I’m among just six reporters from American outlets who were invited to this remote region close to Alicante on the Mediterranean Coast of Spain located in between Valencia between Valencia and Alicante. Volkswagen has gone through a lot of logistical hassle – complicated travel plans, hotels, experts on site, and even workshops – to allow me to take the steering wheel of a prototype that isn’t finished and travel for forty-five minutes across the mountain range.
The main reason for all the attention is the imminent (though still far off) 2025 Volkswagen ID.7, which is a brand new model to represent the company’s efforts in electrification. My notes on the drive are filled with caution the cars I drove were far from the production version. If you’re looking to get more details the official launch post as well as our Everything We Know feature goes in greater detail. Then, this amuse-bouche confirms that Volkswagen is stepping into new territory with this EV that is near luxury.
2025 Volkswagen ID.7 Review
The ID.7 is a VW electronic drive system that is modular with the rest of the ID family (that’s ID.4 and ID. Buzz in the US) and comes with the familiar 86.0-kilowatt-hour (77.0 kWh usable) that has a 400-volt structure. Drivers from other countries can choose a 91.0-kWh battery (86.0-kWh gross) but it will not be available on our shores.
In large part due to the car’s slippy 0.23 coefficient of drag (which corresponds to the Tesla Model 3, for instance) Expect the battery with a smaller capacity ID.7 to have a better distance than the 265 miles that comes with the ID.4. However, it’s safe to say that we’ll not have anything similar to the officially-released EPA performance or range figures for a long time as the car isn’t expected to be available across the US until 2024’s second half.
I tested the single motor, rear-drive model of the ID.7 and I can confirm that the electric motor is a welcomed upgrade to the range of products offered by the company. It produces 282 horsepower and 402 pounds of torque, along with more powerful permanent magnets in the rotor, and a redesigned stator, the ID.7 can put power on the pavement effortlessly. It felt very fast as I sped up and sometimes passed slower-moving vehicles on the mountain roads only route to drive However, it’ll require longer to see the impact on the high-speed US highways. Four drive modes control how the ID.7 travels down the road as part of the larger “Driving Dynamics Manager” suite of programs. In this case, I’d like to warn you that my impressions may not be as accurate as the actual model of this car because the system wasn’t completely built in the initial prototype.
Specs
There wasn’t any significant difference in the suspension or steering response when I switched between Comfort and Sport Eco and Individual modes. I tried to figure out the differences. Sport mode does offer an acceleration that is noticeably more powerful than one would expect, and also seems to boost the effect of braking by generating motors. VW experts were not in a position to confirm or deny the claim that a higher rate of regen was a feature of the Sport program, instead speculating that I could be feeling GPS-enabled predictive acceleration while driving down the steep and winding road.
I’m not sure how to match the most accurate guess of The VW team and my personal experience honestly. We’ll have to get more time with a production-ready car to get some answers. I’m able to confirm that there’s nothing like a single-pedal driving mode to the ID.7. Volkswagen along with its portfolio partner Porsche has opted for the coasting-over-regen method to maximize efficiency which is most likely the right choice. But for a driver like me, who prefers the one-pedal approach in city driving, the absence of a configurable option is a major problem.
ID.7’s extremely aerodynamic design has had a huge impact on the inside of the cabin experience since the car was incredibly silent on the road. This was also on two-lane roads with speeds that never surpassed 70 miles an hour, which means the test isn’t yet complete. However, the potential is apparent for top-quality NVH. The quiet environment will be a bit crowded with sound that’s not playing in my car either. It’s not like it’s possible to turn these sounds off, but you can set the individual mode to show your preferred music sound – here’s to hoping that it’s captivating audio.
The overall ride quality appears to confirm Volkswagen’s claim of the car as a high-end executive experience. Through a few stretches of sloppy road, loose gravel, and speed bumps that were a part of an urban area the ride was smooth and smooth, without roughness from any type of impact. The adjustment on the system of adaptive damping in every mode I played appeared to favor the comfort of high-speed stability and more than sporty responses. The steering tune was approximately the same. The electric rack with a variable ratio is designed to gently guide you through gentle curves. The feedback is hardly noticeable turning in is barely noticeable and the weighting is mid-range. VW refers to the experience as “the electric business class” which means that the smooth handling and steering hit the desired target.
Infotainment and Connectivity
While I was driving the test model 2025 Volkswagen ID.7 with a hidden interior I was able to be in a car that had an unveiled cabin and experience many of the exciting features that are coming to the production line. Engineers and designers have worked hard to achieve the biz-casual style (and as a result, correct some of the mistakes made by this ID.4).
The most significant modification for drivers is the way information is presented. The car has a small information display that is not configurable, just as traditional instrument clusters could be located. Instead, a bright, large multi-colored head-up display is now standard and is a real high-level version of Volkswagen’s Virtual Cockpit experience. The HUD can be easily set to display battery status information, navigational indicators as well and media information. If I wasn’t wearing glasses with polarized lenses, it was bright and easy to spot.
Volkswagen is encouraging drivers to remain at the wheel, making use of its new voice-command system. In my test vehicle, the command was set to the sweet “hey Ida,” but the system allows the user to name it however you’d like. The software can listen to and then activate a wide range of vehicle systems including drives, heating and cooling, navigation media, etc. There are even some dad jokes on its sleeves. The subject expert was so enthusiastic about the display that she gave me a little side-eye as she noticed all the fingerprints that were visible on the glossy 15-inch screen.
