MANE, France – Volkswagen’s flagships have traditionally are available many various sizes and styles.
Within the early Nineteen Sixties, the model experimented with a giant, boxy sedan powered by a rear-mounted flat-six engine carefully associated to the unit that powered the unique Porsche 911. Generally known as the EA 128 internally, the mannequin remained on the prototype stage however set a ball rolling that the stately Phaeton caught in 2002. The second-generation Phaeton was developed, examined, and in the end canned. Volkswagen returned to the drafting board armed with a modular platform designed for electrical automobiles to create a brand new flagship.
Unveiled earlier in 2023, the 2025 Volkswagen ID.7 isn’t a flagship within the Phaeton sense of the time period. Its mission isn’t to ruffle BMW- and Mercedes-colored feathers; that’s nonetheless Audi’s job. It’s a Volkswagen flagship relatively than a flagship Volkswagen. Coincidentally, it’s additionally the Wolfsburg-based firm’s first electrical sedan.
Including a sedan to the vary of ID-branded EVs unlocks two key benefits. First, prospects in world markets now have a battery-powered different to the Passat (which not too long ago went wagon-only in Europe) and, to some extent, the Arteon. Second, in comparison with a crossover, a sedan usually weighs much less and has a decrease drag coefficient, so it delivers extra driving vary. Engineers put a giant deal with extending the time between charging stops in the course of the improvement course of. The ID.7 consequently boasts a drag coefficient of 0.23, a determine that locations it between the BMW i4 (0.24) and the Porsche Taycan (0.22).
Visually, the ID.7 falls in step with current members of Volkswagen’s EV line-up however it’s not a Xerox copy of, say, the ID.4. It’s additionally not retro just like the ID.Buzz; it’s its personal factor. It’s characterised by sharp-looking headlights linked by a lightweight bar, a particular arch-shaped roof line with a strip of grey trim, and a rear mild bar. It’s not fairly a scaled-down Audi A7, however it’s extra attention-grabbing wanting than the final Passat.
One element that you could be not absolutely grasp till you see the ID.7 on the street is its measurement. It’s not a small automotive. It measures 195.3 inches lengthy, 73.3 inches huge and 60.5 inches tall. It’s larger in each path than the now-retired American-market Passat, itself a really massive sedan, and it’s about the identical measurement as the brand new Mercedes-Benz E-Class. As with different EVs, the wheelbase stretches additional than these ICE-powered sedans of comparable total size – it’s really an inch longer than a last-generation Chevy Tahoe.
Stretching the wheelbase to SUV-like proportions offers the ID.7 an inside that’s extra spacious than you would possibly assume, even making an allowance for its not-so-nimble exterior dimensions. There’s loads of area in each path, no matter whether or not you’re sitting within the entrance or within the again, and you’ll carry 18.8 cubic toes of stuff within the massive trunk accessed by a large hatch. That’s a larger quantity than within the Passat. Folding down the rear bench yields 56 cubes. There isn’t a frunk, however then comparatively few EVs even have a helpful frunk at this level.
Sandwiched inside that wheelbase is the lone battery selection: an 82-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion pack. The vary quantity for the U.S. market received’t be revealed till nearer to the ID.7’s on-sale date, however the European determine checks in at 386 miles. Ours might be decrease, as European numbers lean towards the optimistic aspect of the size. Volkswagen claims zapping the battery pack with about 127 miles of vary takes roughly 10 minutes at a 175-kilowatt charging station, although I wasn’t capable of put this declare to the take a look at.
Underpinning the ID.7 is similar MEB platform that underpins different ID Volkswagens, albeit with a brand new, oil-and water-cooled electrical motor known as AP550 that’s rated at 282 horsepower and 402 pound-feet of torque. These figures make it essentially the most highly effective motor within the Volkswagen arsenal. Rear-mounted, it spins the rear wheels by way of a one-speed transmission, delivers a zero-to-62-mph time of about 6.5 seconds, and unlocks a prime velocity of 112 mph. An all-wheel-drive variant with two electrical motors might be accessible when the ID.7 goes on sale in 2024 (seemingly as a 2025 mannequin). We would additionally see a 91-kilowatt-hour battery pack added in the end.
Driving the ID.7 within the south of France, on a diverse assortment of roads together with some that I take frequently, confirmed my preliminary impressions: there’s no want for a Sport drive mode. It’s there, and it does make the throttle response sharper, however this isn’t a automotive that wishes to be hustled. There’s a Jetta GLI for that. No, the ID.7’s finest attribute is consolation. Like just about each electrical automotive, it delivers fast, linear acceleration off the road, and even at freeway speeds it’s fairly quiet – there’s not lots of wind noise, which is partially as a result of low drag coefficient mentioned earlier. The seats are snug and supportive, and there’s one hell of a sound system; you could as properly be touring in your lounge.
