Worse for wire
FOR Proven electric package, when it works, it works
AGAINST Lots of irritating niggles – what happened VW?
Back in the day a car used to be finished before you bought it but in this brave new world of over the air updates and pervasive electronics you could end up with a very different car by the time you’re finished driving it around
Volkswagen is very excited about how its latest OS update makes its EVs charge faster and answers some of the criticisms about the setup it’s all relative the lane keep assist has been moved to a slightly closer submenu But of course you can’t magic any physical buttons inside over G Nor can you improve the slightly disappointing interior quality
At any rate the new ID ’s hardware is familiar cribbed entirely from the ID SUV and enjoying much in common with the Skoda Enyaq iV Coupe The ’s sensible back end has been sleekened to a coupelike finish this is the stylish option you see and it comes with a new GTX badge that’s intended to channel the spirit of those GTIs we all love from back in the Eighties and convince people that EVs can be speedy and cool Does it work? Not really
It’s certainly brisk but it doesn’t really do enough to justify the cynical association with the fabled badge The GTX will certainly get you along a country road swiftly enough but with no sense of satisfaction or real driver engagement Likewise it’s plenty punchy on the motorway all the way up to its mph top speed no doubt but you’ll soon find yourself worrying about the range you’ve got left to enjoy the speediness too much
The coupe roofline is the only real differentiation between the ID and ID aside from the pokier motors But does anyone need a twotonne electric VW SUV that does mph in secs? Opt for a Pro or Pro Performance model and the ID will be a benignly useful presence in the background hum of your life But VW builds a nice electric powertrain we’ll hand it that the car is capable of impressive economy considering its size and the GTX Max will even tow kg of braked trailer The lesser specs manage an extra miles out of the kWh battery with miles of WLTP range
Whatever the powertrain’s benefits though it suffers by association with an infotainment system with enough inherent flaws remaining to make it worrisome The car is characterised by the tension between its smart touches and weak spots And just look at the price Ouch Rather than being a modern electric driver’s car it feels like a machine imposing itself on you and the Golf GTI wasn’t built by engineers who thought they knew better