Volkswagen ID.7 review: The German's doing what they do best

It has been a tough couple of months for Volkswagen in Ireland from a public relations point of view.

First there was the decision to cut €10,000 off the list price of several of the company’s electric models, which not only enraged all those who’d paid the original asking price for those cars (understandably, it has to be said), but also anyone who had one and was looking to trade in against something else.

Then there was the announcement that VW was set to commence direct sales to its customers in the coming years, effectively spelling the death-knell for its dealer network. Quite how long it will take to see the dealers vanish is a moot point, but the fact that VW had twitched the rug left many shaken – and not just VW dealers.

These were big decisions and not crowd-pleasers either, but you have to remember as a leader of the vanguard of manufacturers who pledged all-electric motoring by a certain date (largely thanks to the disastrous ‘Dieselgate’ scandal in which it duped regulators about the ‘clean’ nature of exhaust emissions from its products), VW were treading into unknown territory.

Now that consumers have realised that electric motoring was not yet the panacea they wished for and sales have fallen considerably, the industry is now taking stock. Ford has reappraised its commitment to EVs, Fiat is considering retrofitting EVs with petrol or hybrid engines and the Chinese are now facing stinging European tariffs.

In the middle of all this confusion/panic Volkswagen chose the moment to introduce their newest electric – and perhaps their best stab at the genre yet – the ID.7. It is indeed ironic that this car should arrive at this time, especially as it is not even an SUV, the soup du jour for most buyers.

What we have here is a family saloon/fastback which is similar in size with some of the most impressive EVs we have yet seen, but all of which come from premium manufacturers. It is comparable with such as the BMW i5 and the Mercedes EQE, but while it has a similar range and recharging times as those cars, it is considerably cheaper.

It is huge in size – exterior and interior – and is also powerful, fast and has among the best ride and handling qualities of any car we have driven in recent times, petrol or EV. This is truly an imposing and quality product.

Sure, it is not without its faults and it has to be said that the operating system – that which controls the infotainment, connectivity, climate and car settings – is still a bugbear here, but wildly more operator-friendly that those which beset the ID.3 and ID.4 models and which drove owners to distraction.

Somewhat curiously, for what is such a good car overall. The ID.7 is not endowed with particularly stunning good looks and it is certainly far from being as pretty, say, as the company’s Arteon (particularly in Shooting Brake guise) or the incomparably cute ID. Buzz.

As is the case with many electrics, there is a sort of ‘me-too’ vibe going on, as so many of them look like they emerged from the same AI programme. The blandness of the design is deceiving, however, as what lies underneath is actually quite special.

Were there no badges illustrating who made it, it would be possible to speculate that it could be Japanese, French, Italian or Korean. In fact, the car it looks most like is the new Peugeot 408 (and sister car, the Citroen C-5X), two machines which we have posited could pose as a new generation of non-SUV SUVs.

If there is a move away from the ubiquitous SUV by Joe and Jane Public, then cars such as those French and this German could well be the trendsetters. History will eventually relate whether or not we are correct in this analysis, but there is definitely some sort of trend going on and the ID.7 is most certainly part of it.

Anyway, at more than five metres long, the ID.7 is quite vast but, oddly, once you are behind the wheel it doesn’t quite feel that way because, despite its obvious length, it is actually narrower than the wheelbase would suggest. And the fact it has a built-in nimbleness (the turning circle is only a smidgin less than 11m) makes it feel less bulky than it actually is.

The main winners in all this are actually the rear seat passengers who could well throw a party back there, so much room is there. The boot is huge here too and golfers should note it is well able to swallow as many bags as you can throw at it.

There is plenty of room up front too, although it doesn’t seem to be overly big, partly perhaps because of the outsized centre screen – a 15-incher – which sits in the middle of the otherwise uncluttered dash.

Thankfully this system is a big advance on those seen in the early ID models which were infuriating and badly designed in equal measure. Sadly, in this instance, the controversial ‘sliders’ which control volume and temperature are still there and still bloody annoying. Otherwise the whole thing works well, although you do have to familiarise yourself with all the controls before you set off anywhere, because you don’t want to be doing it on the move.

While you can get different spec levels, as you should, the car is only available right now as a rear wheel drive and there is only one choice of electric motor, which offers you 284 bhp and translates into a top speed of 180 km/h and a 6.5 second 0-100 km/h time. It also has an official range of 641 km, which, like a lot of later electrics, is getting to the point of acceptability.

It is how it goes about its business, however, that defines this car. The hush that characterises the ID.7 when it is on the move is quite extraordinary and redolent of many other more renowned – and expensive – beasts. And the way it rides and handles in the way of a big Merc or Beemer is indicative too of how much good work VW has done here.

Wind, road and tyre noise are almost completely absent, which is remarkable and almost a tad eerie. But you soon get used to the sophistication of what’s on offer and we’re talking seriously here along the lines not so much of ‘best in class,’ but of ‘best in class, ever.’ 

Volkswagen once had a reputation for making top drawer cars for reasonable money. It seems that with the ID.7 they’ve remembered how to do what they do best. This is not just a fine EV; it is a fine car by any standards.

* My thanks to Blackwater Motors for their help with making this review possible.