AUTONEWS

The Skoda Elroq Surpasses Itself in the 2025 Skoda Titan Desert Morocco

The Skoda Titan Desert Morocco has once again brought cycling and adventure to northern Morocco. On May 1, some 500 participants took part in this race spread over six stages, covering a total of 550 km and over 4,000 m of elevation gain. The fact that Andrey Amador and Pilar Fernández won two days after these photos were taken is of little relevance to the unique story each participant experiences here, punished by the heat, dust, and difficult rest under simple tents, but spurred on by a camaraderie that seems to push you as you pedal. The important thing here is to complete the challenge and surpass yourself. So, under this philosophy, it's no surprise that Skoda has decided to bring its new Elroq here, ensuring that the electric SUV also faces the challenges and overcomes them. In case you're still not clear on the concept of this SUV, the Elroq I found silkscreened to commemorate the 20th anniversary of this race is an electric alternative to the Karoq. Although it could also be defined as a kind of Enyaq with a shorter rear end, leaving its total length at a versatile 4.49 m long (it also measures 1.88 m wide and 1.65 m high).

A closer look at its front (still riding the Orbea Oiz M Pro, my constant companion in this race) allows me to better appreciate the slim headlights, with four LED modules at the top and 36 matrix light segments below in this First Edition version, whose lighting adapts to the type of terrain we're driving on, even on the dusty tracks I've encountered. The closed, glossy black grille, which Skoda calls the Tech-Deck Face, isn't too dusty yet. And, given the sweltering heat, I assume the active cooling shutter under the massive bumper will be open, to better cool the battery.

Seen from the side, the massive 21-inch wheels (standard on this First Edition trim) give it a striking presence, and the rear is dominated by dynamic taillights, the driver can choose from a variety of patterns. The aesthetic result is quite attractive; the Timiano Green color decorating its body makes a beautiful combination against the Tafroukht Mountains, as is the case with the Orbea Oiz thanks to its Metallic Jade Green and Mango colors, offered through the MyOrbea customization option. Very useful advantages...

The Skoda Elroq, which has been made available to the race organizers (along with other models from the Czech brand, such as the new Kodiaq), houses advantages inside that seem very important to me in such inhospitable terrain: a 13-inch central screen for following navigation, which in these places riddled with elusive paths could lead to confusion; a head-up display to minimize the need to take your eyes off traffic that's even more unsafe than in Europe; direct access (physical) buttons to avoid distractions when activating basic functions, such as safety assistance (very important here) or the air conditioning...

Or, if we have an internet connection, I could ask Laura, an artificial intelligence system that can help me with all these things, can help with climate control, navigation, music, phone, etc., and we can ask her many questions, like the name of the first overall winner of this race (Pedro Vernis, in 2006).

Looking back, I can't help but wonder: there are still two stages left to complete, and I imagine how comfortable I would be on the next stage in the second row, where the legroom seems very generous, the completely flat floor offers even more footroom, and the height would allow me to fit in without even taking off my helmet (I'm 1.82 m tall).

470 liters of trunk... As for the trunk, the 470 liters seem like an adequate size, even for the enormous suitcase I brought with me to the Skoda Titan Desert. And if you need to carry the bike, I don't think you'd have any problems, removing the front wheel and folding down the two-thirds section of the rear backrest to occupy only a fraction of the 1,580-liter maximum capacity offered by this Elroq.

The price of this 85 version starts at 43,480 euros, not including discounts through the Moves Plan (up to 7,000 euros if we hand in an old car for scrapping). Or, equivalently, 449,522 dirhams. Much more than the 6,299 euros of the Orbea Oiz M Pro, which I'm going to use to cover this Skoda Titan Desert, but a very good price that continues to establish Skoda as a brand that knows how to embellish its technology, design, spaciousness, and practicality with an attractive price. And this new Elroq also offers those arguments, even in terrain as inhospitable as the Moroccan desert.

Mundoquatrorodas