Finally ! After several months of teasing that began at the last edition of CES in Las Vegas, Volkswagen has officially lifted the veil on its new electric grand tourer. Presented simultaneously in several major cities around the world, the event demonstrates the global ambitions of this model. It is expected in European dealerships this year.
” The key word is autonomy », announces Imelda Labbé, member of the management board in charge of sales, marketing and after-sales of Volkswagen in her speech live from Berlin. And to announce not without pride that theID. 7 will be able to have up to 700 kilometers of WLTP autonomy on its best-priced versions. Understand by this that it will be necessary to use the most capable battery pack, while we still do not know everything about the autonomy provided for the entry-level models. The fact remains that the subject is sensitive and that for the brand which plans that 80% of its models will be 100% electric by 2030, it is necessary to be able to drive an electric vehicle over long distances because that is what customers expect a car, a road one at that.
To complete the picture, Volkswagen announces reduced charging times, thanks to the 200 kW that its battery can collect on fast chargers, enough to go from 10 to 80% in just 18 minutes when all the planets are well aligned. Unfortunately, we will not know more about the consumption data still being standardized at the time of writing these lines, but the batteries offered should offer 77 to 86 kWh. No “small” battery, therefore, but rather an upgrade on the best-priced versions.
A new in-house engine
What we do know, however, is that after the ID. 3, ID. 4, ID. 5, ID. 6 (reserved for the Chinese market) and the ID. Buzz, the ID. 7 is the brand’s sixth vehicle designed on the MEB platform. Almost 5 meters long, it is set to replace the venerable Passat in the hearts of families who have not yet converted to the SUV. This 5-door, 5-seater sedan is equipped with a 210 kW (286 horsepower) and 545 Nm engine designed in part by Volkswagen and which drives the rear wheels. For the moment, it will be the only definition available, regardless of the battery capacity. The Wolfsburg builder claims it is much more energy efficient than those in the IDs. that we already know, which in our opinion was not a very difficult challenge to take up as VW had to progress compared to its competition on this item.
On the design side, once the camouflage is lifted, the car seems particularly wise. No extravagant lines, we feel a design that is certainly very horizontal and rational, but above all dictated by the science of aerodynamics. Moreover, it claims a Cx (drag coefficient) of 0.23 – the same as that of a Tesla Model 3. Standing on its beautiful 20-inch rims, we could even qualify the style as quite conservative. But this is hardly surprising when it comes to conveying German automotive know-how in Beijing as well as Berlin, Paris, New York or Los Angeles. If we do not escape the large luminous surfaces, the rest is very conventional.
A neat interior, but an air of déjà vu
Inside, on the other hand, the treatment has greatly progressed compared to the roughness of that which we could observe in the IDs. 3, ID. 4 or even ID. 5. Hard plastics give way here to versions offering a more pleasant foam touch, at the very least perceived in a more qualitative way, even if hardness in itself is not synonymous with poor quality. The atmosphere, moreover, participates in this obvious move upmarket. The door panels are also more appealing, with stylized backlighting in the upper part, which can vary in up to 30 colors depending on the configuration chosen. On the other hand, the opening controls unfortunately repeat the very impractical control of the rear windows associated with the REAR button which generally never fails to be touched and therefore activated.
The cockpit is structured around a large 15-inch central screen slightly oriented towards the driver. Between the two front occupants, a huge storage compartment is extended by an armrest which also hides a spacious storage area. Behind the steering wheel, the instrument cluster fits into the line of air vents, which is reminiscent of what we saw recently on the Aiways U6. The resemblance is even disturbing. In any case, the integration is successful. Finally, projected onto the windscreen, the head-up display incorporates augmented reality to make life easier for the driver when the navigation is activated. As for the controls, while the vast majority of them are still hidden in the interface menus, the air conditioning settings have direct and permanent access and shortcuts are programmable for the user’s favorite functions. . From this point of view, VW admits to having listened to its customers.
From comfort to program
When it comes to comfort, Volkswagen didn’t skimp. The seats are massaging and have an individual air conditioning system. Above the head, the panoramic glass roof has a variable electronic shading device – called smart glass – which allows the glass to be made more or less opaque according to the passengers’ wishes. In addition, the ventilation system can automatically come to life when the vehicle detects the approach of the driver, allowing a gain in comfort even if the cabin preconditioning has not been activated before. Finally, the passengers will not lack space, thanks to the wheelbase which is close to 3 meters. The trunk itself displays just over 530 liters under the luggage cover.
Finally, but we expected no less, the driving aids are up to date. For example, the Travel Assist function manages the four sides of the vehicle and can therefore assist lane changes on its own, while parking can be automated. For several places saved by the user, it is thus possible to let the car park itself for the last 50 meters of maneuver, even if you leave the vehicle.
Probably high prices
If the car is expected for this year in France, the final prices have not yet been revealed. However, it is rumored that they would probably be above the 60,000 euro mark for the basic model. An addition that the services will have to justify, which we can’t wait to be able to validate during the first tests!
Far from being behind on the diversity of the offer, Volkswagen is stepping up its offensive and maintaining its objective of offering ten new electric models by the end of 2026, including the city car ID. 2all and an elongated variant of the ID. buzz. Well finished and richly endowed, this ID. 7 should on paper respond favorably to the needs of large riders. The very conservative style will perhaps scare away more than one, but the fact is that it is this very Germanic style that the sedan enthusiast most often ends up buying.
