Saloon arrives this year with a 435-mile long-range model; hot GTX and estate next
Volkswagen’s answer to the indomitable Tesla Model 3 is finally official: the ID 7 is a large, sleek saloon that goes big on luxury appeal in an attempt to bolster the Wolfsburg firm’s share of the vital executive EV market.
Claimed to have been designed “for long distances”, the ID 7 touts a claimed range of up to 435 miles (beating its US rival) in range-topping Pro S guise, which comes with an 82kW battery pack not yet used by any other VW. As well as being VW’s longest-range EV, the ID 7 Pro S will be its fastest-charging, capable of topping up at 200kW.
A 77kWh battery – familiar from the ID 3, 4, 5 and Buzz – will be offered in the ID 7 Pro, for a claimed range of 382 miles and charging speeds of up to 170kW.
From launch, both variants are single-motor, rear-wheel-drive propositions. They use a newly developed motor and single-speed gearbox claimed to boost efficiency and power delivery compared with the firm’s current EVs. It’s a substantially more potent unit than that used by any rear-drive Volkswagen EV so far, bringing 282bhp and 402lb ft to give 0-62mph in around 6.0sec in the quickest variant.
An even faster, twin-motor GTX version will be launched later, which means the ID 7’s powertrain line-up will ultimately mirror that of its Polestar 2, Tesla Model 3 and Hyundai Ioniq 6 rivals.
At nearly five metres long and with a wheelbase of about three metres, the ID 7 is larger than the Passat to which it serves as an indirect electric alternative – and is closer in size to the Arteon saloon, which bowed out in 2016. A more capacious estate variant will arrive soon.
The cabin majors on practicality but various
