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The onslaught of all-electric vehicles from the Volkswagen Group continues apace, with the sleek new ID.7 being unveiled April 17 across the pond. In a welcome turn, this machine is not another SUV or crossover, but rather a midsize four-door car with a sedan-like silhouette — even if that is technically a hatchback, not a trunk lid, at its rear. VW uses the word “limousine” in its bumf; we simply call it a unique option in a sea of five-door utility vehicles.
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Built on the MEB platform, Volkswagen is boasting the ID.7 has the most powerful and highest-torque electric drive motor in a Volkswagen ID. model to date, checking in at 210 kW (roughly 282 horsepower) and 402 lb-ft of torque from a single motor on the car’s rear axle. VW says this this level of power will be on tap in the ID.7 regardless of chosen battery size, meaning shoppers won’t have to shell out for a top trim to enjoy a reasonable pony count — at least, for now. A more powerful all-wheel-drive model is expected later in the ID.7’s life cycle.
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Speaking of battery size, it appears there will be two choices, though it isn’t immediately clear if both are on tap for North America. A 77-kWh unit which supports 170-kW charging is the entry selection, with an 86-kWh variant available as an option (those are net usable kWh ratings). Our readers will undoubtedly see headlines shouting about an estimated 700 kilometres of range with the latter, but it is important to note that number is projected using the endlessly optimistic WLTP testing cycle in Europe. Expect something just north of 500 clicks in this country, particularly with the smaller battery.
Aiding that range number is sleek, wind-cheating bodywork with a 0.23 coefficient of drag, which means the ID.7 is slipperier than a vote-seeking politician. The car is 195.3 inches long, making it about four inches longer than a Hyundai Ioniq 6 and nearly a foot longer than the Tesla Model 3 sedan. Inside, one will find a 15-inch infotainment screen working in concert with what the company is describing as an “augmented reality head-up display” which likely projects certain information such as navigation details onto the windshield in such a manner as to appear at a distance.
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A thin gauge cluster is tucked into the dashboard in front of the driver, avoiding a Tesla-like experience of looking to the centre tablet for everything, and VW promises it has “reacted to feedback” whilst making changes to the system’s operating and display concepts. Good. We will note with sadness those infuriatingly configured window switches remain on the driver’s door panel. Its seats, when equipped with massaging functions, have apparently earned a seal of approval from the German Campaign for Healthier Backs, a group of people your author never wants to have at his house for supper.
The new ID.7 will be produced at a Volkswagen plant in Germany for the European and North American markets. Models are expected to appear in Canada next year.
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