The voice assistant comes with an extensive set of commands and features However, the company claims the commands get “processed” in the cloud but are not stored there. As a result, there’s no AI-like training taking place – the car is aware of what it has learned up to the point that an over-air update alters an array of commands, or something similar. Although that does not mean that Ida (we’re on the same first name now) will not hear my voice engineers have made it so that listening zones are concentrated around the seats of the driver and passengers. Back-seat passengers will not receive an answer from a voice command and any cross-talk within the vehicle will be removed.
If you choose to work with your central screen (you are a greasy-fingered creature) you can expect a huge amount of flexibility there in addition. The swipes from side to side reveal different panels of information which can be set up in an infinite number of ways. It is also possible to select “app favorites” to stay stationary on the sides and top of your screen regardless of which panel you’re in. Then, as everybody who drove with an ID.4 wanted to know for a slider, the ones that regulate the volume of media and control temperature are now backlit just as God wanted. It’s no longer a random attack on the IP while on the dark road to home. Additionally, some controls can be fixed for the cooled and heated seats, as well as a button that turns a heated wheel that is on that, yes that steering wheel.
Interior
Since the 2025 Volkswagen ID.7 replaces the mid-sized Passat family sedan, Volkswagen has given it an expansive interior. Cargo space is ample as well, and more than the traditional trunk one, the ID.7 comes with a liftback design similar to its gasoline-powered Arteon sedan. The interior is a stylish design, and the build quality was impressive even in the model we tested. Volkswagen has engineered a complicated but novel air vent design that uses electric motors to adjust the airflow to better distribute warm or cool air throughout the cabin. A huge glass roof is available, and it can be changed between transparent and opaque depending on the type of glass you prefer.
When we get more details regarding ID.7’s interior and features, we’ll update this story. ID.7’s interior and other features the interior and features, we’ll update this story with additional details. All ID.7 models come with a massive 15.0-inch infotainment screen that incorporates Volkswagen’s most recent infotainment interface. The head-up display displays important information on the windshield as well and a tiny electronic gauge is included.
Engine
In its initial release, the 2025 Volkswagen ID.7 will have one electric motor that drives the rear wheels and delivers 282 horsepower. A dual-motor version with more power is anticipated to arrive in the future however for the time being the rear-wheel drive setup will give a decent acceleration. VW claims a 60 mph acceleration speed in 5.0 seconds.
We drove a test version at a test in Spain and were amazed by its stiff suspension well-controlled body movements and pliable handling. However, we noticed that the steering experience in certain driving styles felt less natural than we’d like It’s possible that certain aspects of tuning aren’t done yet. When the ID.7 is released, we’ll have the chance to test and experience a real-world version of the car and will update this article with fresh driving impressions as it occurs.
Range, Charging, and Battery Life
The ID.7 will come with a 77.0-kWh battery pack that was borrowed from the 2025 Volkswagen ID.7 will come standard and will provide approximately 300 miles of drive per charge. This is higher than that of what you get from the ID.4 SUV, and the ID.7’s more aerodynamic design helps to increase the distance. A bigger 86.0-kWh battery is expected to join the lineup in the future however, it may be exclusive for the stronger dual motor wheel drive variant.
Fuel Economy and Real-World MPGe
The EPA hasn’t yet released estimates for fuel economy for the ID.7 as of yet, nor have Volkswagen however we’re hoping to see more numbers over the ID.4 that has been rated to get as much as 107 MPGe in the in the city. For more details about the ID.7’s fuel efficiency, check out the website of the EPA.
Safety and Driver-Assistance Features
We anticipate that the 2025 Volkswagen ID.7 to be fitted with various driver assistance features, including standard features like automated emergency braking, as well as more advanced options like automatic high-beam headlamps, as well as an adaptive cruise controller. For more details on the ID.7’s crash-testing results, check this site: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) websites. Important safety features could include:
- Standard automated emergency brake
- Standard lane-departure warning, with assistance for keeping the lane
- The standard adaptive cruise control
2025 Volkswagen ID.7 Price & Release Date
The global premiere will take place in April of 2023. launch day for Volkswagen ID.7 is set for 2024 in North America as a 2025 model. It will go on sale across China and Europe first in the autumn of 2023. It’s a risky venture to launch a brand-new sedan into a market that is averse to SUVs, so pricing is crucial. We’re expecting the 2025 Volkswagen ID.7 base price to begin at around $40,000 for an entry-level RWD model, which has the lowest battery. This is a challenging vehicle to classify, however, because the price we’re assuming is comparable to a Tesla Model 3, yet in terms of size, it’s less than the much larger Model S. Still, it’s the Model 3 that we consider an even more viable competitor should the estimate of $45k turn out to be true.
Pro S confirmed for Europe. Pro S confirmed for Europe will likely arrive in the USA also and may cost anywhere between $55,000 and $50,000. VW did not explicitly mention the possibility of a dual motor, all-wheel drive model, but this model is likely to be available to be available for the US market as well. This price will also be able to see the ID.7 cross-over with BMW’s i4.