I’m among just six reporters from American outlets who were invited to this remote area close to the Mediterranean coastline of Spain which lies between Valencia as well as Alicante. Volkswagen has put in an enormous amount of logistical work – complex flight plans, numerous hotels, on-site experts, and workshops for me to sit behind the wheel of a bare prototype and drive an hour through mountains.
The reason behind the commotion is the forthcoming (though not yet in production) 2025 Volkswagen ID.7 Electric Wagon, an all-new model for the company’s efforts in electrification. However, my notes of the test drive are filled with caution the cars I drove were not in production. If you’re interested in knowing the whole story the official launch post as well as our Everything We Know feature goes into greater detail. Then, the amuse-bouche confirms that Volkswagen is breaking new ground by introducing this electric vehicle that’s near-luxury.
2025 Volkswagen ID.7 Electric Wagon Review
The ID.7 is a VW electronic drive system that is modular with the rest of the ID family (that’s ID.4 and ID. Buzz in the US) and also the well-known 86.0-kilowatt-hour (77.0 kWh ) battery that is usable) that has a 400-volt design. Drivers from other countries can choose a 91.0-kWh battery (86.0-kWh gross) but it will not be arriving on our shores.
In large part due to the car’s slippy 0.23 coefficient of drag (which corresponds to the Tesla Model 3, for instance) Expect the battery with a smaller capacity ID.7 to have a better range than the maximum of 265 miles that comes with the ID.4. However, it’s safe to say that we’ll not get anything close to officially-released EPA performance or range figures for a while as the car isn’t expected to launch across the US until the second quarter of 2024.
I tested the single motor, rear-drive version of the ID.7 and can say that the brand new electric motor is a welcomed new addition to the portfolio of the company. With 282 horsepower and 402 pounds of torque, along with stronger permanent magnets inside the rotor as well as a revised stator, the ID.7 can put power on the pavement with ease. The acceleration felt good when I caught up with and sometimes passed slower-moving motorists on our mountain roads only However, it’ll require longer to experience the results on the high-speed US highways. Four drive modes control how the ID.7 is driven in the more comprehensive “Driving Dynamics Manager” suite of applications. This is where I’m advising that my impressions may not be accurate to the actual vehicle because the system was not completely developed in the initial prototype.
Driving
There wasn’t any significant difference in the suspension or steering response when I switched between Comfort or Sport Eco and Individual modes. I tried as hard as I could to figure out the differences. Sport mode does offer an incredibly powerful accelerator which is what you’d expect and also seemed to boost the effect of braking due to motor regeneration. VW experts were not in a position to confirm or deny the claim that enhanced regen was a component of the Sports programming, instead speculating that I might have felt GPS-enabled prescriptive deceleration when driving on the steep and winding road.
I’m not entirely certain how to connect the most accurate guess of The VW group with my personal experience in the real world, to be honest. Again, we’ll require more time in a production-ready vehicle to find some answers. I’m able to confirm that there’s not one-pedal driving in the ID.7. Volkswagen along with its portfolio partner Porsche has adopted the concept of coasting over regeneration to improve effectiveness, and this is the right choice. But for someone like me, who prefers the one-pedal approach in city driving, the absence of any kind of configuration is a nagging issue.
ID.7’s ultra-aerodynamic shape has had a huge impact on the inside of the cabin experience since the car was incredibly quiet in the roadway. It was again on two-lane roads with speeds that seldom exceeded 70 mph. So the test isn’t yet complete. However, the potential is apparent for top-quality NVH. The room will be a bit crowded with sound that’s not present in my car and also. It’s not clear if you can switch those sounds off, but you could at least set the individual mode to match your personal preference audio – let’s hope it’s compelling audio.
The overall ride quality appears to support Volkswagen’s position as a business-oriented experience. In a few areas of poor roads, loose gravel, and speed bumps that were a part of the midst of a town the ride was comfortable and free of roughness from any type of impact. The tuning for the damping adaptive system in every mode I played was geared towards the comfort of high-speed stability rather than sporting response. The steering tune was roughly the same. The electric rack with a variable ratio will do everything to gently guide you through gentle curves. The feedback is very minimal, the turn-in process is slow and the weighting is mid-range. VW describes the ride experience as “the electric business class” therefore the sluggish handling and steering hit the desired target.
While I was driving the test model ID.7 with a disguised interior I was able to enjoy a car with an unveiled cabin and experience many of the exciting features that are coming into production. Engineers and designers have worked to achieve the biz-casual style (and even correct some of the flaws in ID.4). The most significant modification for drivers is the way information is presented. The car displays a tiny non-configurable information display, in the place where an instrument cluster would typically be located. Instead, a huge, bright multicolored heads-up display is now a standard feature as well as a truly eye-level representation of Volkswagen’s Virtual Cockpit experience. It is easy to set the HUD to display battery status information, navigational indicators media, and much more. If I didn’t wear my glasses with polarization, it was bright and easy to spot.
Volkswagen is encouraging drivers to stay at the wheel, making use of its brand-new voice-command system. My test car’s command phrase was set to the delightful “Hey Ida,” but the system lets users choose any name they’d like. The software will listen to and turn on a variety of vehicle systems including HVAC, drive modes, media, navigation, and many more. There are even some dad jokes on its sleeves. The subject expert was so enthusiastic about the device that she even gave me a smirk as she observed the plethora of fingerprints on the glossy 15-inch screen.
