Volkswagen ID.7 review

Make and model: Volkswagen ID.7
Description: Large electric executive car
Price range: £51,500 to £62,010

Volkswagen says: “This flagship ID. model demonstrates our commitment to offering our customers the comfort, space, safety and style that is synonymous with this great brand and its cars – no matter what the fuel.”

We say: The Volkswagen ID.7 is pricey compared to some rivals but that price buys high quality – it’s comfortable, well-built and will go a long way before it needs to be plugged in.

• Volkswagen ID.7 (2023 onwards) – Expert Rating
• More Volkswagen news, reviews, Expert Ratings and features

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Introduction

Not everyone wants an SUV these days, whether powered by fossil fuels or electricity. The traditional car still survives, particularly in the executive market, where company users where the likes of the BMW 5 Series and its Audi and Mercedes rivals still hold sway – and if they can be electric then all the better, enabling company drivers to make the most of their benefit-in-kind tax advantages.

Volkswagen has long made large cars too, and believes it can punch above the mainstream with its most recent, the ID.7 – not only the biggest but the most powerful of its EVs and with the biggest battery. But would one really turn down an Audi or BMW for a Volkswagen?  

What is the Volkswagen ID.7

The Volkswagen ID.7 can be very simply described as an electric version of the Passat, the oldest surviving model name in the VW range and long-regarded as the flagship model in the German brand’s traditional car range. The newcomer assumes the same role in the electric line-up but also has a much greater task – stealing sales from rivals in the next market up.

Mainstream brand VW believes that the ID.7 should appeal to those more used to buying executive cars – from German mass players BMW, Mercedes-Benz and VW Group sister brand Audi, and – of course – the American imposter, Tesla. The ID.7 is pitched to offer everything such buyers demand – quality fit and finish, lots of upmarket technology and being an electric car, a plentiful range.  

First impressions

The ID.7 surprises many who view it for the first time, as they think they are looking at a premium-style saloon but on getting up close discover that it’s actually a hatchback. There is also, by the way, an estate version on offer, known in VW-speak as a Tourer and costing around £700 more than the hatch.

Visually the ID.7 slightly divides opinions. There’s no argument about the quality of this large car, measuring close to five metres in length, but some contend that it is too easy on the eye, with no stand-out features in its exterior looks.

Perhaps the side panels are a little bland, with no creases or curves to break them up, but the slippery body style does present an elegance that in this reviewer’s opinion is just understated enough.

Inside the quality impression continues, the minimalist theme with a seriously thin front fascia design adding to the upmarket credentials. 

We like: Looks and feels like a quality upmarket saloon
We don’t like: Could do with slightly more distinctive visuals 

What do you get for your money?

Perhaps one less-pleasing aspect of the market VW is targeting is the price of the ID.7. Our test car is to entry-level Pro Match specification with a price tag of £51.5K – so well into the +£40K ‘Expensive Car Supplement’ that now applies to EVs and add more than £2K to an owner’s tax costs over five years.

Several of the ID.7’s perceived rivals can offer a buyer an all-wheel-drive car for the same money one will pay for an ID.7. You can get all-wheel-drive on this car, but it will hike the price by more than £10,000.

On the other hand, all versions of the ID.7 come with lots of equipment as standard, including technology such as matrix LED headlights with auto high beams, air conditioning with three zones, and seats with electric adjustment in several directions plus a massage function and heating. The steering wheel is heated too, and there are front and rear parking sensors, a 360-degree around view monitor and an automatic parking function.

The safety package is particularly impressive, with a full suite of ADAS (advanced driver assistance systems) driver aids – the ID.7 earned a top five-star rating when crash-tested by Euro NCAP in 2023 and was also highlighted as one of the best-scoring vehicles tested by the safety body that year.

While today’s options selections are a lot fewer than those of yesteryear, one piece of equipment that it is disappointing to see on the list is a heat pump – the feature that greatly aids battery efficiency can only be had with a £1050 extra cost. There is also a tempting desirable available as an option – a ‘Smart Glass’ panoramic sunroof that uses electronics in the glass to instantly go from clear to opaque.

