VOLKSWAGEN ID 7

German giant takes on Tesla and Hyundai with a long-range, tech-heavy, electric executive saloon, driven here in prototype form

- GREG KABLE

TESTED 23.3.23, ALICANTE, SPAIN ON SALE SUMMER PRICE £50,000 (EST)

The ID 3, ID 4, ID 5 and ID Buzz have now firmly established Volkswagen within the EV ranks. Between them, they accounted for nearly 10% of the German giant's global sales in the final quarter of last year.

ID 7 is a trendy liftback rather than a traditional saloon

Now Volkswagen is looking to build on this success with the ID 7, a new liftback-style saloon that is planned to head into UK showrooms by the end of 2023 with the promise of an even more practical estate sibling set for arrival in early 2024.

This latest ID model is aimed squarely at the Hyundai Ioniq 6 and Tesla Model 3, with Volkswagen wanting you to think of it as an upmarket electric alternative to the traditional combustion-engined Passat.

Torque vectoring at the rear gives you confidence to carry speed into corners

Pricing has yet to be announced, but Volkswagen suggests it will land in the UK at about £50,000 the same as those two rivals in their respective long-range forms.

The origins of the ID 7 can be traced back to the Geneva motor show of 2018, where Volkswagen unveiled the ID Vizzion concept car. Its definitive styling was subsequently previewed under an illuminated QR code-inspired disguise at last year's Los Angeles motor show, where Volkswagen also confirmed the ID 7 name.

The prototype we have been invited to drive in sunny Spain remains camouflaged, but that obviously doesn't prevent us seeing a two-box saloon shape featuring many of the styling cues established by the ID 3, ID 4 and ID 5.

The obvious powertrain differences aside, the ID 7 feels much like the Passat to drive

TESTER'S NOTE