CLASSY VW PUTS YOU IN SEVEN HEAVEN

This is Volkswagen’s largest electric car and boy does it look big. At almost five metres long, the ID.7 exceeds even the ID.Buzz van-cum-people carrier by 249mm.

It’s also VW’s first electric saloon and will soon be joined by an estate version called the Tourer.

The saloon, however, has a rear tailgate so is pretty practical in itself. The Tourer will be most welcome though as consumers aren’t spoilt for choice when it comes to electric estate cars, especially at this price point.

The ID.7 Pro Match that we’re testing costs £50,670 which is not bad value by EV standards. In price it is close to the Tesla Model 3 but in size it is a rival to the Model S.

Volkswagen badges its high performance twin motor models as GTXs and fairly soon an ID.7 GTX will be with us. For the moment, however, our car’s single 282bhp electric motor – driving the rear wheels as is VW’s preference (because they say it is more efficient) – is your only option.

The battery is a 77kWh pack which VW says will propel the car to a maximum range of 383 miles.

But in order to manage that range you’d need to keep energy consumption down to around 4.9miles/kWh and that’s extremely optimistic in the real world. Achieving 300 miles will be a big enough challenge.

A heat pump helps with range but unfortunately that system is a £1,050 option. It’s probably worth having at the expense of cosmetic extras.

Rapid charging is possible up to 170kW, a rate beaten by the similarly priced Model 3 Long Range, which can charge at a 250kW maximum.

In reality the ID.7 can charge from 5-80% in 28 minutes, which is similar to the Tesla.

Volkswagen got off to a bad start with its EVs. The ID.3, the first of the ID line up, was widely criticised for its poor interior quality and for the unreliability and usability of the infotainment system and controls – and rightly so.

It was an oversight similar to Mercedes’ decision in the 90s. On realising that it was spending too much money building its cars, it dropped the quality and almost trashed a century of a solid reputation. Volkswagen realised its error with the ID.3 and has done a far better job here.

There are soft- touch materials in all the right places and the overall quality is well up to that of the car’s rivals.

Also good news is that the software for the infotainment system works much better – and the heater controls are thankfully now backlit so can be adjusted at night.

There’s plenty of space in the 7, front and back. The boot is big, too, holding 532 litres.

The opening is large and the rear seats fold flat so you can get a lot of clobber in. It suggests that the Tourer or estate version is going to be a real load swallower.

The ID.7 won’t see where a Tesla has gone but is more than quick enough, managing 0-62mph in 6.5 seconds.

Much more desirable is the Volkswagen serene and smooth progress. Double-glazed side windows make it almost silent around town and pretty quiet on motorways.

Handling is secure and traction is excellent even on wet roads.

The ID.7 is, along with the ID. Buzz, the most desirable and polished of VW’s current EVs.