Volkswagen ID 3 GTX review

Wolfsburg brings some GTI attitude to EV equivalent of the Golf, creating its first electric hot hatch

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Volkswagen has a long history of hot hatches, stretching all the way back to the 1975 Frankfurt motor show, where it unveiled of the original Golf GTI.

Still, the Volkswagen ID 3 GTX represents somewhat of a new beginning for the under-fire German brand in the everyday performance car ranks. 

Not only is the ID 3 GTX the first Volkswagen hot hatch powered entirely by an electric motor, it’s also the first to be sold exclusively with rear-wheel drive.

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DESIGN & STYLING

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VW ID3 GTX review 2024 02 side panning

In the UK, the ID 3 GTX is sold exclusively in range-topping Performance guise, with 322bhp and 402lb ft of torque, at a price of £46,225.

Even with a kerb weight of 2000kg, that’s sufficient to provide the most powerful ID 3 variant with a 0-62mph time of 5.7sec and a limited top speed of 124mph, placing it into direct competition with the heavily-related Cupra Born VZ.

Even with 102lb ft more torque to make up for its 42bhp-per-tonne deficit, the ID 3 GTX fails to match the Golf GTI Clubsport's 0-62mph time of 5.6sec, albeit by a scant 0.1sec.
Greg Kable
European editor

With production of the Performance still in the ramp-up phase, though, it’s the regular ID 3 GTX we're driving here. With a milder 282bhp and the same 402lb ft of torque, it has a 0-62mph time of 5.9sec and a top speed of 112mph.

The ID 3 is the sixth Volkswagen EV to receive the GTX badge, following the four-wheel-drive ID 4 and ID 5 crossovers, ID Buzz MPV, ID 7 saloon and ID 7 Tourer estate.

Like them, it receives a number of unique styling touches, including a restyled front bumper with a high-gloss central black air intake and arrow-shaped LED daytime running lights either side.

Further back, there are reshaped sills and a redesigned diffuser element within the lower section of the rear bumper - again, both in high-gloss black. The standard 20in alloy wheels feature a black inner section, but they can be ordered in all-black as an option.

INTERIOR

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VW ID3 GTX review 2024 05 driving

The sporting accents continue inside – most prominent among them a flat-bottomed steering wheel with red highlights and GTX identification within the lower spoke.

The Premium seats that are usually an option in the ID 3 are standard here. Offered in either fabric or synthetic leather, they receive red stitching and perforated GTX logos within the backrests. More heavily bolstered Ergoactive seats with a red GTX lettering within the backrest are available as an option.

Further highlights include a new centrally mounted 12.9in Infotainment touchscreen featuring a revised menu structure and natural-language voice control with ChatGPT-based AI integration.

The gear controller from earlier models has been removed from the end of the digital instrument binnacle and is now integrated into a steering wheel column stalk.

The interior of the ID 3 GTX is solidly built. However, the quality of some materials used within the dashboard and other areas of the interior, particularly the areas of hard, high-gloss black plastic, leave a lot to be desired in a car at this price.

The flat floor of the MEB platform that underpins all of Volkswagen’s EVs also positions you quite high, both in the front and rear, even with the seats set in their lowest position. Combined with a low waistline, this gives you the feeling that you're sitting on the car, rather than in it.

As with all other ID 3 models, there's 385 litres of luggage space at the rear, expandable to 1267 litres when the rear seats are folded down, but no frunk.

ENGINES & PERFORMANCE

VW ID3 GTX review 2024 10 performance

Power comes from Volkswagen's AP550 electric motor and a single-speed gearbox mounted within the rear axle assembly.

First unveiled on the ID 7 saloon, this synchronous motor offers noticeably stronger acceleration than the older APP310 motor used in the ID 3 Pro. It provides the ID 3 GTX great response and a good turn of speed on a planted throttle, despite its significant weight.

In keeping with the philosophy that Volkswagen has taken with the Volkswagen Golf GTI for almost half a century now, the ID 3 GTX isn't overendowed with power, even in Performance guise. However, the drivetrain changes do succeed in conveying an extra sense of performance, purely in the extra speed.

The lack of a raspy exhaust note will possibly leave some potential customers to question its outright sportiness. It's superbly refined, though, with seamless and silent qualities no matter how hard you wring its motor.

Coupled to the new motor is an equally new 79kWh lithium ion battery that’s claimed to provide the ID 3 GTX with an overall range of up to 375 miles – some 28 miles more than the old 77kWh battery gives the ID 3 Pro S.

It also boasts a 15kW faster charging capacity, at 185kW, allowing a 10-80% refill in 26 minutes on a high-powered DC charger, according to Volkswagen.

RIDE & HANDLING

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VW ID3 GTX review 2024 12 handling

The suspension of the ID 3 has been reworked with retuned springs and dampers in a bid to provide the GTX with a sporting edge. There are subtle tweaks to the steering and brakes too.     

It's rewarding in that the steering is direct and very precise, giving the ID 3 GTX inherently agile and responsive handling.

Upgraded 215/45-profile 20in Bridgestone Turanza tyres provide plenty of front-end grip, while the rear end remains stable without any premature interference from the stability-control system when you begin to push.

The heavily damped suspension also helps to suppress body movements well on more challenging roads, without any noticeable deterioration in ride quality compared with the ID 3 Pro S. It’s a pleasing and untaxing car to drive over long distances.

What you don’t get, though, is the sort of meaningful feedback that you would traditionally expect in a hot hatch. There are impressive qualities to its on-road character, but the ID 3 GTX isn't a terrifically involving car to drive.

VERDICT

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As EVs evolve, we’re beginning to see some clever measures to enliven their driving experience. The new N Active Sound+ and N e-Shift functions developed by Hyundai for the Ioniq 5 N are just two examples of how software solutions can serve to heighten the interaction between car and driver. Such measures are missing here.

Ultimately, the ID 3 GTX fails to generate the sort of engagement that characterises its ICE equivalent, the Golf GTI. Buyers will get a very mature car with plenty of pace, impressive energy efficiency, secure handling, a roomy interior and Volkswagen’s latest digital functions. But the ID 3 GTX fails to offer a significantly more sporting feel than the ID 3 Pro S.