If you’re expecting some sort of dramatic surprise from this full reveal of the production-ready version of Skoda’s new Epiq, well, sorry to disappoint. Car companies have learned the hard way about presenting us with concept versions of future models that write stylistic cheques the showroom model simply cannot cash, and so the Epiq you can buy looks very similar – identical, essentially – to the Epiq concept model we saw last year.The key to Epiq’s success, of course, will be its price tag. Skoda says it’s targeting price parity with the existing petrol-powered Kamiq crossover, which has a starting price of €29,000 or thereabouts, but in fact, we will get cheaper Epiqs than that. The cheapest 35-badged model, with the smallest battery, will cost a very reasonable €24,559 when it arrives in Ireland later this year. If you want the largest battery, with the longest range, though, that’s a rather more stiff €32,979 for the Epiq Selection 55.The Epiq is not only Skoda’s smallest new electric model, but it’s also a torchbearer for a new chapter in the Czech car maker’s style playbook. Taking some of the sleeker nose styling of the Elroq and the recent Enyaq update, the Epiq stretches that further with new, sleek, T-shaped daytime running lights and main beam units that seem to lurk almost invisibly in the edges of the Epiq “face”. That face is set off by a square jawline that would make Kirk Douglas (ask your nana …) jealous, with eight oblong air vents built into it that give the Epiq a definite tang of Jeep about its styling. For a car based on a small electric hatchback (the bones of the Volkswagen ID. Polo are under there somewhere) the Epiq sure wants you to think that it’s rugged.That eight-slot motif is repeated in the back bumper, which, like the front, has substantial unpainted grey plastic sections that lead into the protection extensions for the blocky, square wheel arches. These are to protect from parking scrapes more than the rocks and trees of an off-road trail, for the Epiq is resolutely front-wheel drive only, at least for now.Skoda Epiq It is clever, though. Those black plastic panels help to conceal some neat aero trickery, such as hidden ducts in the front bumper which, like a Formula One car’s wings, guide air down the side of the car, away from the front wheels. The little flicks on the rear wheel arches help to deflect stone chips as well as air, and the little Epiq has an aerodynamic drag coefficient of 0.26Cd – not bad for something as small and square.The aero must be working because the Epiq is claiming some impressive efficiency figures, with none of its variants sticking their eyebrows above the 13.1kWh/100km level. Entry Epiqs – badged either Epiq 35 or 40 – will have a small 37kWh battery using the cheaper, but more robust, lithium-iron-phosphate chemistry (LFP) and will offer a range of up to 315km with a choice of 116hp or 135hp electric motors. Skoda Epiq The 135hp Epiq 40 can charge up at a reasonable 90kW on DC power, allowing a 10-80 per cent charge in 28 minutes. The Epiq 35 can only manage 50kW of charging, though, and Skoda hasn’t even bothered issuing a charging time for that version as yet. Too embarrassed?The range-topper, in both senses, is the Epiq 55 with its 210hp electric motors, a 51kWh nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) battery (pricier, but more efficient) and a range of 430km. It can charge at up to 133kW, and so can do a 10-80 per cent charge in an impressive 23 minutes. The Epiq shares its new MEB+ front-wheel drive electric car platform with the VW ID. Polo and Cupra Raval (as well as the not-yet-ready-for-sale VW ID. Cross) and all will be built in Seat’s recently revamped factory near Barcelona.[ Cupra Born again – sporty version gives GTI performance for a savingOpens in new window ]As you might expect, if you’ve ever experienced a Skoda Octavia, the Epiq will be practical. The split-level boot offers up to 475 litres of space if you slot the adjustable floor down to its lowest level, considerably more than you’d find in the related Volkswagen or Cupra models. The handy ice scraper has migrated from the inside of the charging flap to a slot in the boot lid, and there’s the option of a handy storage bag – almost like a backpack – that stashes your charging cables upright against the back of the rear seats. Skoda Epiq Skoda Epiq Fold those seats down, and there’s 1,344 litres with which to play. You can extend that further, as there’s a handy accessory – a plastic storage tray that clips in under the bonnet, creating a small “frunk” which is just big enough for a charging cable, and which handily compensates you if you choose the high-spec Canton stereo, whose subwoofer robs an identical 20 litres from the boot.[ ‘Punished for being a good citizen’: The EV charging battle facing some Dublin homeownersOpens in new window ]Space in the cabin is also good, with just enough room for four tall adults to get comfy, and not too much of the knees-up-in-the-air sensation in the back seat. There are ISOFIX anchors in the outer rear seats and the front passenger seat for child safety seats, and 26 litres of storage dotted around the interior.Skoda Epiq Skoda Epiq Up front, the dash is flat, square and low, which gives you a good view out to the front (just as well, as the rear view is a bit blocked by the chunky roof pillars) thanks in part to the way the small, but informative, driver’s digital display is countersunk into the fascia. Sadly, Skoda isn’t keeping up with VW’s recent orthodoxy of bringing back cabin buttons, so most functions are on the 13-inch touchscreen. At least there is a smattering of hard-key shortcut buttons, and the new software on the screen borrows from Google to make it faster, more responsive, and just plain simpler to use than before.There’s also plenty of sustainable materials in the Epiq, stretching its environmental friendliness beyond its battery. All of the seats in all of the trim levels are upholstered in fabrics made from recycled PES, while there’s a new material – Techtona – for the dashboard trim, that reminds me of my mum’s old kitchen floor. Odd.Small it might be – just 4.1 metres long and with a trim, for an EV, 1,544kg kerb weight – but the Epiq gets some big-car safety, including an updated “Travel Assist 3.0″ which features active cruise control that can recognise and respond to red lights and stop signs.