Surprisingly, Volkswagen achieved this trip utilizing a typical metal suspension system. There’s a strut-type setup within the entrance and a five-link structure within the again. When you received’t discover air springs, you’ll discover an excessive amount of {hardware} and software program filtering out street imperfections. Volkswagen notably redesigned its adaptive damping expertise (DCC) with a brand new controller, and the system repeatedly adjusts the damping drive on every wheel to provide the ID.7 a clean trip. This massive sedan is blissful to glide alongside for miles on finish.
That’s to not say the ID.7 can’t take a nook. It suggestions the size at 4,788 kilos, so it’s not mild, however the battery is the heaviest a part of the automotive by a protracted shot and it’s mounted straight underneath the cabin, the place it lowers the middle of gravity and evens out the burden distribution. This packaging offers the ID.7 comparatively flat cornering on the expense of the rear-biased dealing with you’d anticipate given the drivetrain configuration.
Volkswagen dialed in a brake vitality recuperation operate however it’s both on or off; you’ll be able to’t select from totally different ranges of regeneration like in some electrical automobiles. Off, with the gear selector set to the “D” mode, the ID.7 coasts if you elevate your foot off the throttle. On, with the gear selector set to the “B” mode, it slows down sooner than a comparable gasoline-powered automotive if you elevate off the accelerator. One-pedal driving is feasible if you happen to’re not driving aggressively, and I discovered that regen is the explanation why the ID.7 can make the most of old-school rear drum brakes, however the capability to dial in numerous regen ranges (even simply “low” and “excessive”) would nonetheless be appreciated. Regen additionally offers the ID.7 the marginally odd and nearly online game controller-like brake pedal really feel you discover in lots of plug-in hybrid and electrical automobiles.
Customary on the American-market mannequin, the head-up show provides an augmented actuality (AR) operate that builds on the fundamental set of data you usually discover in these programs with interactive navigation instructions. This isn’t new, BMW provides an identical expertise on a lot of its automobiles (such because the iX), however take into accout we’re speaking a couple of Volkswagen. That is how the model defines “flagship” this time round: upmarket options and luxury in a extra attainable bundle. Higher but, the head-up show works stunningly properly. It reveals knowledge reminiscent of the present velocity and the velocity restrict comparatively near the motive force and shows navigation instructions somewhat additional away. It’s intuitive and simple to make use of, to the purpose the place I hardly appeared on the instrument cluster (a small digital rectangle) throughout my time behind the wheel.
The good air vents, that are managed by way of a menu within the infotainment system’s 15-inch touchscreen, aren’t as intuitive and simple to make use of. On one hand, I get the “new tech” side – I can already hear future ID.7 house owners asking a neighbor “can your [insert make and model] do that?!” Alternatively, it’s tech for tech’s sake, and I’ve by no means thought “rattling, I want these air vents had been digital” whereas driving. Your mileage might fluctuate, however Porsche has already moved away from comparable screen-controlled airvents after attempting them out within the Panamera and assembly buyer distaste. It’s arduous to see Volkswagen house owners feeling in a different way.
Past the air vents, the ID.7’s new infotainment system represents a large step ahead in comparison with the software program discovered within the ID.4 and GTI. Its residence display options tiles that correspond to a menu, permitting it to concurrently show navigation, music and battery state of cost. It’s pretty straight-forward to make use of, however the touch-operated sliders for quantity and temperature stay. Even when they’re now illuminated, they’re nonetheless inferior to bodily controls extra simply discovered with out wanting. It is perhaps too late to #savethemanuals (though, there’s an uptick within the take charge!) however is it too late to #savetheknobs?
With a usable quantity of vary, a snug inside, and a big serving of expertise, the ID.7 makes a very good case for itself as Volkswagen’s flagship. Paradoxically, it would land as a rational selection within the electrical section: there aren’t many battery-powered sedans in the marketplace, and most come from luxurious manufacturers.
Volkswagen sellers throughout the nation will start receiving the ID.7 in the course of the second half of 2024. Patrons will initially have two trim ranges known as Professional and Professional S, respectively, to select from. Pricing hasn’t been introduced but, however it’s cheap to imagine the most cost effective variant will begin at roughly $50,000 excluding incentives. That can make it the model’s most costly mannequin on our shores. Flagship, certainly.