At 4,961mm long, the pure-electric ID7 is lengthier than the Volkswagen Arteon and even longer than the Touareg SUV, making it the brand’s biggest model to date — assuming you exclude the commercial vehicles and Amarok pickup
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The bulk is wrapped in a sleek coupe-like hatchback body, which offers more benefits than just a shapely silhouette; it’s incredibly slippery through the air, with a coefficient of drag figure of just 0.23. For context, the one-time most aerodynamic car in the world, the Vauxhall Calibra, has a figure of 0.26, while the Ford Mustang Mach E manages just 0.30.
The raw numbers are pretty dull, but the result is that the ID7 cuts through the air and will go for 383 miles on its 77kWh battery pack.
The downside is it’s rather dull. It’s five metres of white goods, with little excitement and even less to catch the eye of those on their way to test drive a Polestar 2, Hyundai Ioniq 6 or Kia EV6.
Volkswagen seems to recognise this, as a spokesperson was keen to highlight that Andreas Mindt, most recently responsible for the Bentley Batur, has been brought in as a new head of design. For now, though, the ID range of cars looks a little like squashed or stretched derivatives of each other.
It must be high-tech inside?
Step inside, and there’s more to talk about. As you would expect, it’s all very digital, led by a giant 15-inch screen mounted in the centre of the dashboard. It’s surrounded by touch-sensitive sliders (which are now, finally, backlit) for the cabin temperature and audio volume, with touch-sensitive panels on the steering wheel offering a second way of clumsily making changes. Volkswagen has already confirmed that these systems are going the way of the dodo, which will please most people, except, perhaps, buyers of the ID7.
A new operating system powers the infotainment centre, and it’s a big step up from previous versions. It’s incredibly crisp, with good levels of customisation available, but there have also been some questionable decisions made; why, for example, has Volkswagen not swapped the screen around for right-hand drive cars, leaving some important functions much nearer the passenger than the driver?
It’s as easy to use as any touchscreen, though, with mostly big buttons to bash, meaning you don’t have to take your eyes off the road for long to make things work. A row of shortcut icons along the top makes life easier, allowing access to frequently used parts of the system, and these can also be personalised to your needs.
A voice assistant, called Ida, allows for natural voice control of various car options, with varying degrees of success. It can connect to the internet to find further information, but this is a little hit-and-miss and relies on a reliable phone signal.
What’s the cabin like?
The basics of the cabin are exemplary. Space for all passengers is enormous, with Volkswagen using the space provided by the near five-metre length well. Even with five adults on board, hearing anybody complaining about being cramped would be a surprise.
The sensation of space is helped by the minimalist dashboard and a wide centre armrest that contains a handy covered cubby hole. There’s no gear selector taking up space, either, as that’s been moved to the steering column, although the downside is that lights, indicators and wipers are all on one single column stalk. You’ll get used to it quickly enough, though.
It’s all beautifully lit, with LED lights in the dashboard, footwell, door pockets and countless other areas producing whatever ambience you like — there’s a choice of 30 colours, from a relaxing green hue through crisp white to a racy red.
Volkswagen has also addressed some of the earlier build quality issues in the ID range with improved materials, a sleeker design, and an improved perception of quality. This is now every inch a premium product.
It’s so premium that you don’t even have to do anything as manual as moving air vents yourself. Volkswagen has removed the wobbly bit of plastic we’ve used to move air vents forever, replacing them with a complex system of wiring, electric motors and touchscreen controls. Want air on your face? Simply navigate to the climate menu, select the relevant air vent from the screen, and then drag a virtual air flow indicator to the required position. Why, Volkswagen? Why?
At the back, a vast and very long boot can swallow 532 litres of family cargo, which can be extended to 1,586 litres with the seats folded down, which is only a little smaller than the Touareg SUV’s vast 1,800-litre load area.
What’s it like to drive?
A flagship model needs a flagship power plant, and the ID7 has that. For now. While we’ve got a 286hp electric motor up front, a more powerful, longer range, twin motor, four-wheel drive version of the ID7 is coming in the future.
For now, the rear-wheel drive model is the top of the range, and it’s so good that it’s unlikely you’ll need to hold back for the forthcoming variant. The 286hp is joined by 545Nm of torque, which provides effortless progress. It’s never neck-snappingly fast but gathers speed almost imperceptibly, and really rather quickly, until the scenery starts to get a little blurry. It’s relaxing rather than engaging, which probably suits the long, laid-back style of the car.
It’s not a car to suit keener drivers, as it’s primarily focused on comfort rather than dynamics, but find the limits of the car’s capabilities, and it remains controlled and balanced. Adaptive dampers are available (which we didn’t get to try) that should firm up the suspension and offer a little more excitement, but the forthcoming GTX version is the one you’ll need if you want to turn your hand to making a five-metre behemoth feel like a sports car.
The brakes take some getting used to, as there’s not much feel or power early in the pedal’s travel, which, combined with the car masking its speed, can lead to some surprisingly late braking.
Is it efficient?
Power is all well and good, but the slippery shape of the ID7 makes it quite efficient, too. On a miserable day in the midlands, we returned 3.0 miles per kWh over mixed roads, enough to cover 231 miles on a charge — that’s a long way short of the 383 miles that Volkswagen claims. That said, getting into the 300-mile territory should be easy with improved conditions and a lighter right foot.
It’ll charge at 175kW, if you find a suitable rapid charger. That means it takes just 28 minutes to top-up the car from 5% battery charge to 80%, while charging from empty to full on a standard home charger will take less than 11 hours.
Should I buy a Volkswagen ID7?
You get a lot of car for your money with the Volkswagen ID7. Our ‘Match’ trim level carries a price tag of £51,550, making it more expensive than a Polestar 2 or Hyundai Ioniq 6, but it’s also significantly larger than both. It undercuts the likes of the BMW i5 and Mercedes-Benz EQE by around £20,000, so it ends up sitting in a unique space, which will work in its favour.
Being electric, it comes with all the running cost benefits to both private and business buyers. It’s well-equipped, comfortable and spacious, which will please others. But it’s got flaws with its infotainment technology, there have been some bizarre interface decisions, it’s bland to drive, and so dull to look at that dishwater could soon be out of a job.
Model Tested: Volkswagen ID.7 Pro Match
CALIBRE Rating: ★★★☆☆
