VW’s ID electrical portfolio began with only one automotive, the ID.3 launched again in 2020. 4 years later, there’s a whole household of ID fashions starting from crossovers and retro minivans to this, the ID.7, all primarily based on the identical MEB platform.
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The ID.7 is on sale in Europe now, nevertheless it’s nonetheless lacking from showrooms in Australia, and earlier this yr VW North America postponed the mannequin’s US launch with no new date given for its arrival. The sedan was scheduled to go on sale earlier than the tip of 2024 for the 2025 mannequin yr, however worries in regards to the cooling EV market compelled a rethink.
We grabbed the keys to the brand new wagon variant to see whether or not those that should buy the ID.7 ought to, and people that may’t should be pestering VW to make it obtainable.
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Overview and what’s new
The ID.7 is VW’s reply to the Kia EV6 and Tesla Mannequin 3, however in contrast to these EVs, it presents the selection of each sedan (technically a hatch) and wagon-bodied Tourer shapes. The 2 variants experience on the identical 116.8-inch (2,966 mm) wheelbase which is big for the category – 2.6 inches (66 mm) longer than the Kia’s and three.6 inches (91 mm) larger than the Tesla’s.
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However the Tourer’s longer roofline and extra upright rear window offers it extra cargo house than the sedan and arguably a contact extra model. Neither model goes to make you swoon, thoughts. They’re like ID.4 and ID.5 SUV and crossover given a Nineteen Fifties customized roof chop and sectioned physique job to carry them decrease to the bottom. Not ugly, simply missing within the pizazz of vehicles just like the EV6, as if VW wimped out midway by the design course of.
Within the UK, the ID.7 is available in three trims: £52,240 Match, £56,140 Match Professional S Match and £62,670 GTX. The primary two are the just about an identical besides for his or her battery sizes, however the GTX units itself aside with an additional motor and all-wheel drive.
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What’s below the hood?
We drove the mid-spec ID.7 Match Professional S that will get the identical 282 hp (286 PS), 402 lb-ft (545 Nm) motor on the rear axle because the entry-level automotive, however swaps out the 77 kWh battery for an 86 kWh unit. Many consumers won’t see the necessity for the improve as a result of the bottom automotive is fractionally faster (6.6 seconds to 62 mph / 100 km/h versus 6.7 seconds) and is rated at 373 miles ( 600 km) of electrical vary.
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However if you’re planning on usually taking some lengthy journeys, the larger battery within the Professional S bumps the vary to 424 miles (682 km). VW’s early ID fashions made do with a reasonably sluggish 125 kW max cost price, and even the bottom ID.7 is proscribed to 175 kW, however the ID.7 Professional S can deal with 200 kW fills, which implies a 10-80 p.c top-up takes 26 minutes. A Kia EV6 will do the identical nearly 10 minutes faster, however then the ID.7 can go a lot additional between costs, that means you don’t want so as to add as a lot power to cowl the identical distance.
Whichever ID.7 you go for you must pay further (£1,050 within the UK) for a warmth pump, although the vary is so good you may resolve its not well worth the expense, particularly in the event you dwell in an space with gentle climate. In case you dwell in a chilly area, we wouldn’t be stunned in the event you bought an additional 30 miles (50 km) of vary with the pump fitted.
How does it drive?
We frequently consider EVs as vehicles for brief journeys, however the ID.7 would make a implausible road-trip EV. Sure, it’s bought a protracted vary, however simply as importantly it’s bought the refinement and luxury to make you need to put that 424-mile vary declare to the take a look at.
For a begin, it’s extremely quiet. Wind noise is decrease than in BMW’s rather more costly i5, tire street is subdued and the rear-mounted motor retains schtum even when pressed. After which there’s the best way it rides. The ID.7 smooths away all however the worst lumps and bumps, stopping imperfections within the street floor from getting by to your butt, your ears or your arms.
