All-new electric flagship is an executive car with an official range of up to 384 miles On sale Early 2024 Price from £55,570
Dan Jones dan.jones@haymarket.com
THE POPULARITY OF Friends: The Reunion and Still Open All Hours demonstrates how viewers love it when their favourite show is given a new lease of life, even if the passing of time means certain changes are inevitable. In theory, then, the new Volkswagen ID 7 has a ready audience; it takes the formula of the popular VW Passat saloon and brings it right up to date, packing in all of today’s must-have tech.
The Passat saloon – VW’s executive car offering for nearly 50 years – has been off our screens (and out of our showrooms) since 2022. However, while an all-new Passat estate will arrive in 2024, the saloon’s place is being taken by the ID 7, and that name signifies a switch from combustion to fully electric power.
And VW certainly hasn’t made the change half-heartedly; the ID 7 has a 77kWh battery as standard, giving it an official range of 384 miles. That’s only a little behind the Tesla Model 3 Long Range (on the same-size 19in wheels), and farther than rivals such as the BMW i4 eDrive40 and BYD Seal can officially take you on a single charge. Better still, a Pro S version of the ID 7 is set to join the lineup in 2024, adding a larger, 86kWh battery and a range of around 430 miles – longer than that of almost any other EV, including the Model 3.
To make the most of that impressive range, the ID 7 needs to be a polished long-distance cruiser, and in the case of the example we’ve driven, fitted with optional adaptive suspension (DCC), that’s exactly what it is.
As with rival systems, you can change the suspension mode at the touch of a button, but the ID 7’s system offers greater scope for customisation. In Individual mode, you can tailor its softness incrementally, via a slider; we’d probably avoid going all the way to the softest setting, but a sweet spot about a notch above that results in the ride being noticeably plusher than the Model 3’s, soaking up imperfections far better, while retaining better control than the Mercedes-Benz EQE.
Alternatively, if the mood takes you, you can send things the other way and firm up the ID 7’s suspension for a sportier ride, and the DCC does a decent job here, too, eliminating body lean almost entirely. However, while selecting Sport mode adds weight to the already accurate steering to heighten the sense of feedback, the ID 7 still isn’t as dynamic on a twis
