Volkswagen ID.7 Review

​Practicality & space

The ID.7 is a large saloon car (with a hatchback) so you’ll have no issues with interior space. It’s nearly five metres in length while the wheelbase (the distance between the wheels) is almost three metres, and because the ID.7 was designed to be an electric car from the outset (and its underpinnings aren’t shared with a petrol car) a big body equals big space inside. There’s almost limousine levels of rear legroom, and even though the ID.7 has a sloping roofline there’s plenty of headroom for lanky passengers to stretch out. It’s pretty roomy up front, too, while the boot is huge. The hatchback tailgate helps here, but even so there’s 532 litres to play with; lift the boot floor and there’s a handy space to store your charging cables. 

Interior & Design

Look through our other Volkswagen ID reviews and you’ll note a recurring theme – disappointing build quality. There was a time when Volkswagen fitted high quality interiors to its cars, but the latest crop of IDs have had cabins swathed in cheap feeling plastics. Not so with the ID.7, for it is almost a return to those old days of Volkswagen. It feels luxurious with plush plastics used and it feels well made – you can upgrade the posh feeling by selecting the ‘Interior Pack’, which adds a number of luxuries included a Harman Kardon stereo, massaging seats, heated front and rear sears, ventilated front seats, and 30-colour ambient lighting; it costs a very reasonable £2,000. The GTX adds a smattering of red details for a more sporting feel.

Inspired by the ID. Vizzion concept car, the ID.7 follows the welcome trend towards sleeker, more aerodynamically efficient designs. Like the Hyundai IONIQ 6 and Tesla Model 3, the ID.7 is designed to slice through the air rather than bulldoze it out of the way. As a result, the ID.7’s profile is clean, simple and rather elegant. Being a Volkswagen, there are some neat and well-executed details. The wraparound rear light clusters and the elegant, almost semi-circular roofline (reminiscent of the 1996 Passat) are particularly pleasing to the eye.  

Dashboard

Volkswagen has opted for a more simple design compared to the models such as the ID.3, and there’s a more conventional gear selector stalk as first seen on the ID. Buzz. The interior is dominated by a 15-inch touchscreen (more on this below) while the speedo is just a tiny slot ahead of the steering wheel. It seems ludicrously small until you realise that the augmented head-up display (again, more on this below) is designed to be your main point of reference. Sadly, Volkswagen continues to offer the ID.7 with its annoying touch-sensitive buttons on the steering wheel. They either don’t work when you want them to, or can be pressed when you don’t want them to be pressed such as when you’re turning the wheel. VW has returned to proper buttons on the new Mk8.5 Golf but it would seem as though the ID.7 has missed the update.   

Technology & Equipment

Along with plusher feeling materials, the major news is the infotainment system is much improved. VW has ironed out a lot of the bugs earlier ID models had as the system is now fast and easy to use. Another small but significant change is the introduction of back-lighting for the volume and temperature sliders that sit just below the screen. Where drivers previously had to guess where the controls were at night, they now glow gently. 

Volkswagen’s clever augmented-reality head-up display is also fitted as standard. This overlays graphics and instructions onto the windscreen to deliver more accurate navigation. In reality, it works pretty well with bright graphics and easy-to-follow instructions, and has Apple CarPlay and Android Auto sat-nav compatibility. 

You won’t feel short-changed when it comes to equipment. Along with the 15-inch touchscreen and augmented head-up display, the entry-level Pro Match trim gets a 360-degree parking camera, three-zone climate control, massaging front seats and LED matrix headlights – the VW badges on the nose and tailgate even illuminate at night. Pro S gets the larger battery but no extra equipment, while the GTX has the big battery along with a selection of sporty extras such as different body-styling, bespoke colours and adaptive chassis control, and luxurious including ventilated seats, heated seats front and rear, and a Harman Kardon sound system.   

Safety

The ID.7 has been awarded a full five-star safety rating from independent crash testers Euro NCAP. It received an excellent 95% score for adult occupant protection, and 88% for child occupant protection. For vulnerable users protection it got 83% and its safety assist systems netted an 80% rating. As standard the ID.7 gets an Assistance Pack – which comprises a 360-degree camera and rear view camera; lane assist, traffic jam assist and emergency assist – a memory feature for Park Assist Plus, and front and rear parking sensors.