Admittedly, our press automotive got here with DCC adaptive dampers and acoustic glass (bundled right into a £2,100 Exterior Pack together with variable ratio steering and illuminated VW roundel), so we will’t say how good a base automotive feels, however definitely with the trick shocks and glass the ID.7’s an excellent cruiser.
And that’s arguably what issues for a automotive like this. But when what issues to you is having enjoyable when the site visitors forward disappears, different EVs do it higher. The ID.7 is competent, however by no means entertaining, its steering too distant and its weirdly lengthy brake pedal motion missing the preliminary chew you need when hustling a automotive. You additionally solely get two totally different ranges of regenerative braking to select from and no one-pedal perform, although there are 4 driving modes.
Associated: New VW ID.7 GTX Tourer Provides Zing To Electrical Wagon With 335 HP
The only 282 hp motor can get you to 62 mph (100 km/h) in below 7 seconds, which isn’t precisely sluggish, however the 320 hp (324 PS) Kia EV6 you should buy for a similar cash solely wants 5.3 seconds. In order for you that type of exit of the ID.7 you’ll must improve to the 335 hp (340 PS) bi-motor GTX that will get you to 62 mph in 5.5 seconds.
How’s the inside?
VW took some warmth for the unique ID.3’s cheap-feeling inside. Was this actually the identical firm that gave us the game-changing MKIV Golf with its damped seize handles? However there are not any high quality disappointments with the supplies within the ID.7’s cabin. Or consolation complaints. The entrance seats aren’t a lot to take a look at however they really feel nice and that’s earlier than you’ve switched on the usual therapeutic massage perform.
You additionally get a a lot better touchscreen than was fitted to earlier ID vehicles. At 15 inches its larger so is less complicated to see and use, and the heater sliders are actually illuminated, however we’d want if each they and the quantity management have been old school rotary dials. Even the course of the airflow must be managed electronically. The ID.7 can also be caught with nasty capacitive steering wheel buttons, whereas the Mk8.5 Golf (however not the R, unusually) have reverted to conventional buttons.
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What about house?
We’ve already talked about the ID.7’s unusually lengthy wheelbase, so it received’t come as a lot of a shock to study that this VW feels huge inside with ample house for 4 adults. Positive, an SUV will present extra headroom, however the ID.7 by no means feels missing in that respect and it has the type of rear legroom that solely an NBA star may discover fault with.
And that rear legroom doesn’t come on the expense of cargo house. The ID.7 sedan presents 532 liters (18.8 cu-ft) of house that’s accessible by way of a sloping hatchback tail and is greater than you get in rivals just like the Tesla Mannequin 3 (a real sedan). The Tourer’s wagon physique boosts that to 605 liters (21.4 cu-ft), or a big 1,948 liters (68.8 cu-ft) when the non-sliding rear seats are folded down.
That compares favorably with the 543-1,575 liters (19-56 cu-ft) provided by VW’s personal ID.4 SUV and the 570-1,700 (20-60) void behind BMW’s pricier i5 Touring. See what we imply? The ID.7 Tourer actually is road-trip-ready. The one damaging is that there’s no frunk for storing charging cables – even on this mannequin, which has no electrical motor up entrance.
Verdict
The ID.7 isn’t knockout thrilling to take a look at or to drive. However it’s a nice EV, and driving it six months after getting behind the wheel of the sedan makes me suppose the ID.7 deserves a bit extra consideration than it’s been getting. It’s comfy, refined, roomy, and in Tourer guise has a spacious cargo space. In case you’re not bothered about record-breaking 0-60 occasions and scorching hatch-style dealing with, and may dwell with the nonetheless barely annoying touchscreen interface, the ID.7 has a ton going for it.
We occur to suppose the Tourer wagon appears higher than the sedan, too. So it’s a disgrace that if the ID.7 does lastly make it to the US it’ll most likely solely be in fastback guise. However in the event you’re within the UK or Europe, do your self a favor and try what the ID.7 needed to supply earlier than you spend £15k extra on a BMW i5 Touring.
