Skoda Enyaq iV vRS sets coolest world record
Skoda. A name synonymous with great value for money and affordable reliability. Not necessarily the badge you would expect to find on the front of the car that's set two new world records for going sideways…..on ice. We're not making this up either. The Skoda Enyaq iV vRS now holds two world records for drifting on ice.
The first world record was for the Longest Continuous Vehicle Drift on Ice. Driver, Richard Meaden, held the car in a controlled slide for more than 4.5 miles, beating the previous record of 3.8 miles, set in China in 2022. The second record was somewhat incidental as the successful run also handed the electric Enyaq iV vRS the record for the longest drift on ice in an EV.
The new world record returns the Skoda name to the record books, as well as taking it to both ends of the temperature scale.
In 2011, Meaden set a Land Speed Record for a 2.0-litre forced induction production car on the somewhat warmer surface of the legendary Bonneville Salt Flats. On that occasion he took a Skoda Octavia vRS to an incredible top speed of 227mph. Significantly faster than the 30mph top speed of the latest attempt, although last time he wasn't doing it sideways.
The record-breaking drive followed numerous practice runs with different tyre combinations and minimal daylight hours. A total of 18 hours of drifting were put in across five days in sub-zero temperatures on a circular track carved into a frozen lake in Sweden. Measuring 188m in circumference, the car powered round the specially constructed drift circle 39 times during the 15 minutes and 58 seconds of its record-breaking run.
The successful attempt on the record was completed in a standard production car fitted with 20-inch alloy wheels, albeit with special studded tyres to give it the right balance of front-end grip and rear-wheel slide on the frozen surface.
The Enyaq iV vRS SUV is the second all-electric Skoda to bear the vRS badge, offering around 300bhp and 0-62 mph in just 6.5 seconds from its 82kWh battery and twin electric motors. With one motor on each axle, it also produces 460 Nm of torque for instant acceleration and powerful performance. The Enyaq iV vRS can also be rapid charged, meaning an 80% charge can be achieved in as little as 36 minutes via a 150kW charger.
Aside from the special tyres, the record-breaking car featured the same lowered sports suspension that comes as standard on the vRS Enyaq, alongside progressive steering, Skoda Drive Mode Select and optional Dynamic Chassis Control for an adaptive damping system.
The car also featured exterior body enhancements including vRS sports bumpers with gloss black E-shaped air curtain surrounds, gloss black exterior detailing, unique vRS badging and Skoda's innovative Crystal Face grille, illuminated with 131 LEDs. And yes, all of the above will come as standard specification on UK Enyaq iV vRS SUV models when they go on sale later this year.
The record-breaking Enyaq iV vRS SUV will be arriving in the UK from early summer 2023 so if you're interested in leasing one you've timed it perfectly. And we promise, they're just as impressive in a straight line so please don't feel obliged to arrive everywhere sideways…
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