Skoda’s much-anticipated seven-seater SUV has finally been unveiled.

FANCY an electric seven-seater family wagon that, despite its bulk, has a drag co-efficient comparable to some sports cars?

The Skoda Peaq that unveiled in full overnight being rated with a Cd of 0.25 is just one of many surprise elements.

Another is a neat Easter Egg - an outline of cyclists etched into the edge of the windscreen.

That’s a nod both to Skoda's sponsorship of cycling events including the Tour De France, and to the fact that the first wheeled vehicle made by the company was a bicycle.

Plus, it’s the first Skoda with pulsating door handles. No, really. The flush-fit pop-out door handles have an 'ice hammer' effect. Meaning they pulse rapidly back and forth to break any frost if they become iced over.

At 4.9 metres long and 1.7 metres tall, which a huge 2965mm wheelbase, Peaq sites on an updated version of the Volkswagen Group's MEB platform.

It is sized to take on the Kia EV9 and some emergent seven-chair models out of China that sell here. Skoda NZ has sized up its potential for the market, with possibility of 2027 arrival, but has yet to offer firm opinion.

Design stays largely true to what the make proposed with the Vision 7S concept car.

That model introduced Skoda’s new 'Modern Solid' look, which now influences the Elroq and Enyaq.

On Peaq there’s a big black panel with inset LED lights where once there might have been a grille, surrounded by large, T-shaped, LED running lights. It has chunky wheel arches and the Skoda name is on the rear pillars, which curve slightly forwards at the top, almost like a reverse shark's fin.

The entry-level model is the rear-wheel-drive Peaq 60 with a 151kW electric motor and a gross battery size of 63kWh (net capacity of 59kWh). That gives a range of "over 450km”, according to Skoda.

Above this is the Peaq 90, with a 91kWh battery (its net usable energy capacity is 86kWh) and a 213kW electric motor driving the rear wheels, and a range of 640km.

Heading the family is the Peaq 90x, which gets an extra electric motor for the front axle, giving the SUV four-wheel drive and a combined 222kW. It has a 610km range.

On a high-speed DC charger, a 10-80 percent charge should take no more than 28 minutes across the board, with a maximum rate of 199kW. There’s vehicle-to-load (V2L) charging too.

The 0-100kmh sprint takes 8.6 seconds in the Peaq 60; 7.1 seconds for the 90; and 6.7 seconds for the 90x.

The rear-wheel-drive Peaqs can tow up to 1800kg on a braked trailer, while the Peaq 90x can manage up to 2000kg.

While most Peaqs will come with seven seats, there is the option of a five-seat version which means a massive 935-litre boot with all seats occupied. A fully occupied seven-seat version achieves 299 litres’ luggage space.

The boot includes fold-out luggage and shopping bag hooks, storage containers on both sides for holding loose items and an adjustable boot floor, with under-floor storage. The tailgate is electrically powered and so is the luggage blind. If the boot is full? there’s a handy storage space in the nose.

The cabin is said to provide stretch-out mid and front row space for the tall; the third row is more of a kids’ zone, though handily the middle row slides back and forth.

Second and third-row passengers also get USB-C sockets, cupholders and storage trays each. There’s optional heating for the outer rear seats.

An optional glass roof, the largestSkoda has ever offered, has electro-chromatic shading so you can choose between 'open', 'closed', or a half-way house between the two.

The Peaq gets a massive portrait-style 13.6-inch touchscreen, which dominates the dashboard, and which features the latest Google-based software.

Sportline trade delivers high-backed bucket seats in the front, which can be augmented by a 'Relax' pack that includes ultra-soft pillows on the headrests and extending leg rests.

Peaq sees something of a return of physical buttons to a Skoda cabin, with roller-switches on the steering wheel, four electric window switches on the driver's door and physical temperature controls and fan speed control on the centre console. There's a roller controller for the Sonos stereo.

The centre console holds two high-speed (25-watt) wireless phone chargers, with magnetic centres, so a phone should stick to them.

The cupholders have two large apertures, and a single, central, narrow one sized for modern cans; the cupholders can be lifted out, and turned upside down, and re-inserted, turning them into a clamp which holds a foldaway table that otherwise lists under the armrest.

Trim options top with Techtona, Skoda's leather alternative made from recycled materials, offered in black and a light grey called Ceramique. Alternately, there are textiles. Skoda says Peaq uses more recycled materials in the cabin than in any other car it presents.