The Volkswagen ID7 is the EV that should make the Passat forget, if we are all electric.
Does Volkswagen finally know how to reply to Tesla?
With the ID7, Volkswagen presents an electric counterpart to the Passat, making this spacious mid-sized car the largest EV in VW’s ID family. But is this also the car with which they can make it difficult for Tesla in Wolsfburg? We put it to the test with a prototype.
Where do Volkswagen’s electrification plans end?
After a series of mid-sized cars and crossovers, Volkswagen has now also introduced a compact ID2. A large ID7 is ready in the wings before the end of this year. The production of this ID7 will start in June, in the same factory in Emden – just across the border at Delfzijl – where the Passat still rolls off the line. When the Volkswagen ID 7 appears in the showroom at the end of the year, they will already have a stock ready at VW.
Volkswagen builds the ID7 in the same factory in Emden as the Passat.
Is the Volkswagen ID7 an electric Passat?
No, the ID7 is a hatchback and the Passat is a sedan. With a length of almost five meters and a wheelbase of almost three meters, the ID7 is also larger than the Passat. You can see that immediately in the interior. In the front you have a lot of space on the very comfortable seats, even if you are above average. Because the front and rear axles are quite far apart, you also have no reason to complain in the back, at least not about the legroom. The main room is different. As a result of the sloping roofline, you quickly rub your crown along the headliner and if you have an adult stature, you just have your head stuck against the roof. That’s not what we expect from a D-segmenter of this size.
The ID7 is a hatchback with an aerodynamically sloping roofline.
Is the service more mature than the other IDs?
The number of buttons and switches is also far below the acceptable minimum with the ID7. With this, Volkswagen follows the extremely minimalist line that was started with the ID3. You have to arrange almost everything via the large multimedia screen. To ease the pain, the climate control icons are permanently visible and the sliders below the screen are illuminated in the dark, but it’s no more than a plaster on the wound. A standard head-up display works with augmented reality, where neat lines appear to be projected onto the street.
The design of the ID7 dashboard is very similar to what we know from the other ID models.
Does the ID7 have the same drive technology as the other ID models?
Not exactly. Kicking off is a completely new 286 hp and 545 Nm peaking synchronous motor with permanent magnets that drives the rear wheels. The rather large Volkswagen ID7 therefore moves smoothly with the traffic. You can adjust the degree to which the car brakes on the engine by switching from P to B, but of course there is also recuperation when you depress the brake pedal. The transition to mechanical braking is then seamless. Initially, Volkswagen will supply the ID7 with a net battery capacity of 77 kWh, which will take the car 615 km according to WLTP, later an 86-kW battery pack will be added and then the WLTP range should go towards 700 km.
The ID7’s electrical performance rivals Tesla’s.
Is this a real autobahn machine?
The prototype with which we made our first ID7 kilometers has adaptive shock absorbers. These take on a different character depending on the selected driving mode. In both Eco and Comfort mode, the chassis makes a rather weak impression, the car then shakes quite a bit. That is not exactly what we expect from a solid German mileage eater like the Volkswagen ID7. Fortunately, things get a little better in Sport mode, although the name Sport is too much credit. Actually, the tuning of the dampers in the Sport mode is the setting that should be standard. If the VW engineers proceed to a recalibration, the steering may also be taken along. In principle, the car sends quite light and distant and there is hardly any extra feeling or resistance in the Sport mode. Perhaps they could drop the term ‘Sport’ and use something like ‘Normal’ for that mode.
The car is stable and steady, but goes too far in comfort.
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl