The fully electric Volkswagen ID.3 pants the Golf emission-free, but firmly in the neck. Do you also feel something for electric, but do you suffer from range stress in addition to being green-hearted? Then you can opt for a plug-in hybrid Golf. Or is the Golf 1.4 eHybrid a rearguard action? To start with, we compare the interiors.
The technical concepts may be completely different, especially if you look at the Golf and the ID.3 from the front, the relationship is unmistakable. The differences are greater in profile and from behind. Then you can clearly see that the ID.3 is higher. You will also notice this immediately behind the wheel. In the Golf you sit about 10 centimeters lower than in its electric brother. Anyone who likes a bit of active driving will appreciate that. But at least as many motorists like to sit high. The ID.3 caters to this group at its beck and call and also hands out extra knee room as a bonus.
Volkswagen ID.3 more spacious than the Golf – but still not
Amid its traditional competitors, the Volkswagen Golf has always offered its rear passengers considerable freedom of movement. In terms of legroom, he must now recognize his superior in the ID.3. The electric VW simply has a much longer wheelbase. On the other hand, the Volkswagen ID.3 does not manage to exploit its 7 centimeters greater height. Strangely enough, the ID.3 offers less headroom than the Golf. That’s the toll that the occupants of the ID.3 pay for the battery pack under their buttocks and the sporty sloping roofline above their heads.
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Quality differences interior Golf 8 and ID.3
When the Volkswagen Golf 8 was introduced, we noticed that the quality of the interior materials had not improved compared to the Golf 7. So here’s a warning for Golf 7 drivers with plastic allergies who are considering a test drive in an ID.3: The interior may contain traces of dumpster plastic. Because with the ID.3, Volkswagen has paid even more attention to the little ones than with the Golf 8. In the latter, the front doors at the top are still covered with a soft foam layer. The handrails also offer relatively comfortable space for your forearm. The hard plastic in the ID.3, on the other hand, seems to be yelling at you like a stern schoolmaster: “Don’t lean on your elbows!” And if you don’t want to hear, just feel.
“In the ID.3 you don’t have to lean on your elbows.”
Clumsy operation
Volkswagen has adapted the not too user-friendly operation of the Golf 8 for the ID.3 … to an even more opaque system. In both cars, we once again greet the non-illuminated sliders for the volume and temperature control with a shake of the head. But the Golf has at least four more individual power window switches. In the ID.3 there are only two, which you have to switch from front to back with an extra switch. It happened to us repeatedly that we opened the rear, instead of the front, side window. The touch surfaces on the steering wheel do not have to count on applause with us either.
More luggage space for ID.3, but unsuitable as a caravan tractor
The fact that you can take more luggage in the ID.3 than in the Golf earns him many points. But when assessing the permissible masses, he hands them in just as hard. Only 366 kilos are allowed in the ID.3, compared to 434 kilos in the Golf. Anyway, representatives in balloons, ping pong balls and goose down are probably very happy with those extra gallons in the ID.3. Unless this professional group likes to go out with a caravan or folding trailer during the holiday period, because that is not possible with the electric VW. The Golf tolerates a braked 1500 kg trailer on the tow bar.
However the Volkswagen ID.3 also does its best to refer the Golf eHybrid to the second plan with its spacious feeling, higher seating position, and larger luggage space, he has not yet succeeded. But there’s more …
Curious about the complete comparative test? Read the full story in Auto Review 1/2022.
