Volkswagen ID.7 Review
The Volkswagen ID.7 is a spacious fastback saloon with a driving range of 383 miles (WLTP) and a new and improved infotainment system.
This is a review for the Volkswagen ID.7
ID.7 is an upper mid-size fastback saloon
Spacious, with lots of rear legroom
Impressive driving range of 383 miles (WLTP range)
New, improved infotainment system
Design & Powertrain
The Volkswagen ID.7 has an aerodynamic shape, with a low drag coefficient of 0.23 Cd, and this helps it to achieve very efficient official WLTP energy consumption of 4.7 miles/kWh. A figure of around 3.5 miles/kWh is average for an EV, and 4.0 miles/kWh is good – so 4.7 miles/kWh is excellent. Combine this with a large 77 kWh (net) battery, and the result is an official WLTP driving range of 383 miles. The ID.7 has a 286 PS electric motor on the rear axle, delivering rear-wheel drive.
The ID.7 is almost 5 metres long and is built on a bespoke electric platform, resulting in a spacious interior, with lots of rear legroom, and a long boot offering 532 litres of space, or 1,586 litres with the rear seats folded down. A compartment under the false boot floor provides a large but relatively shallow space for items such as charging cables.
Driving Experience
The vast majority of electric cars are quiet and refined, but the Volkswagen ID.7 takes this to the next level, and combined with very comfortable ride quality, it provides a luxury car experience on long motorway journeys.
The rear-wheel drive chassis ensures that there’s none of the wheelspin that is all too often a characteristic of front-wheel drive EVs, and a choice of Eco, Comfort and Sport (and Individual) drive modes offers varying levels of response to inputs on the accelerator. But the ID.7 isn’t a sports saloon, and in typical Volkswagen fashion, the traction control settings don’t allow any playfulness in the handling department.
Although the overall driving experience of the ID.7 is very polished and competent, a lot of force is required on the brake pedal to bring the car to a stop.
The gear selector, which is located on a stalk on the right-hand side of the steering column, gives the options of D or B, the latter offering increased levels of brake regeneration.
A large 15-inch touchscreen sits in the centre of the dashboard and features shortcut buttons at the top of the screen, and climate control settings at the bottom of the screen. The driver can choose the individual top shortcut buttons, and the climate control settings remain visible at all times - even if Apple CarPlay is selected.
Switching off systems such as lane departure warning is also reasonably easy, with just two buttons needing to be pressed – one for assistance systems, and one for lane departure.
One of the big news stories for the ID.7 is the new smart heating and ventilation systems. The car can decide what’s needed and initiate the required heating or cooling, and the driver can select the desired airflow by adjusting the vents on the touchscreen.
But the best improvement in the ID.7 has to be the illumination of the ‘sliders’ under the touchscreen for volume and cabin temperature, meaning that, for the first time since the ID.3 was first launched with these controls in 2020, drivers can now see these controls at night. It may sound ridiculous, but Volkswagen really did forget to add any backlighting to these slider controls, and it’s taken four years to correct this.
Range & Charging
The Volkswagen ID.7 Pro Match 77 kWh 286 PS has a WLTP combined electric driving range of 383 miles. The real-world range is likely to be around 320 miles.
The ID.7 has a maximum DC rapid charging rate of 175 kW. Volkswagen claims that a 5% to 80% charge can take just 28 minutes, and a 10-minute charge can add 126 miles of range. Using an 11 kW 3-phase AC electricity supply, a charge to 100% can be completed in 8 hours.
The ID.7’s WLTP consumption figure of 4.7 miles/kWh is good news; the bad news is that a heat pump - which uses heat from the powertrain to help warm the cabin in cold weather - isn’t standard; instead it’s a £1,050 option. At least the ID.7 has heated seats and a heated steering wheel.
Price and Model
The Volkswagen ID.7 Pro Match 77 kWh 286 PS costs £51,550. The Pro Match is the only ID.7 trim level currently available (apart from the limited run Pro Launch Edition). The ID.7 is due to be available with three battery sizes, including the largest battery yet to appear in an electric Volkswagen, at 91 kWh (86 kWh usable capacity), which is expected to give a range of up to 435 miles.
The ID.7 has an augmented-reality (AR) head-up display as standard, automatically controlled air vents with electronic actuators, new ergoActive seats with a new massage function and automatic air conditioning in the top-of-the-range seat.
The ID.7 is the first Volkswagen to be available with the new ‘Smart Glass’ panoramic roof, which can be switched to become either transparent or opaque almost instantly via an electronic layer in the glass.
The ID.7 has an 8 year/100,000 mile battery warranty.
Equipment Highlights
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19-inch alloy wheels
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15-inch navigation infotainment display
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Augmented reality head-up display
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Area view and rear-view camera
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Keyless Access
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Air Care Climatronic (3-zone) with rear air conditioning control panel
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Front massage seats
Conclusion
The Volkswagen ID.7 offers an impressive driving range of 383 miles, luxury car levels of refinement and ride comfort, and limousine levels of legroom for rear seat passengers. The infotainment system has been successfully improved, with the new permanent top shortcut buttons and bottom climate controls making it much easier to operate basic car controls. So the ID.7 is an excellent car overall, but don’t expect a sports saloon driving experience, and watch out for the poor brake feel.