Volkswagen ID.6 2021 Review

The range-topping 2021 Volkswagen ID.6 X Prime on test here tips the scales at the Australian equivalent of $74,000 in China (RMB335,888), and would be the prime candidate for sale Down Under from a range that starts at an incredibly reasonable $53,000 (RMB239,888) in the Chinese market.

Not only does the Prime version get the largest battery pack on offer, but is the only one that gets a dual-motor powertrain for strong performance and all-wheel drive.

It’s also the only six-seater model available right now, with the others seating seven, although Australian product planners would no doubt be eyeing a combination of high specs and seven seats for our market.

Launched at the Shanghai motor show in April 2021, the Volkswagen ID.6 was originally meant to be a China-only model, where there is strong demand for large cars with plenty of seats that make it is easier to cart around extended families.

It is instantly identifiable as a member of the ID. range and is in essence a longer version of the Volkswagen ID.4, which is considered most likely to be VW’s first foray into EVs in Australia.

The ID.6 measures in at 4876mm long, largely thanks to a 200mm increase in wheelbase. That makes it a little shorter than the Tesla Model X but longer than the Kia Sorento PHEV, the latter being the only plug-in (albeit hybrid) mainstream large SUV in Australia right now.

We might note that Kia is also likely to turn up here at some point with its own flagship large electric SUV, based on the recent Kia EV9 concept.

Width and height only get minor changes and, in the metal, the ID.6 is difficult to tell apart from the ID.4, the easiest identifiers being the longer side window between the C- and D-pillars along with slightly different front lights.

That level of familiarity extends to the interior, which again is instantly recognisable.

In China, the ID range is split between Volkswagen’s joint ventures with SAIC and FAW. Each produce a variant of the ID.6, the X we tested being produced by Shanghai VW (SAIC), whereas FAW get the Crozz which has minor cosmetic differences.

Volkswagen has woken up to the fact that the ID.6 has very few current competitors, especially outside China, and that there is a market for an affordable seven-seat EV.

It’s strongly rumoured the ID.6 is destined for Europe, and with Australia’s love for SUVs, we’re a natural target providing there’s enough incentive for Volkswagen Group Australia to bring it here.

Coming off Chinese assembly lines could be a benefit for its local prospects compared to Europe, with an ever-increasing number of EVs bound for Australia – from global brands – now being produced in the world’s biggest auto market.

Climbing on board the 2021 Volkswagen ID.6 in Shanghai, there’s a high-tech feel but a level of familiarity that was appreciated compared to our recent experience in the Tesla Model Y.

Compared with the Model Y, the Volkswagen ID.6 not only gets an instrument display but goes one better still in that it also has a head-up display. This gives information such as the speed and navigation prompts, minimising time spent looking away from the road.

Furthering this is VW’s ID. Light system, but we were unable to really appreciate its benefits during the daytime. Theoretically at least, the system can show navigation prompts via an animated blue line and an incoming telephone call with a green flash in the centre, thanks to a strip of 54 LED lights at the base of the windscreen.

Unusually for a car in the Chinese market, it is possible to switch the system over to English and this also extended to the voice control – sure signs that this is a car developed to extend beyond Chinese borders.

The 12-inch infotainment screen has a reasonable graphical interface and is fairly intuitive with a square which acts as a home page button. Further, there are some buttons underneath such as Mode which takes you then directly to the drive mode on screen.

The sensitivity of these buttons could be better and there seems to be a lag. Voice control in English does work but the system seems much better in Chinese, plus the car’s English language female voice has a rather authoritarian, curt manner.

The lowest Pure-spec version of the 2021 Volkswagen ID.6 uses a 63.2kWh battery pack and a 132kW electric motor driving the rear wheels.

Going further up the model range brings a boosted 83.4kWh battery and a more powerful 150kW motor. The Prime on test here is the only one to get all wheel-drive thanks to an 80kW motor grafted onto the front axle, in addition to the 150kW motor at the rear.

While the Prime might have the most power, acceleration figures are far below dual-motor EVs from Tesla and some of the Chinese competitors such as Nio or XPeng.

