Volkswagen’s ID.4 compact SUV is already in its third model yr, and the ID.Buzz retro minivan comes subsequent. It is solely logical that the following ID shall be a sedan, and it is going to be dubbed ID.7. The ID.7 remains to be greater than a yr off, however we simply drove it, in disguised type, in Spain.
The ID.7 is constructed on an enlarged model of the MEB platform that undergirds the ID.4 and ID.Buzz. The 7 is solidly mid-size with nearly precisely the identical size and the identical width as a Honda Accord, although its 116.8-inch wheelbase is 5.4 inches longer and its 60.6-inch top is 3.5 inches taller.
When the primary ID.7 goes on sale, it is going to use the identical 77.0-kWh battery used within the higher-trim variations of the ID.4, and a single electrical motor will energy its rear wheels.
This motor, nevertheless, is extra highly effective than the ID.4’s rear motor, growing 282 horsepower as an alternative of 201, together with 402 pound-feet of torque as an alternative of 229. This elevated output comes from extra highly effective everlasting magnets, a stator with extra windings and wires with a bigger cross-section, and a extra environment friendly cooling system that features a liquid-cooled and gearbox oil circuit to keep up the correct temperature within the motor.
Simply as in an internal-combustion engine, utilizing a warmth exchanger with a liquid circuit together with the oil serves to warmth up the oil extra shortly after a “chilly” begin, reducing its viscosity and friction. The helical enamel within the discount gears have additionally been micro-polished to cut back their friction.
This powertrain effectivity is complemented by the ID.7’s a lot improved aerodynamic efficiency in contrast with the ID.4. The sedan’s longer and decrease physique facilitates a extra streamlined form. Mixed with particulars akin to a steeply raked windshield, easily curved roofline, integral rear spoiler, facet air vents to assist airflow across the wheels, and a curler blind to dam off the radiator in entrance, the ID.7 achieves a drag coefficient of 0.23.
In contrast, the ID.4’s Cd varies from 0.27 to 0.29, and with its 3.8- to 4.5-inch-taller roof, it punches a a lot bigger and extra ragged gap within the air. In truth, the small SUV has about 30 % extra aerodynamic drag than the brand new sedan.
VW says that these enhancements give the ID.7 a variety of 382 miles, in line with the European WLTP normal. We anticipate that to show into round 320 miles on the EPA assessments. And afterward, the Professional S model may have a bigger 86.0-kWh battery, which ought to add one other 30 to 35 miles. That is first rate for a big automotive with out a large battery.
With its lengthy wheelbase, there’s loads of house for 2 rows of seats, and the excessive roof supplies first rate headroom regardless of the rack of batteries beneath your ft. A 5-foot-11 rear-seat passenger sitting behind a similar-size driver can cross their legs with out contortions. And there is loads of cargo house within the hatchback physique, notably when the rear seats are folded—conveniently utilizing releases within the baggage space. It seems like you could possibly simply take a nap again there.
The cockpit is properly completed, however the largest change is within the format of the newly enlarged 15.0-inch show display screen. It addresses a lot of the complaints in regards to the irritating and convoluted programming of the ID.4’s present infotainment system. First, there is a row of always-present, digital buttons that runs the total width throughout the underside of the display screen. These management all main climate-control capabilities. Now you may flip in your seat heaters with a single motion, similar to you could possibly in 1980.
Throughout the highest of the display screen, there is a thinner band that is obtainable so that you can place the icons controlling your favourite capabilities, so that you not have to barter the a number of layers of the menu to entry them as an alternative of being attentive to your driving. The system additionally supplies the choice of subdividing the display screen in a number of methods, akin to two-thirds for navigation and splitting the remaining third in two—utilizing one for the telephone and the opposite for the journey laptop—or no matter you like. It is an enormous enchancment.
In ID trend, the show in entrance of the driving force is tiny—even smaller than the smartphone-sized display screen on the ID.4. Data is minimal. Nonetheless, a head-up show is normal on the ID.7 and presents a helpful quantity of selectable data proper within the driver’s discipline of view.
Different inside options embody good air vents that swivel facet to facet and up and down with the help of electrical motors. Simply inform the automotive to heat your arms, and the system directs scorching air towards the steering wheel. There’s additionally an non-compulsory sunroof that may be switched from clear to opaque on the contact of a button. Massaging seats incorporate pelvic therapeutic massage into the seat cushion, along with the therapeutic massage capabilities on the backrest. You can too choice a 14-speaker, 700-watt Harman/Kardon sound system.
We had a brief drive on a decent back-road loop, and the ID.7 felt rock stable, with a surprisingly agency journey. Shocking as a result of the ID.7 comes with electronically managed dampers that adapt to situations inside 4 drive modes. The drive modes additionally change the steering effort, which felt much less artificial within the Consolation setting. Brake-pedal motion additionally feels considerably synthetic, although the transition from regen to friction braking was effectively muted.
However physique management is superb, as we have come to anticipate in vehicles with about half a ton of batteries beneath the ground. You’ll be able to bend the ID.7 into corners confidently, and grip was greater than sufficient with the staggered 235/45 and 255/40 20-inch tires on our automotive.
And whereas the ID.7 will set no new EV acceleration information, it felt loads peppy. The ID.7 weighs about the identical as an all-wheel-drive ID.4 and has barely much less energy and much more torque than that automotive’s two motors can present. As such, we would guess a 60-mph time within the mid- to low-5.0-second vary. If and when a dual-motor model arrives, the extra 100 horsepower and 100 pound-feet might simply slice a second from that.
The ID.7 will hit our shores someday in 2024 as a ’25 model. With that date to this point out, pricing is undefined. Given the usual head-up show and digital HVAC vents, we anticipate this automotive will most likely begin within the mid-$50,000 vary. Will probably be assembled in VW’s Emden, Germany, plant, that means it will not be eligible for an EV tax credit score. Whereas such a value was solidly in luxurious territory, in these inflationary occasions, it is barely above common, that means VW’s electrical sedan can nonetheless declare a “individuals’s automotive” mantle.
Contributing Editor
Csaba Csere joined Automotive and Driver in 1980 and by no means actually left. After serving as Technical Editor and Director, he was Editor-in-Chief from 1993 till his retirement from energetic obligation in 2008. He continues to dabble in automotive journalism and LeMons racing, in addition to ministering to his 1965 Jaguar E-type, 2017 Porsche 911, and trio of bikes—when not snowboarding or mountaineering close to his residence in Colorado.
