The Volkswagen ID.7 is here to spiritually and electrically replace the aging Passat. The new mid-sized liftback EV sedan will be powered by a new high-efficiency rear motor rated for 282 horsepower and 402 lb.-ft. of torque. While we expect a dual-motor version at some point, it’ll be RWD only at the start with no mention of AWD in the press release. The motor is powered by two different battery packs in Europe, 77- and 86-kWh. The 77-kWh pack will charge at 170 kW, while the larger pack will charge a bit faster at 200 kW, but we’ll only get the smaller pack for now. Range hasn’t been EPA certified yet, but in the overly optimistic WLTP cycle, the small battery is rated for 382 miles. The big battery is rated for 435. Our estimation is that the EPA final score will be around 320 miles for the US version.
On the inside we find a variation on VW’s current theme with a 15-inch infotainment system on the dash and a slim LCD instrument cluster that’s more integrated into the horizontal lines in the dashboard. We don’t have legroom or headroom figures, but the rumors all point to the interior being as roomy or roomier than the Passat. The other big win here is the fact that the trunk is actually a liftback, which will likely give this the best cargo capacity in the mainstream “sedan” segment. This also helps set it apart from the Hyundai and Tesla sedans, which moth offer small traditional trunks.
There is still a great deal of info yet to be released, so we don’t know how much the ID.7 will cost. We do know that it’ll be on sale in the USA in early 2024 (earlier in Europe and China). The ID.7’s main selling points will likely be a lower price tag and bigger interior than the IONIQ 6, but how it’ll stack up against the smaller Model 3 remains to be seen. The lack of AWD at the start and uncertain charging times are also questions remaining to be answered.
More on the Volkswagen ID.7 here.
