Major irritation point removed
The electric Volkswagen ID3 was facelifted a year ago and is already receiving a second refresh. Nothing changes on the outside, but the ID3 does get an improved interior and the ID3 Pro S is now more powerful than before.
The Volkswagen ID3 was facelifted in March 2023. A year has now passed and Volkswagen considers the time ripe for a second round of modernization for its electric hatchback. The changes are not extremely drastic, but are nevertheless extensive. The Volkswagen ID3 Pro S is and remains the motorcycle version with the larger 77-kWh battery pack. However, from now on this powers an electric motor that delivers 231 hp. To date, the Pro S had 203 hp, just like the Pro models. So a small 30 hp gain. Depending on the market, you may have to pay extra for this.
Thanks to the extra power, the ID3 Pro S zooms from a standstill to a speed of 100 km/h in 7.1 seconds. Here the ID3 Pro S wins 0.8 seconds. The range is unchanged at 559 kilometers. The software of the ID3 Pro S now prepares the battery pack for the next fast charge. This means that you can charge faster with the maximum charging power (175 kW) at the DC charger. This should save a few charging minutes, especially in winter.
Volkswagen ID3: without selector button on the instruments and with a new infotainment system.
There is also news that concerns every ID3 and not just the Pro S. The Volkswagen ID3 exchanges its 12-inch infotainment screen for a larger display with a diagonal of 12.9 inches. The screen is therefore larger, but it also runs updated software that, among other things, brings a modified menu structure to the system. But there’s more. Just look at the digital display behind the steering wheel. Previously there was a rotary knob with which you could choose the direction of travel. That dial moves down one floor and returns in the form of a ‘stem’ housed on the right side of the steering column. Just like in the ID7. This also means that the stem with which you operated the windshield wipers disappears here. You now operate the windshield wipers with the stalk on the left side of the steering column.
Also renewed: the steering wheel. The volume buttons on the right spoke have disappeared and return in the form of a so-called slider back on the left spoke. From now on, jumping to the next or previous song or radio station will be done using a similar one slider on the right spoke. Volkswagen removes a common point of irritation by now illuminating the touch-sensitive sliders under the infotainment screen, an adjustment that we already expected with last year’s facelift. The artificial intelligence on board the ID3 is now also linked to ChatGPT, which means that the voice commands you can give should feel a lot more natural.
Volkswagen is also adding exit warning to the ID3 delivery range. Also new is what Volkswagen calls the Wellness App: an application housed in the infomaint system that allows you to select modes such as Fresh Up, Calm Down and Power Break. In these modes, the mood lighting, volume and climate control are adjusted, among other things. Finally, Volkswagen is introducing an extensive audio system from Harman Kardon in the ID3 Pro S, although this system is optional.
Prices and specifications for the Dutch market will follow.
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl