Volkswagen ID 7 review

From the new Frasier series to Still Open All Hours, people love a reboot. That bodes well for the Volkswagen ID 7 electric car – because it too is a reboot of sorts.

You see, the Passat – Volkswagen’s executive car offering for nearly 50 years – went off sale in the UK in 2022 and is set to return as an estate car only, making the all-electric ID 7 VW’s new flagship executive car.

It’s a title Volkswagen takes seriously too. The ID 7 has loads of new technology, a spacious interior and a 77kWh battery that offers a predicted range to rival that of the BMW i4 and Tesla Model 3. Later on, it will gain an even bigger battery, said to make a non-stop journey from London to Edinburgh possible.

On the face of it, then, VW might have hit it out of the park with its new flagship electric executive car model, but is that really the case?

Can the VW ID 7 really take down the i4 and the Model 3, while also proving a better long-distance cruiser than the Mercedes EQE? Read on to find out...

Given the 384-mile range the VW ID 7 Pro promises, it makes sense that it strives to be a polished long-distance cruiser.

Polished it is, too. There's virtually no motor whine when accelerating up to motorway speeds and once you’ve reached 70mph, it produces less wind and road noise than a BMW i4 or Tesla Model 3. 

And while the ID7’s brakes are not the most progressive, we do like its adaptive regenerative braking mode (which helps the car to shed speed when you lift off the accelerator while feeding energy back into the battery).

It doesn't offer a one-pedal driving function like the Model 3 (in which you rarely need to touch the brake pedal around town), but on a motorway the system is brilliant. Using radar, it increases the level of regen if the car in front slows down, and does so in a gentle and progressive manner. 

The standard passive suspension on the ID7 delivers a ride that is comparable to a Model 3 or BYD Seal, which is to say it has a relatively firm edge and occasionally trips up over sharp-edged abrasions.

That’s why we would recommend adding the optional adaptive suspension (DCC) as part of the Exterior Pack Plus. That does a much better job of ironing out crumbly roads and delivers a level of plushness comparable to the significantly more expensive Mercedes EQE.

Dynamically, the ID 7 steers with accuracy and grips hard enough to feel relatively agile, but if you push harder you’ll find its limits sooner than you would in the sharper i4 and Model 3. Blitzing along a country road isn’t really what the ID 7 was made for though, and the optional DCC suspension does a decent enough job of reducing body lean through quick changes of direction.

A Progressive Steering system that quickens the steering response at low speeds is also available as an option but adds little to the experience.

Power comes from a single 282bhp electric motor driving the rear wheels. Now, that doesn’t sound like much power when you consider that the i4 eDrive40 has 335bhp and a Model 3 Long Range has in excess of 350bhp, but in reality it’s more than enough for most drivers. The ID 7 will officially sprint from 0-62mph in just 6.5 seconds.

We don’t doubt that number, either: the car gains pace without hesitation as you squeeze the accelerator pedal. Indeed, pulling away from junctions and overtaking slow-moving traffic is an absolute doddle.

For those after more performance, VW has announced that a sportier four-wheel-drive GTX model will arrive later on (the VW ID 4 and VW ID 5 already have GTX variants). A Pro S variant with an even bigger 86kWh battery and a range of around 430 miles will join the range at a similar time.

Performance overview

Strengths Refined at all speeds; comfortable ride; long range

Weaknesses Rivals are sharper to drive

It’s really easy to get comfortable at the wheel of the VW ID 7. Its driving position is fundamentally sound, lining you up with the pedals and steering wheel. The standard seats get plenty of electric adjustment and adjustable lumbar support, plus a memory function and massage feature.

Despite having a sweeping silhouette, which would usually come at the expense of visibility, the ID 7 is a very easy car to see out of. Indeed, the narrow front window pillars mean it’s easy to see out at junctions, while big rear windows and cut-outs in the wide rear pillars give you a great view over your shoulder.

Better still, to help you park this five-metre-long saloon, it's fitted with front and rear parking sensors, and 360-degree view cameras as standard. It also has VW’s Park Assist Plus system, which allows the car to park itself in certain spaces. Standard-fit matrix LED lights also make driving at night a doddle – you can leave them on high beam without dazzling oncoming drivers.

The driver’s instrument panel is on the slim side and isn’t configurable, but most of the information appears on the head-up display where you can see it without taking your eyes off the road.

The ID 7’s interior quality is significantly better than that of any other ID model. There’s a pleasing variety of materials, ranging from perforated vegan leather on the seats to suede inserts on the doors and soft-touch plastic on the dashboard.

The glossy black trim and the touch-sensitive climate control sliders are backlit, which adds some welcome visual glamour – as does the new 15in infotainment screen, which dominates the interior. 

