede trim, powered, heated and massaging front seats, heated rear seats, regenerative-braking paddles on the steering wheel, 20-inch wheels and more.

Plus, luxuries like a surround-view camera, a head-up display, premium audio, adaptive dampers and 21-inch alloys are bundled up in the 'Ultimate Pack' as a $5000 option. That, and a fixed glass roof, are standard in the flagship Enyaq Coupe 85 Sportline, while a panoramic sunroof with electric sunshade costs $2000 extra in the SUV versions.

Three distinct Enyaq models for now, then, with a high-performance RS with twin motors and AWD returning sometime in 2026.

These make the Skoda excellent value, particularly considering its size and packaging.

The X1 xDrive20i M Sport has a more powerful engine than the grades below it in the range - it’s a 2.0-litre, turbo-petrol, four-cylinder making 150kW and 300Nm.

A seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission does the shifting for you.   

This is also the only all-wheel drive X1 currently in the range.

Note there is no under-bonnet storage in this EV. Or even a motor in the rear-drive 60 and 85 grades. You’ll find that by the rear axle, instead.

It is a permanently excited synchronous unit, driving the rear wheels via a single-speed transmission.

In the 60 Select, it makes 150kW of power and 310Nm of torque, to propel the base Enyaq from 0-100km/h in 8.1 seconds, on the way to a 160km/h top speed.

Meanwhile, the 85 Sportline lives up to its name with a 210kW/545Nm upgrade, slashing the 0-100km/h time to 6.7s whilst increasing top speed to 180km/h.

BMW says that after a combination of open and urban roads the X1 xDrive20i M Sport will use 7.4L/100km.

In my own testing my driving was mainly city and suburban, which uses quite a lot of fuel. We did dashes to birthday parties, the grocery shopping, school drop offs and all of it in busy traffic.  

I recorded 8.9L/100km, but that’s not overly thirsty considering I was carrying two car seats with children, and all the gear that goes with them. 

A small 45 litre tank means the xDrive 20i M Sport has a range of about 608km, which is on the shorter side.

How efficient are these newly-more-aerodynamic Skoda EV SUVs?

The Australian official combined energy consumption average is 15.9kWh/100km for the 85 Sportline SUV and 15.5 for the Coupe version, with the latter’s swoopier lines contributing to the lower figure.

That also translates to better WLTP range at 561km versus 547km in the 85 Sportline SUV.

No local consumption numbers are yet available for the 60 Select, but in Europe it averages 15.1kWh/100km; the WLTP range is 410km.

AC charging is 11kW and DC charging is 165kW in the 60 Select and 135kW in the others. The lower figure reflects better thermal management whilst still achieving the same result.

Charging from empty to full at home using a normal plug could take up to 40 hours, or nearly 13hr with an optional 7.0kW wallbox, while using a common 50kW DC fast charger on the go to get a top-up to 80 per cent takes about 80 minutes.

One of the benefits of the smaller-battery Enyaq 60 is that those charging times can be cut by about 20 per cent.

So much for the theory. Out in the real world, we managed to consume around 16.1 kilowatt hours per 100km in the standard Sportline, and 16.5kWh/100km in the Ultimate version with the larger 21-inch wheel and tyre package.

That's still pretty efficient.

Only a week before testing the X1 xDrive20i M Sport I’d been reviewing a BMW 330e and going from the 3 Series to the SUV was like changing my seating position from being in a bathtub to sitting on a bar stool. 

Actually, the X1’s seat is far more comfortable than a stool and the refined quality is what you’d expect from BMW.

But compared to the low slung 330e the visibility and the upright driving angle of the X1 is very different.

It’s something you want in an SUV that puts practicality before performance.

As much as I liked the sporty sedan, as a dad I preferred being able to see better when parking in the X1, and this made life a lot easier.

Easy is a good word to describe what the X1 xDrive20i M Sport is like to drive - from that visibility to the light steering, comfortable ride and that great engine with all-wheel drive.

That 2.0-litre four-cylinder has more than enough grunt to run up the steep hills in my neighbourhood without struggling, the transmission is smooth and the all-wheel drive system adds a bit more reassurance in the wet weather.

All of this makes for an easy, enjoyable drive. 

Sadly, no Enyaq 60 Select was available at the launch event – understandable given it won’t arrive at Skoda dealers until November.

