Spectacular in the drive area, bold in design, surprising in terms of assistance and infotainment: the VW ID.7 is not all of that. Rather, VW has concentrated on gradually avoiding the weaknesses of the previous ID models. The sedan does not mark a bold new beginning, but is to be understood as a further development of the well-known line in new packaging. This experiment could well be successful.
VW ID.7: No electric Passat
The ID.7 is often referred to as an electric Passat, which somewhat disguises the fact that it is a whole class larger. At 4.97 m, it is about as long as a Mercedes E-Class, but it is around 20 cm longer than the current Passat. The ID.7 measures almost three meters between the axles. The space conditions are therefore even better than in the Passat. There is also plenty of space for four adults. At 532 liters, the trunk is not quite as ample, but VW will add more here. The ID.7 should also be available as a station wagon by next year at the latest. After all: The trunk of the sedan can also be easily loaded via a huge tailgate.
Interior Nobles
Under the hashtag “Love brand”, Volkswagen wants to become a brand that – again – appears desirable. A step in this direction should be taken with the interior. After a lot of criticism of the poor interior lining of the ID.3, VW does it better in the much more expensive ID.7: the surfaces appear finer, the design less pieced together. Almost all functions are operated via a central 15-inch screen. Important menu items can be reached via tiles at the bottom edge. If they were a little bigger, you would have to aim less precisely when you’re out and about.
(Picture: VW)
Initially only with 210 kW
For the time being, VW is offering a drive with 210 kW and 545 Nm in the ID.7. More and less should be firmly planned. The electric drive, internally called APP550, promises VW to offer more power and efficiency compared to the electric motors in the other ID models. The stator winding has more turns and a larger wire diameter. A water cooling jacket is housed on the outside of the stator. Transmission cooling without a pump is also new. According to VW, the oil in the transmission is distributed through gears and correspondingly shaped components in the transmission.
Two batteries
The battery in the ID.7 Pro, which will be launched in autumn, has 77 kWh. In the coming year there will be a version with 85 kWh with the ID.7 Pro S – a fairly manageable progress. For the first time in the modular electrical kit, the battery is preconditioned. Under certain circumstances, this reduces wear and increases charging performance. It remains at a voltage level of 400 volts, but the charging capacity increases slightly. It should be up to 170 kW in connection with the small battery, 200 kW at the top with the 85 kWh storage. Among other things, it is thanks to the good aerodynamics that the sedan should achieve a range of up to 700 km in a cycle.
VW has to make progress in the field of electronics, because even this brand can hardly afford a false start like with the ID.3 a second time. The software has now reached version number 4.0. Customers should feel this, among other things, in an intelligent lane departure warning system. It works, so VW promises, even on roads without road markings – as long as at least 10 cars have driven this route beforehand and their data is stored anonymously on the VW server.
Delivery starts in late summer
The ID.7 will be delivered from late summer, although VW is still not showing what the sedan will cost. A base price of around 60,000 euros can be expected. This no longer has anything to do with a Volkswagen in the original sense. Nevertheless, the ID.7 should have its chance, after all, the brand is globally successful with a conservative design. If the processing quality is right and the software does at least what it should be able to do, with few errors, the sedan could succeed despite modest progress in the drive area. In relation to Europe, this applies all the more to the station wagon, which is due to debut in 2023.
(mfz)