That, too, is a great step forward. Not only are the touchscreen’s responses snappier than on previous ID cars, but its huge dimensions also allow you to see lots of information in one go. There are far fewer glitches than previous systems.

The software has had an overhaul and features an impressive level of customisation, allowing you to create five bespoke shortcuts at the top of the screen and change what features you see on each menu screen. 

What’s more, the voice control assistant has been upgraded with AI technology to recognise a wider range of phrases and has access to pretty much every system in the car. We found it to be inconsistent at best, which is frustrating when your hands are cold and you want to move the smart air-conditioning vents so they are pointed at your hands.

You see, like the Tesla Model 3, the ID 7 doesn’t have physical air-vent controls – instead you have to manipulate them through the climate-control screen of the infotainment system or via voice control. You can set two custom settings (at your face and at the wheel, for example) but it’s still a step back from manual vents.

Interior overview

Strengths Good interior quality; lots of parking aids; comfy driving position

Weaknesses Fiddly climate controls; no physical air vent controls

One aspect that doesn’t come across until you see it in the metal is just how big the VW ID 7 is. With a 2,966mm wheelbase (the gap between the front and rear wheels) and a length of 4,961mm, it’s even larger than the Mercedes EQE, let alone a BMW i4 or Tesla Model 3.

That leads to a spacious interior that feels airy up front and positively limo-like in the rear. A six-footer will easily fit behind a driver of the same height, and three adults can sit comfortably in the back, thanks to the flat floor.

In fact, the only demerit is that the middle seat is raised slightly, making head room tight for a six-footer sitting in the middle. 

On top of the space for people, you get a good amount of interior storage, with large door bins in the front, a deep cubby within the armrest, a generous space below the centre console, a couple of cupholders within the centre console and a place to wirelessly charge your phone.

In the rear, you’ll find door bins large enough for a bottle of water, plus two cupholders in the fold-down middle-seat armrest.

The rear seats in the ID 7 don’t do anything particularly fancy, but they split 60/40 and fold flat.

You do, however, get a ski hatch so you can pass long items through from the boot and still take two rear passengers, helping to get around the lack of more versatile 40/20/40 split-folding rear seats (which you get in the i4).

The boot itself is big with good access through a broad hatchback opening. It has a height-adjustable floor so you can eliminate the loading lip at the boot entrance.

The ID 7 has 532 litres of boot space, which is more than the i4, the EQE and the Model 3, but the Model 3 has extra space in its front boot. We managed to fit eight carry-on suitcases in the boot of the ID 7, against nine in the Model 3's two boots.

Practicality overview

Strengths Lots of head and leg room for four occupants; big boot 

Weaknesses Raised middle seat reduces head room

As a cash purchase, the VW ID 7 will cost you more than the equivalent BMW i4, BYD Seal or Tesla Model 3.

The ID 7 is expected to depreciate a little slower than those rivals, meaning you’ll get a bit more of your investment back if you decide to sell in three years. Make sure you check for the best prices using our new VW deals pages.

There’s only one trim level for the ID 7 at the moment – Pro Match – but it comes with plenty of standard kit to make up for the extra cost. That includes 19in alloy wheels, three-zone air conditioning, rain-sensing windscreen wipers, a head-up display, heated front seats with massage, rear privacy glass and a heated steering wheel. 

The optional Exterior Plus Pack includes adaptive suspension (DCC), progressive steering and laminated rear side windows (the front windows are laminated as standard).

The ID 7’s maximum charging rate of 175kW should allow you to charge it from 10-80% in around 28 minutes at a good public charger.

That’s a slower rate than the i4 and Model 3, which can accept 200kW and 250kW respectively, but due to the average speed they each hold across the charge, the ID 7 still takes about the same time. Using an 11kW home charger, the ID 7’s 77kWh battery will take around eight hours to fully charge. 

The ID 7 is too new to have been included in the 2023 What Car? Reliability Survey but VW as a brand didn’t fare particularly well. It managed to claim 22nd place out of the 32 car makers listed, placing it above Mercedes and Audi but below Tesla, BMW and Porsche. 

For some peace of mind, you get a three-year/60,000-mile standard warranty. That’s fairly average in the class. BMW and Mercedes also offer three years, but with unlimited mileage.  

Safety is a strong point for the ID 7, with the experts at Euro NCAP giving it the full five stars when they tested it in 2023. In fact, the ID 7 scored highest of any car that year in three of the four categories, proving very good at protecting adults and children in the front and rear. 

What’s more, the ID 7 comes with lots of standard safety equipment, including lane assistance and automatic emergency braking (AEB) that can detect cars, pedestrians, cyclists and motorcycles.

Costs overview

Strengths Great safety rating; lots of equipment; decent charging rate

Weaknesses More expensive than rivals; so-so warranty

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