Volkswagen ID.3 2022 Review – International

Volkswagen already has electric cars in the form of battery-powered versions of its Golf and up! in Europe, but none of them are remotely like the 2021 Volkswagen ID.3.

As the first production car to emerge on the German car-maker’s dedicated EV architecture (MEB), the 2021 Volkswagen ID.3 is a battery-electric vehicle without the compromises of a converted combustion car, and it shows.

It’s roughly the size of the Golf outside, and roughly the size of the Passat inside.

And it’s not just the ID.3, because Volkswagen’s new ID sub-brand is likely to be launched with and dominated by the ID.4 SUV when it finally arrives in Australia, which at this stage will be no sooner than late 2022 or 2023.

There’ll be a range of other Volkswagen EVs too, including a reborn Kombi, a beach funster, a big passenger car and a whole bunch of Fords. That’s right Fords – because the American company has done deal to use the VW MEB platform for a range of new European EVs.

It’s going to cost Volkswagen around €8 billion to release this EV family, which new brand CEO Ralf Brandstätter insists will sell at the rate of three million a year by 2025.

For now, the Volkswagen ID.3 is the first zero-emission cab off the rank.

That’s a moot point now because the German brand’s Australian subsidiary won’t firm up local prices for the 2021 Volkswagen ID.3 until it’s closer to its local release, so we’ll go with European numbers for now.

Things initially kick off with the Volkswagen ID.3 Pro at €35,574 ($A58,675) and the longer-range ID.3 Pro S at €40,936 ($A67,515).

In Germany, where such things are important, that purchase price attracts a subsidy of €9480 ($A15,640), mostly from the German government. But €3480 ($A5740) of it comes from Volkswagen itself.

The difference between the two is that the Pro’s 58kWh lithium-ion battery gives it 426km of range on the WLTP test, while the 77kWh battery in the Pro S projects 549km.

The interior is a fresh take on Volkswagen’s usual fare, but without the rusted-on customers feeling alienated.

There’s a relatively small 5.3-inch digital instrument cluster that is a doddle to scroll through, via touchpads on the steering wheel, while a 10-inch multimedia screen in the centre of the dash takes care of the rest of the cabin and driving functions.

There’s also a new ‘Hello ID’ voice activation system that replicates all the touch-screen functions, and more.

It even tells jokes (German jokes, so be warned). And if you ask it to see the stars it rolls back the screen on the 130x111cm glass roof and if you tell it you’re cold it will warm up the climate control.

There are 12-way electric seats in the front and a flat floor, which Volkswagen has done its best to hide.

Beyond their battery capacities, both the 2021 Volkswagen ID.3 Pro and 2021 Volkswagen ID.3 Pro S use the same permanently excited synchronous 150kW/310Nm motors mounted on the rear axle.

Thus the ID.3 returns Volkswagen’s new-generation people’s car to rear-wheel drive like the original Beetle.

The motor sends its drive through a single-speed transmission (which is why the top speed is limited to 160km/h).

The difference in the battery capacities is why the Pro reaches 100km/h in a relatively spritely 7.3 seconds, while it takes the heavier Pro S 7.9sec.

Volkswagen claims the Pro S uses 15.4kWh of energy for every 100km it travels.

It’s 1720kg, though 495kg of that is the battery pack, with 24 pouch cells in each of the aluminium sections. The difference between the Pro and the Pro S is that the cheaper car has nine lithium-ion pouch modules and the Pro S has 12.

By comparison, the motor, gearbox and power electronics combined weigh less than 90kg.

The 58kWh ID.3 Pro can be charged with an 11kW AC system or up to 100kW from a DC fast-charging set-up, the latter good for 300km in just half an hour. There’s a 125kW charging option on the way.

It also uses two high-performance computers to run the whole show, with one of them sectored off to manage the infotainment and connected systems and the other in charge of the power electronics, optional active suspension damping and over-the-air software updates.

The 2021 Volkswagen ID.3 gets a five-link rear suspension and a MacPherson strut front-end, and it’s stopped by 330mm front brake discs and drum rears – and the pads are designed to survive the entire service life of the vehicle.

It’s a big car inside a small car. At 4261mm long the Volkswagen ID.3 is 23mm shorter than the latest Golf Mk8, which finally arrives here early next year. At 1809mm wide it’s 20mm wider and 1552mm it is just shy of 100mm taller.