We like: Excellent safety specification
We don’t like: Heat pump an expensive option

What’s the Volkswagen ID.7 like inside?

The Volkswagen ID.7 feels big inside because it is, whether sitting in the front or back seats. The boot is almost cavernous, with more space than direct rivals. The 532 litres extends to 1,586 litres with the rear seats folded down, while practical features include a ‘ski hatch’ for carrying long, narrow items without losing the whole of the rear cabin.

Fit and finish is to the usual high Volkswagen standards, while the minimalist design, particularly the slimline format of the front fascia, looks smart. You do, however, sacrifice some practicality as a result – the centre infotainment screen is a 15-inch landscape format device with as many functions as possible incorporated into it to remove physical switches. 

This becomes irritating when, for example, one has to dive into the touchscreen to adjust the air vents – something that would be a job of seconds with a physical item becomes too dangerous to adequately do on the move. The company has recently said that it is now moving away from pushing all controls onto the touchscreen, so we hope that future Volkswagen models improve in this area.

The operating software of the screen has been improved over its previous, somewhat criticised, incarnation and the driver doesn’t lack for information – a standard-fit head-up display ensures that, enabling one to keep an eye on essentials such as speed without taking the eyes off the road ahead. 

Plenty of electrified movement in the driver’s seat makes it easy to get comfortable and the all-round view out of the car is very good, helped by slim pillars. As mentioned, the seat even boasts a massage function to ease those back muscles when on the move…  

We like: Quality fit and finish, space
We don’t like: Too much on the touchscreen

What’s under the bonnet?

As with any electric vehicle, there’s not much of interest under the bonnet – especially since the single electric motor of our test car is built into the rear axle. Volkswagen’s most powerful when launched, the 210kW motor produces the equivalent of 286hp alongside 545Nm of torque – a figure that before the electric age would have been considered gargantuan. All this translates to a 0-62mph time of 6.5 seconds with a top speed of 112mph.

The 77 kWh battery is larger than what has been the norm too, giving the ID.7 an official UK/EU driving range of 380 miles between charges – more than enough for the vast majority of users. When it does need charging the car, will accept 175kW rapid charging if you can find such a fast charger, which will fill the battery from 5% to 80% in less than half an hour – plug it in for ten minutes and you’ll add around 120 miles to the range. At home on an 11kW AC wallbox a full charge, will take eight hours.

Two more versions of the ID.7 are also available. The Match Pro S employs a larger 86 kWh battery pack extending the potential range to 430 miles and including some extra equipment for a cost close to an additional £4K, while the £62K GTX adds an extra motor to the front wheel for all-wheel-drive capability, the less than significant compromise being a drop in range to 365 miles. 

What’s the Volkswagen ID.7 like to drive?

Cars aimed at the executive market need to be comfortable and the ID.7 fills this brief admirably. It glides along with very little noise while also ensuring very little of the UK’s typically awful road surfaces make themselves felt in the cabin. You can choose to fit Volkswagen’s Dynamic Chassis Control active suspension, which is said to up the comfort even further, but coming as part of the Exterior Pack Plus, a £1,000 option on all but the GTX, we wonder if it’s really worth the extra.

Throttle response is good, making use of all that power for swift overtaking moves, while the steering is pretty responsive too, with good feel. Having said that, tackle a series of twisting corners on a country B road and you will remember that the ID.7 is a big car, most at home eating up mile after mile of motorway.     

We like: Comfortable ride, excellent range 
We don’t like: Feels big on twisty B roads

Verdict

For those seeking an upmarket-looking, reliable large executive car with no vices, and wanting to follow the electric trend, the Volkswagen ID.7 offers a lot to like. 

It’s not cheap, however, and one might be swayed by some of its lower-priced rivals, but this is a car that feels of high quality as soon as one slips into it. It also doesn’t disappoint once out on the road – a car one feels will easily complete the very long journeys that its range allows with its occupants in complete comfort all the way.  

Similar cars

BMW i4 | BYD Seal | Hyundai Ioniq 6 | Kia EV6 | Polestar 2 | Tesla Model 3

• Volkswagen ID.7 (2023 onwards) – Expert Rating
• More Volkswagen news, reviews, Expert Ratings and features

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