Corner, corner, corner, corner. Take a breath. Corner, corner, corner, corner. 

It's up, then it’s down. Then, do it all again.

State Highway 25 is a driver’s workout and – as it turned out – the best playground for the Skoda Enyaq electric SUV I could have found as I sped away from Auckland for a winter Coromandel break.

For 90km of the highway, as you weave up the east coast of the Coromandel Peninsula, corners are the rhythm of the road.

The Enyaq SUV took every turn in its stride in the drizzle, loving it. The 45km/h corners, the 35km/h switchback and even those 15km/h hairpin bends.

In the rain, across that muddy patch, in the narrow bits, the Enyaq was at ease, surefooted and effortless, with its huge 21-inch alloys never missing a beat. So quiet, too.

Suddenly, my husband and I were at our destination, Hahei, the beachside village built around and above a white-sand beach and exotic blue sea.

Hot tubs and pizza

There seemed to be boat tractors in every drive; at our accommodation, we had a barbecue set up in the garden and a hot tub on the dunes. But would there be anything open? 

You can't beat Hahei beach on a sunny day. (Image: NZME)

I’d been told about a brew bar, and there it was, The Pour, a quick stroll along from our beachside unit. Every table but one was booked, the place was buzzing, and the guy behind the bar looked ecstatic. Our pizza looked so good that four more came out in quick succession.

After covid, the cyclone and the slips, the Coromandel fell out of favour. Too hard, people said. Isn’t the road closed?

No, it isn’t – only a short but handy stretch, State Highway 25A, linking Kopu to Hikuai across the peninsula's base. Instead, either drive up from Waihi or through Thames, and you’ll get there easily.

But now we were hours away from home and down to 120km of charge.

Feeling the first pangs of range anxiety, we made our first stop the next morning at the EV charging station at Whitianga.

Brunch equals 80% charge

What a great coincidence: the famed French Fig cafe is just around the corner from the charging point. Eating a sumptuous brunch took about the same time as charging the Enyaq to 80%. That top-up would easily get us back to Auckland CBD.

Curious about a tourist attraction we'd been told about, next we hunted for Whitianga’s The Lost Spring to float under the bridge, among the rustic arches, caves and steamy pools as the raindrops made it magic. When we return (and we will), we’ll do the night-time swim, dinner and cocktails package.

We were on an adventure, so we decided on a loop expedition back to Auckland along the road that clings to the Thames coast, charmed by rocks, beaches, pōhutukawa trees, the odd one-lane bridge – and way too many Toyota Priuses.

There, it’s straight, corner, straight, corner, straight, corner. You get the picture.

The Thames Coast road is beckoning – and yes, it's open. (Image: NZME)  

This is where the Enyaq has it over the wide SUVs from its European rivals, slightly narrower for those tight sections of road where you’re dodging the Maui campervans – and nimble, to boot.

VW by another name

If you were hankering for a VW or an Audi EV, you have (kind of) found it. They share many of the same parts, and this Skoda’s electric motor is based on technology that’s been proven for many years in those early adopters.

Inside, it’s slick and sophisticated, with sculptural handles, a good-sized screen and suede-feel seats.

It looks deceptively small in the rear, but the Enyaq has room for all your stuff. (Image: Skoda)

This is a practical beast, with a huge boot capacity behind the hatch, taking two suitcases, swimming gear, a picnic bag and bulky jackets, with room to spare. 

Gizmos? There are plenty. Heated steering wheel, massage driver’s seat, side window roll-up sunshades, air-con, door umbrellas, and an ice scraper. And it parks itself. Ours came with the electronic glass roof, too, for $3,000 more.

If you’re a speed freak, you might be disappointed. It’s 150kW, the 0-100km/h speed is a leisurely 8.6 seconds, and the top speed won’t break any records at 160km/h.

Despite that, after weaving up and down the Coromandel in a Skoda, the RAV4 driver in our house suddenly decided he might trade in his Toyota. 

Well, now’s the time to do it.

The Sportline Max was knocking on $100,000 a few weeks ago, but the distributors and importers have got together to drop the price to bring it within the clean-car rebate range.

Now it’s priced from $79,990 driveaway (Sportline) with the $7,015 rebate and $84,990 (Sportline Max) without it.