The 2765mm wheelbase of the Volkswagen ID.3 is an astonishing 129mm longer than the Golf – effectively turning a Golf small car competitor outside into a Passat medium to large car rival inside.

With 385 litres of luggage capacity, it also has 35 litres more than the Golf.

The tyres, too, are officially 18-inch low-friction units but our Pro test car ran on 215/45 20 Continental Eco Contact rubber and didn’t seem to suffer from them.

Let’s start with VW’s own claim that the 2021 Volkswagen ID.3 has the interior packaging of the Passat.

It doesn’t – exactly. Sure, it has the length and even the width, but the relatively high floor, hiding the battery pack, and the relatively shapeless rear seats mean they’re serviceable rather than comfortable.

It rather feels like Volkswagen’s missed a trick here, and there’s one upcoming version with a two-person rear seat, which may improve things.

Nevertheless, it is a big, airy cabin and it works. Indeed, the ID.3 is an easy place to feel at home in and it really does make you feel as though you’ve paid for a class larger.

The downside is that to pull down the tremendous development costs, Volkswagen has used some surprisingly clunky plastic on the dash, which is unlike the brand, and especially the new Golf.

The rest, though, is a happy place to be. The remainder of the plastics feel good to touch and the move to a stubby twist lever for both the gear selector and the regeneration levels (like the BMW i3) give it separation from the rest of the Volkswagen range.

And, while we’re on packaging, the boot floor is much, much higher than the Golf’s (it must hide the electric motor), even if the space is larger.

That small instrument cluster works far better than expected, delivering clear, simple information and functionality and there are Golf-like sliders for the temperature and volume controls.

The 2021 Volkswagen ID.3 starts with a gentle whir of motors being activated, then rolls off with an artificial sound mandated by the EU to protect pedestrians up to 30km/h. Then on, it’s almost silent and feels a lot more enthusiastic at low speed than its kerb weight suggests.

It’s only a second slower than the Golf GTI to 100km/h and that’s how it feels – although there’s a lot less urgency in the way the ID.3 feels when it’s doing it.

Indeed, the VW ID.3 is never hasty, but it’s always strong, whether it’s being blasted from a standing start or accelerating at highway speeds. Acceleration is beautifully linear.

The Volkswagen ID.3’s five-door hatchback body style has low wind resistance (0.27 drag coefficient) and that pays off inside the cabin. It’s near silent around town and it’s still near silent at highway speeds, making easy conversations possible at the 160km/h speed-limiter it so enthusiastically reaches on the autobahn.

In its normal mode the ID.3 coasts and coasts and coasts when you lift off the throttle, feeling like it will never decelerate. Its rolling resistance is that low. The regeneration mode slows the car down at 0.3g when you lift off the throttle pumping energy back to the battery. Volkswagen claims this will account for most day-to-day braking anyway.

Used in anger, the brakes are strong though and the changeover point between battery regeneration and the mechanical brakes is well hidden.

The refinement at all speeds is outstanding, both in terms of ride and handling. The body control is exemplary and it imbues the entire cabin with a sense of calm, all the time. Even when you push the ID.3, it always feels like it has more time than it should.

It’s also brilliant around town, with the lack of an engine up front meaning it can flit around a circle in just over 10 metres, so it’s a doddle to park.

Even if you haven’t quite decided if the EV thing is for you yet, you’d be short-changing yourself by not checking out the 2021 Volkswagen ID.3 when it eventually comes Down Under.

It’s an exceptional car, electric vehicle or not.

Indeed, it’s easily the most impressive affordable EV this writer has tested, with its breadth of usability extending from tight car parks to autobahn speeds, all with the same unshakeable composure.

The centre of gravity is snake-belly low thanks to the batteries, and it can whip through corners surprisingly well, even though that’s not what it was born to do.

The damping is firm but well judged, the torque is instant and the steering helpful and direct. As cars go, the 2021 Volkswagen ID.3 is very mature and very well organised.

As the first big effort at a new type of car for Volkswagen goes, the ID.3 is brilliant.

How much does the 2022 Volkswagen ID.3 cost?
Price: From €35,574 ($A58,675) in Germany (see text)
Available: Due in Australia in 2022-23
Engine: Permanently excited synchronous electric motor
Output: 150kW/310Nm
Transmission: Single-speed
Fuel: 15.4kWh/100km (WLTP)
Safety rating: Not tested