But we were in for a treat anyway, because, on the strength of the 85 Sportline, the Enyaq shines, emphatically, solving a riddle as to why European reviewers have been so partial to this model since it debuted in late 2020. And the Series II facelift we have here only serves to heighten the experience.

This is a rapid EV off the line, as the 6.7-second 0-to-100km/h figure attests to. Out on Australian real-world roads, it feels even stronger than that, with urgent acceleration and instant throttle response. And all while being really very smooth, premium-luxury smooth. We’ve driven the Q4 e-tron and Cupra Tavascan with the same powertrain and we’d struggle to tell them apart from behind the wheel.

And so on to the steering, handling and roadholding.

The Enyaq behind the wheel feels light but planted, with just enough feel and interaction for the driver to feel involved and connected. Armed with a trick variable-ratio steering rack, the way the 85 Sportline tips into corners so fluidly, even at higher speeds, reveals a reassuring level of body control. And this isn’t even the RS AWD performance version.

We had reservations about this grade’s standard 20-inch wheel and tyre set-up, with passive suspension, but we need not have worried… as much.

Over quite bad roads in NSW's Hunter Valley, the Skoda dealt with larger bumps well, if also always firmly. Rarely was the ride jarring, but occasional jolts were felt over smaller-frequency stuff. We feel this would be more of an issue in the inner-urban big-city streetscapes, but were not able to assess that at this time.

In contrast, the 21-inch Ultimate version, with adaptive dampers, smothered over much of what the bitumen threw up at us, soaking up the surface in similar fashion to most luxury SUVs fitted with active suspension tech. There’s still an underlying stiffness there, but you’d never call it uncomfortable.

There's a bit too much road noise coming through, though, making that the Enyaq’s biggest dynamic complaint, regardless of specification. Again, the (Pirelli-shod) 21s did it better than the 20s. We wonder what the 19-inch 60 Select version will ride and sound like inside.

Otherwise, the Enyaq is almost annoyingly difficult to fault.

Progressive and instantaneous braking, a well-managed level of regenerative braking, a very tight turning circle, easy vision out to further boost driving confidence, and nuanced advanced driving-assist system (ADAS) intervention all elevate the Skoda way above most rivals, especially those from China with inadequate Australian-road tuning. This is how it’s done, folks.

So, yes, on initial acquaintance, Skoda’s first EV is impressively sorted, offering something for the driver and their occupants. It drives like a much-newer vehicle than its five years on the world market suggests.

Clearly, the brand has had time to iron out the bugs and what we're left with is a very user-friendly, easy and enjoyable EV SUV.

The pre-facelift Enyaq scored a maximum five-star ANCAP assessment and that was from Euro NCAP testing back in 2021. There hasn’t been a more recent result released.

All models feature a full suite of advanced driver-assist systems, including Autonomous Emergency Braking (operable from 5.0km/h) for pedestrians, cyclists and other vulnerable road users, as well as car-to-car, lane departure warning/assist (from 65km/h), rear cross-traffic alert, blind-spot warning, full-stop adaptive cruise control, exiting-vehicle alert tech, a driver-attention monitor and tyre pressure indicators.

There are seven airbags, including dual front, front-side, head and a front-centre item, as well as rear outboard occupant side and head coverage.

A trio of child-seat top tether points are fitted across the back seat, along with ISOFIX child-seat anchorages in the front passenger seat and two in the rear outboard positions.

The X1 xDrive20i M Sport is covered by BMW’s five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty.

A five-year/80,000km service plan through BMW will cost $2150. You’ll be looking to pay an average of $430 per service every 12 months. 

You’re also in for decent peace of mind, thanks to Skoda’s seven-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty. Service intervals are every two years or 30,000km – whichever comes first. An eight-year/160,000km traction battery warranty also applies.

No capped-price servicing is offered, but pre-paid service packs have been announced for the 85 Sportline models. These are an eight-year/120,000km offer at $1650 (which averages out annually to $206) or a 10-year/150,000km offer at $1950 (which averages out to $195 annually).

There are over 40 Skoda dealers dotted around Australia, and around 65 authorised servicing outlets, some of which are general Volkswagen dealer centres.

All extremely competitive, especially for a German-owned European brand. Which sums the Enyaq up to a tee.