On the road this means that the ID.6 lacks the urgency of many EVs but still by combustion engine standards it’s no slouch.

The additional motor reduces the range by about 15 per cent, taking the top-shelf ID.6 to a still-useful 510km based on the NEDC testing cycle. That said, some of its rivals can achieve longer ranges via much bigger battery packs and the Prime gets through juice at an average level.

There are three main driving modes, with each step up having a minor impact on the remaining range displayed on the instrument panel.

The most noticeable effect of each is the change to the colour of the icons on the infotainment system. For Eco they’re blue, Comfort yellow and with Sport a fiery red.

Unfortunately the colour and the declared range seem to be the only discernible differences from the driving modes, with the feel of the car remaining the same.

One of the most innovative design aspects of the Volkswagen ID range is the drive selector mounted very neatly on the side of the 5.3-inch instrument screen.

You simply rotate once clockwise to select Drive for the 2021 Volkswagen ID.6. Rotate it again and you increase the car’s regenerative braking to the highest level.

Unlike many EVs from Chinese car-makers, the regenerative brakes really do draw down the speed when you lift your foot from the accelerator. However, unlike say a Tesla it doesn’t seem possible to come to a complete stop, rather the ID.6 goes down to 5km/h and then it coasts.

Even on the Prime’s 21-inch wheels the ride is quite smooth. Whereas the ID.4 offers something for keen drivers, the ID.6 isn’t what we’d call dynamically engaging.

But for a family car it handles well and is predictable. The steering has a reasonable weight to it and there is some useful feedback.

The Prime gets the highest level of what Volkswagen refers to as Traffic Assist. Press a button on the steering wheel and the car can drive itself to an extent. You do, however, need to press the accelerator to get the car to start off if it has stopped for more than a minute, and the system seems to leave braking far too much to the last minute for our liking.

It is probably best left to highway usage.

The ID.6’s raison d’etre though is as a family car and this it does well. Not only is the cabin spacious, thanks to a panoramic roof it’s light and airy too.

The seven-seat set-up makes more sense than the Prime’s six-seater configuration. However, it does allow the Prime to have individually adjustable second-row seats.

Unlike the front seats they’re not electrically controlled, but they do get a heating and cooling function that’s also found up front. They make ingress to the third row easier too.

Perhaps surprisingly, the third-row bench is very useable, capable of seating anyone up to around 1.75m tall. Depending on the position of the second row, legroom is also acceptable.

Unlike the second row which gets USB chargers, there’s not much in the way of creature comforts bar some roof-mounted lights. And strangely, while both sides have pockets, only the passenger on the left gets a drink holder.

Furthermore, the third-row bench doesn’t come with the sacrifice of a useable boot. One-latch folding and pull handles make it easy to lower and raise the seats, creating a flexible space.

Under the cargo floor there’s also a neatly stowed shelf which comes out to cover the luggage space when the third row is down.

The 2021 Volkswagen ID.6 has few direct competitors, and in Australia at this price point there are none at all.

That leaves the ID.6 pretty much in a class of its own, although it remains to be seen whether Volkswagen Australia creates a viable business case for it to be sold Down Under.

In the ID.6 you are constantly reminded that VW has been building cars for more than a few years. As well as providing decent space, there’s strong attention to detail in design and execution.

We’re not sold on the ID.6 as a six-seater, where the individual seats leave a large hole in the luggage compartment when the third row is down.

And the shorter range of the dual-motor powertrain means we’d be more inclined to steer towards the high-output, long-range single-motor version.

But as an example of where Volkswagen is heading, and the sort of car that many of us might be driving in the not-too-distant future, the ID.6 has its place.

How much does the 2021 Volkswagen ID.6 X Prime cost?
Price: $80,000 estimated (plus on-road costs)
Available: TBC (On sale now in China)
Powertrain: Two permanent magnet synchronous motors
Output: 230kW/472Nm
Transmission: Single-speed reduction gear
Battery: 83.4kWh lithium-ion
Range: 510km (NEDC)
Energy consumption: 17.7kWh/100km (NEDC)
Safety rating: Not tested