All-new Tesla Model 3 rival promises long-distance comfort and an official range to match On sale Now Price from £51,550
Lawrence Cheung lawrence.cheung@haymarket.com
MORE THAN 20 years ago, Volkswagen launched the Phaeton. This flagship luxury car shared its underpinnings with the Bentley Continental Flying Spur and was designed for luxurious long-distance travel, with the aim of beating the Mercedes-Benz S-Class at its own game. Fast forward to today and it has a spiritual successor – and this time it’s electric.
The ID 7 competes in a busier marketplace than the Phaeton, taking on electric executive car rivals that include the BMW i4, BYD Seal and Tesla Model 3. In one respect, though, it channels the Phaeton’s genius.
We’re talking about comfort and refinement. Occupants are well isolated from wind and road noise at motorway speeds, and there’s hardly any whine from the electric motor. The ride is wonderfully smooth, too, especially with the optional DCC adaptive suspension; it soaks up imperfections much more adroitly than a Model 3, even if it can’t match the Mercedes-Benz EQE for sheer waft factor.
However, DCC comes only as part of a £1000 Exterior Pack Plus, along with laminated rear side windows (in addition to the standard front ones) and a progressive steering system that quickens the steering response at low speeds, and those features are by no means essential. We’d save the cash; while the standard suspension doesn’t iron crumbly roads quite as flat as the DCC set-up, it’s still very comfortable, never thudding over imperfections that trip up the Model 3.
The ID 7 handles well, too. A car that’s longer than Volkswagen’s Arteon executive car is hardly going to feel as agile as a Golf R hot hatch, but it grips hard, steers accurately and stays pretty level through corners. The DCC reduces body lean further in its firmest setting, but the standard set-up still offers fine body control. Meanwhile, the progressive steering adds little to the driving experience; we were hard pressed to notice the difference at any speed.
In terms of performance, the ID 7 is good for a 0-62mph time of 6.5sec, courtesy of a single 282bhp electric motor driving the rear wheels. An i4 eDrive40, Seal or Model 3 RWD will beat it in a drag race, then, but the ID 7 is no slouch, and a more potent GTX version with four-wheel drive will arrive later this year.
Even more impressive is the ID 7’s range from its 77kWh (usable) battery. Its official figure of up t
