Volkswagen ID 7 long-term test: report 1

The car Volkswagen ID 7 Pro Match Run by Stuart Milne, digital editor

Why it’s here SUVs are flavour of the month, but can a low-slung, sleek hatchback be the ideal family car?

Needs to be spacious, comfortable and brimming with the tech expected of a long-distance executive cruiser

Mileage 4270 Price £51,550 Target Price £51,550 Price as tested £56,080 Official range 383 miles Test range 363 miles Options fitted Exterior Pack Plus with panoramic sunroof (£2100), Interior Pack (£2000), heat pump (£1050), 20in alloy wheels (£480)

26 July 2024 – Management training

Management textbooks love to focus on different types of personalities, and how each needs to be treated differently in order to get the most from them. At opposite ends of one spectrum sits the extroverts and the introverts, some say.

Those extroverts are often never happier than when the spotlight is on them; the introverts are the total opposite, and often prefer to go about their work under the radar. So what’s the relevance of management psychology to a Volkswagen ID 7?

The ID 7, with its sleek styling and comfortable ride, is a textbook executive car, appealing to the very people who have bookshelves full of management tomes. But it actually feels rather introverted – and in the executive car park chock full of huge screens and steering yokes, that appeals very much to me.

That sobriety is something Volkswagen does very well. It’s handsome in a fairly unassuming way, but it doesn’t turn heads like a BMW i4, Mercedes EQE or Tesla Model 3 – electric cars which are among the ID 7's rivals. The Aquamarine Blue paint I chose is one of the more striking colours from an otherwise very conservative pallet, and whilst two-tone paint options are available, the optional panoramic roof renders them moot.

Slightly more dramatic are the 20in alloy wheels, which are a £480 option and come with ‘Airstop’ tyres designed to self-seal in lieu of tyre foam if I get a puncture. Perhaps the most striking feature is the panoramic glass roof which switches from opaque to clear at the touch of a button. It’s a shame that when clear it still looks a little milky, but as part of the £2000 Exterior Pack, it’s pretty well priced.

That Exterior Pack also bundles adaptive suspension, which does a great job of delivering a plush ride by smoothing out the worst of Britain’s broken Tarmac. The ID 7 isn't the last word in agility, but for what I use my cars for, it’s more than good enough.

More importantly for me is the £2000 Interior Pack Plus, which features an excellent Harman Kardon audio upgrade alongside massaging, heated and ventilated front seats, plus heated outer rears. It makes the generally comfy interior a nicer place to sit, even if the perforations in the seat squabs are a devil for catching crumbs and other debris.

I’ve not managed to reap the benefits of the £1050 heat pump yet, though. The kit is designed to harvest heat from the battery and motor to assist with the car’s ventilation systems. In our most recent winter range test, it added two miles to the car’s range, and boosted its miles/kWh figure from 3.3 miles to 3.5.

Of course, those figures were in the depths of winter, but in the relatively warm weather, the ID 7 is already proving to be impressively efficient, particularly given its portly 2630kg. I’ve seen as much as 363 miles from a full charge, which is only 20 miles off the official figure.

The range comes from a 77kWh (useable) battery and is aided by bodywork that's as slippery as a fish – making the ID 7 one of the most aerodynamic cars currently on sale. Charging speeds are fine, but pretty much average for the class. At its maximum rate of 175kWh, it’s a fraction faster than a Polestar 2 and a Tesla Model 3 RWD, but a fair bit slower than a BMW i4.

Infotainment systems have been Volkswagen’s Achilles heel for the last few years, but the ID 7 has the latest incarnation. It’s mostly an improvement because it’s easier to use than before and – joy of joys – the heating and volume controls are illuminated, and the voice control is pretty obedient. There are a lot of features in there, and while I’m yet to dig into everything, it’s clear that BMW’s iDrive system remains on another level by comparison.

I love the head-up display, which uses augmented reality to really bring the sat-nav instructions to life. The graphics are clear and bold, and seeing big blue chevrons and turn instructions hover in front of your eyes makes you feel like you’re part of a computer game. 

The basics are covered, too. It’s a big car, so the boot is capable of swallowing eight carry-on suitcases, although the jury is out whether it’ll carry our family camping gear. There’s a huge amount of rear legroom, which means my seven-year-old son can’t indulge his favourite pastime of kicking the back of my seat.

Over the next six months, I’ll find out whether the ID 7 has the character and charisma to be executive car for the execs who don’t need to shout – or whether it’s destined for middle management.

For all the latest reviews, advice and new car deals, sign up to the What Car? newsletter here

Read more: Volkswagen ID 7 review >>

Read about more long-term test cars >>

Buy a new car with What Car?

Like the sound of the Volkswagen ID 7?

If so, check out the latest Volkswagen ID 7 deals available through our free New Car Deals service.

Our network of What Car? approved dealers use our Target Price discounts (the most our mystery shoppers think you should pay) as the basis for their savings.