The voice assistant comes with an extensive set of capabilities and commands however, the company claims the commands get “processed” in the cloud however they are never stored there. As a result, there’s no AI-like learning occurring here. The car is aware of what it has learned and can remember it until an update over the air changes an array of commands, or something similar.
However, that doesn’t mean that Ida (we’re on the same first name now) won’t hear my voice Engineers have cleverly designed listening zones that are focused on the seats of the driver and passengers. Back-seat passengers will not receive an answer from voice commands, and any conversations in the vehicle are thought to be eliminated. If you prefer to use an underlying display (you are a greasy-fingered creature) Expect a significant amount of flexibility there in addition. The swipes from side to side reveal new information panels and can be set up in an array of ways. You can also choose “app favorites” to stay stationary on the sides and top of your screen regardless of which panel you’re in.
And finally, since anyone who drove with an ID.4 was interested in turning the sliders that regulate the volume of media and control temp are now illuminated in the way God would have. It’s no longer a random attack on the IP while on dark drives at home. Additionally, some controls can be fixed for the cooled and heated seats as well as a button to turn a heated wheel to that, yes your steering wheel.
EV Motor, Power, and Performance
In its initial release, the ID.7 will be equipped with one electric motor that drives the rear wheels, with 282 horsepower. A dual-motor all-wheel drive model with more power is anticipated to arrive at some point however, for the moment the rear-wheel drive configuration should offer a fairly fast acceleration. VW claims 60 mph speed which is 5.0 seconds.
We tested a prototype at a test in Spain and were awed by its stiff suspension well-balanced body movements and nimble handling. However, we did notice that the steering experience in certain driving modes was less natural than we’d like It’s possible that certain aspects of tuning aren’t done yet. When the ID.7 comes out, we’ll get the chance to test and experience a real-world version of the car and we’ll update this report with updated driving impressions once it arrives.
Range, Charging, and Battery Life
The ID.7 will come with a 77.0-kWh battery pack sourced from the ID.4 is standard, and is expected to last for approximately 300 miles of drive per charge. It’s higher than that of the ID.4 SUV, and the ID.7’s sleeker design assists in extending the distance. A bigger 86.0-kWh battery is expected to join the lineup in the future however, it may be exclusive to the stronger dual-motor four-wheel drive version.
Fuel Economy and Real-World MPGe
The EPA hasn’t yet released estimates for fuel economy for the ID.7 at this time, and neither has Volkswagen However, we’re anticipating to see higher figures over the ID.4 which is rated at between 107 and 108 MPGe in for city driving. For more information on the ID.7’s efficiency, go to the website of the EPA.
Interior, Comfort, and Cargo
Since the ID.7 is replacing the mid-sized Passat family sedan, Volkswagen has given it the roominess of a car. Cargo space is ample also, and, rather than the traditional trunk one, the ID.7 has a liftback style similar to an engine-powered Arteon sedan. The interior has a sophisticated style and the construction was impressive even on the test drive we took.
Volkswagen has engineered a complicated but novel air vent design that uses electric motors to adjust the airflow to better distribute warm or cool air throughout the cabin. A huge glass roof is accessible and can change from transparent to opaque based on the style you prefer. If we learn more regarding ID.7’s interior and features, we’ll update this story. ID.7’s interior and other features the interior and features, we’ll update this article with additional details.
Infotainment and Connectivity
All ID.7 models come with a huge 15.0-inch infotainment screen that incorporates Volkswagen’s most recent infotainment interface. A head-up display projects important information onto the windshield as well and a tiny electronic gauge is available.
Safety and Driver-Assistance Features
We anticipate the ID.7 to come with numerous driver assistance features, including standard features such as automatic emergency braking and more advanced options like automatic high-beam headlamps, as well as an adaptive cruise controller. For more information on the ID.7’s crash test results, go to this site: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) websites. The most important safety features that are likely to include:
- Standard automatic emergency braking
- Standard lane-departure warning, with assistance for keeping the lane
- The standard adaptive cruise control
2025 Volkswagen ID.7 Electric Wagon Release Date & Price
The global premiere will take place in March 2023. The official release time for Volkswagen ID.7 is set for 2024 in North America as a 2025 model. It will go on sale across China and Europe at the beginning of autumn of 2023. It’s a risky proposition to launch a brand-new sedan in a market that is averse to SUVs, so pricing is crucial. We’re expecting to see the 2025 Volkswagen ID.7’s starting price to be at around $40,000 for an entry-level RWD model that has the lowest battery.
It’s a tough car to classify, however, as the advertised price is a bit lower than the Tesla Model 3, yet in terms of dimensions, it’s less than the much more costly Model S. Still, it’s the Model 3 that we consider an even more viable competitor if the $45k figure turns to be true. It is believed that the Pro S confirmed for Europe will likely be available in the USA also, and may cost anywhere between $55,000 and $50,000. VW did not explicitly mention a dual-motor, all-wheel drive model, but this configuration is highly likely to be available for the US market, too. This price will also have the ID.7 over BMW’s i4. BMW i4.