First drive of the all-electric Volkswagen ID.3
Early taste of production-ready electric hatchback leaves us wanting more
THIS is the Volkswagen that we’ve been waiting for a long time to drive: the ID.3. It’s arguably the most important new car that Europe’s largest manufacturer has launched since the first-generation Golf arrived in 1974.
There have been delays – not just from the worldwide coronavirus shutdown, but also because of plenty of bug-fixing required at VW’s end – yet the all-electric ID.3, the brand’s first purpose-built, massproduced electric car, is finally on the road. Sales begin in Europe later this month, while potential British buyers will be able to finalise their purchases in July, ahead of first deliveries in September.
The arrival of the ID.3 heralds the beginning of what will be a transformative period not just for the VW brand, but for the Group as a whole. The ID.3 is the company’s first real swipe at Tesla on its own turf, and to arm itself properly for the electric future, VW will invest the not-insignificant sum of 30billion
Euros (£27bn) over the next three years in its brand-new MEB electric car platform.
As a C-segment family hatchback, the ID.3 isn’t quite a direct rival for either the Tesla Model 3 saloon or Model Y compact SUV. While it could appeal to Tesla buyers, it’s best to think of it as an all-electric alternative to the Golf.
From launch, British buyers will only be offered the 1st Edition Plus version of the ID.3, which is set to be priced from around £39,000 before any government incentives, but with one or two features missing from day one. Software updates for features such as the park-assist system and smartphone app connectivity will be available to download not long after the first cars hit the road. And importantly, when the entrylevel ID.3 arrives, it will be offered from around £27,000 – roughly what you’d expect to pay for a decently specced Golf.
For ease of production, the launch version of the ID.3 is available with a single powertrain option. A 201bhp electric motor drives the rear axle, while a 58kWh battery pack sits under the floor. Maximum range on a single charge is claimed to be 261 miles. A less expensive ID.3 with a 45kWh battery and a claimed range of 205 miles is coming, as is a more pricey longrange variant, with a 77kWh battery and up to 341 miles of range.
Fast recharging can be achieved at speeds of up to 100kW, enabling around 180 miles of battery power to be replenished in half an hour. It’s a standard feature on the 58kWh 1st Edition, but cheaper versions will likely be capped at a 50kW charge rate on a three-phase plug. For recharging at home, the ID. Charger Connect wallbox is offered, enabling 11kW charging on a threephase connector, and the standard 7.2kW speed on a single-phase plug. Either way, a full recharge overnight is possible.
Start driving the ID.3 and one figure immediately leaps out – the 310Nm of torque, delivered instantly with a dip of the pedal. The ID.3 does 0-37mph (60kph) in roughly 3.7 seconds, which is likely to even outpace a Golf GTI from a standstill. And beyond the instant burst of power we’re now accustomed to in EVs, the electric newcomer doesn’t show itself up – far from it. It accelerates smoothly and easily up to motorway speeds, all the way to its electronically limited top speed of 99mph. VW says 0-62mph takes 7.3 seconds in 1st Edition models, by way of a small performance upgrade. Standard versions of the ID.3 will do it in around 9.0 seconds.
One thing in particular that sets the ID.3 apart from the competition is not how it feels to get going, but how it feels to bring it to a stop. The braking system feels far more natural than in competitors. By default the ID.3 coasts with no brake or throttle input, just like a combustion-engined car, while engaging the energy-recuperate system gives the one-pedal driving you get in many other electric cars.
But hit the brake pedal and it feels very normal, without the inconsistencies found in the braking systems of other EVs. That’s because most of the ID.3’s energy is recovered not at the wheels, but well