What is it?
"Can I be geeky and take a closer look?” asks a man charging his Nissan Leaf, no sooner than I’ve plugged the VW ID 3 into an Instavolt charger in Banbury. Why of course you can, sir, although one question: as an electric vehicle convert, driving the world’s most populous EV, does the arrival of the new ID 3 still feel like a significant moment? “Absolutely.”
Interesting. You can already buy an electric vehicle that does everything an ID 3 does. You’ve even been able to buy an electric Volkswagen before now. But, somehow, the ID 3, in the UK here in ‘1st Edition’ trim, still feels like a waypoint on the road.
It sits, as you’ll doubtless know, on Volkswagen’s MEB electric architecture, so although, at 4.3m, it’s about the length of a Volkswagen Golf, it has a longer wheelbase and, it’s claimed, much more interior space.
The battery (this one is the mid-range 58kWh unit with a WLTP range of 260 miles and a 100kW charge capacity) sits beneath the floor, with the motor (at 201bhp, the higher powered of two offerings) at the back axle. The ID 3 is rear motored and rear-wheel drive, like the original Beetle but, alas, because there’s an inverter and lord knows what else in the front, it doesn’t have a frunk.
Instead, the boot has a high load lip and the rear seats split and fold, revealing that this 1.6m-tall car is a practical hatchback, with plentiful head room front and rear. Cabin fitment is good but material choice is pretty scratchy in places, including the door tops. Not such a biggie further down the range, one suspects, but the UK price for a 1st Edition with the middling battery is £35,215 (after the government grant).
Someone will be along shortly to argue that overall ownership costs are no more than a lower-priced internally combusted car, which is true if you get your electricity cheaply enough, but if you always have to refill on the road, probably isn’t.
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Unreliable electronics
Having watched a review on C ar Wow, I would not touch it at all. The lane assist, ACC packed up halfway through the first day. They only came back on the morning after.
The electric windows are a solution to a problem no one knew existed. Two up/down buttons. But a 3rd button to switch between front and rear windows. Why??? Just install 4 as per normal.
They calculated they got about 220 miles out of the mid range battery.
Not even a Velvet Revolution.
From everything I've read, this is a catch up car. It doesn't appear roto do anything that the vompetition couldn't already do, doesn't cost any less to buy or (presumably) run, doesn't have any better range. personally, I really dislike the interior of this - largely for the removal of usable buttons. I dislike the ama 8 Golf for the same reason and (having owned 5 Golfs previously) won't be buying a 6th. I can't help thinking a Kia eNiro is a better bet.
We also need a massive increase in charger installations if electric cars are to take off.
I apologise for my appalling
I apologise for my appalling typing errors
Id3 1st editions for sale
So- can anyone explain to me why we were told that the 1st editions of the ID3 were all sold out and yet I am able to go into several showrooms and the salesman has vehicles in there for me to buy?
Carmadkenny wrote:
Surely VW wasn't anything less than 100% honest.