New Skoda Epiq vRS on the way and it’ll get plenty of power
The Skoda Epiq will be the next car to get the vRS treatment and our exclusive image previews how it could look
Skoda has recently launched an onslaught of hot hatchbacks and go-faster SUVs, with the Octavia, Elroq and Enyaq all being given the vRS treatment. However, the focus on power is not set to stop as the Czech brand is planning on fettling the forthcoming Epiq small SUV.
The Skoda Epiq vRS is likely to arrive soon after the full reveal of the standard car in 2026 and it’ll share much of its battery and motor tech with the hotly anticipated Volkswagen ID.2 GTI. It will then be followed by a hot version of the flagship Eviatiq, with the sporty sub-brand eventually looking to have a product that covers all bodystyles from superminis to seven-seaters.
Speaking from the dynamic launch of the Elroq vRS recently, Bjorn Kroll, Skoda’s head of product marketing, told us: “The cars we are launching, very likely, will also have a vRS version; people like it.”
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Skoda Epiq vRS performance and specs
While production specifications are yet to be announced, we expect the Epiq vRS to boast at least 220bhp from a single, front-mounted electric motor, ensuring the downsized performance car is good for 0-62mph in less than seven seconds. Skoda’s engineers will no doubt be keeping a close eye on the newly revealed Peugeot E-208 GTi, which was shown at the 24 Hours of Le Mans race earlier this month.
Following close behind will be Skoda’s future flagship, thought to be called Eviatiq. We know much less about this model, but given its size and weight, any vRS version is all but certain to boast dual motors producing more than 350bhp combined, plus bespoke, lowered suspension and bigger brakes. Such a model is at least two years away, however.
While the majority of Skoda’s new vRS models will be electric, we're still holding out hope for a hot version of the firm’s range-topping Superb saloon and Estate model. When asked whether such a car was in the plan – as we’ve reported previously – Kroll’s excitable smile spoke a thousand words: “You are not the only one,” he said. “I can only tell you this.”
Future Skoda vRS models to get hotter
Future vRS models should turn the performance dial up a notch, too. Previous examples have often been criticised for their occasionally lukewarm demeanour, but Kroll referenced the Enyaq RS Race concept as a testbed for future technologies including sound generators and software that can mimic a combustion car’s automatic transmission.
“Everything that is missing in terms of old emotions,” Kroll admitted, “what we are used to from the good old days, it's in [the Enyaq RS Race concept]. You see it, and you hear it. We will use this kind of recipe.
“We have to bring more emotion to it. Here you have the torque – that gives a certain amount of emotion – but the rest is what's missing. Then you have to add, you know, the sound, and the changing of the gears… That kind of thing.
“What you see on electric cars today, on RS, is just the beginning,” Kroll insisted. “We will, for sure, try to push even more – going in the direction of what we are used to from the ICE [cars].”
Whatever happens, vRS is set to remain a Skoda staple. Previously, CEO Klaus Zellmer, told us: “vRS is absolutely part of our future. If you look at what we’ve done with Enyaq, it’s a fabulous top-of-the-line vehicle – arguably the most aspirational car in our line-up, with four-wheel drive, around 300bhp. The price is higher, but it’s still a value proposition in terms of performance for the money.
“People are more proud of their cars than ever these days, and yes, they’re willing to spend more,” Zellmer added. “Which means a good [profit] margin, from our perspective. So I think we have to continue along the vRS path as we move towards an electrified future.”
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