Volkswagen ID.7 review – Wolfsburg’s answer to the BMW i5
The all-electric ID.7 saloon is Volkswagen’s largest EV yet, and it has some tough competition
Larger than a Mercedes-Benz EQE and near-identical in dimensions to the BMW i5, the ID.7 is the largest EV in Volkswagen’s lineup. Unlike most of its German rivals, though, it’s not targeting the luxury end of the market, and has instead found itself a niche with impressive range and practicality, without the high price tag of rivals from BMW and Mercedes-Benz.
There are tradeoffs Volkswagen has had to make in order to bring its price down to this level, though, with outright performance even at the very top of the range only just enough to match the entry-level BMW equivalent. What it doesn’t miss out on, though, is a high range figure, with Volkswagen’s engineers making the most of its large footprint and equipping it with its largest ever battery pack.
> Volkswagen ID.7 GTX review – Wolfsburg’s most powerful estate targets the BMW i5
While some will miss the premium touch offered elsewhere in the segment, the ID.7 is undoubtedly an option worth considering for those looking for practicality and class-leading range in a more affordable package. There’s even a Tourer body style in all three of its trim levels, helping it stand out in a market chock full of saloons and SUVs.
Volkswagen ID.7: in detail
- Engine, gearbox and technical highlights > Identically powerful single motor, rear-wheel drive variants are available with battery packs of two sizes, with a dual-motor all-wheel drive powertrain the most potent
- Performance and 0-60 time > It won’t break the laws of physics, but performance is strong is across the board, at least matching entry-level offerings from more premium manufacturers
- Ride and handling > The ID.7 feels its size and weight, but it meets its brief well, comfortable and composed. The tweaked GTX is our pick of the bunch
- MPG and running costs > Real-world efficiency of over 4mi/kWh is respectable, with its slippery design said to help extract an impressive 436 miles from the middling Pro S Match
- Interior and tech > It’s a step down from more premium German manufacturers, but improved materials and plenty of standard kit help make the ID.7 a pleasant place to be
- Design > High-tech lighting is a neat party trick, but awkward proportions and a heavily aero-led design don’t help mask its dimensions
Price, specs and rivals
The Volkswagen ID.7 range consists of three variants: the Pro Match, Pro S Match and range-topping GTX. You’ll pay £51,580 for the entry-level Pro Match in saloon-form (£52,270 for the Tourer), which gets you a single-motor, rear-wheel drive powertrain and a 77kWh battery pack. Jump up the range to the £55,480 Pro S Match saloon (£56,170 Tourer) and you get an identical powertrain, only now with more standard kit and a larger 86kWh battery pack for a headline 436-mile range figure. The GTX saloon range-topper costs from £62,010 (£62,700 for the Tourer), and while it has the same 86kWh as the Pro S Match, it features a unique dual-motor, all-wheel drive powertrain, bespoke styling and the most standard kit of the three.
You might think that £60,000+ is an awful lot for an electric Volkswagen, but it’s easy to see the draw of the ID.7 when you stack it up against rivals. For (marginally) less on-paper performance than the range-topping ID.7 GTX, the entry-level BMW i5 will set you back £67,695, with the story similar for the even less powerful Mercedes-Benz EQE, at £69,105. If you’re not looking for quite as much interior space, the Tesla Model 3 Performance costs less at £59,990, offering considerably more performance with a 2.9sec 0-60mph time – the £44,990 Model 3 Long Range rear-wheel drive still offers more performance than the ID.7 GTX and boasts a 436-mile WLTP range to match the Pro S Match.
