Volkswagen ID 7 long-term test

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 7393 Price £51,550 Target Price £51,550 Price as tested £56,080 Official range 383 miles Test range 331 miles

7 September 2024 – The Wight stuff

According to Cliff Richard and The Shadows, a summer holiday means no working, no worries and a smattering of fun and laughter. But that can all come undone rapidly if your car isn’t able to deliver you and your passengers relaxed to sunnier climes.

I knew my Volkswagen ID 7 would have no trouble at all carting me, my wife, two kids and an unnecessary amount of luggage down to the Isle of Wight recently. I knew it’d be comfortable, too. What I was less sure of was the public charging situation.

Because I tend to sniff out the fastest charging stations to make the most of the ID 7’s 175kW charging capability, I was rather alarmed at the revelation by the Zap-Map app that there are no chargers on the Isle of Wight capable of delivering more than 50kW.

Of course, I needn’t have worried, because it’s tricky to cover big mileages on the 147-square-mile island. The Mer chargers I found were mostly available, and easy to use, if rather expensive given the low charging speeds.

There were no restrictions on taking electric cars on the ferry, either. In fact, the only real stresses came from threading my wide executive car down some rather narrow lanes.

Despite the constant sunshine, the ID 7’s panoramic glass roof, which forms part of the £2000 Exterior Pack, shrugged off the worst of the heat-soak, and I like that the car’s air-conditioning system starts to kick in as you approach, taking the edge off the high temperatures.

The roof – and the large windows all around – meant my kids had a good view out, which kept arguments to a minimum, and even allowed them to watch an impromptu firework display.

Perhaps most relaxing of all the ID 7’s traits is its effortless cruising ability. Like most electric cars, there’s an instant hit of acceleration at pretty much any speed when you floor the accelerator – certainly more than the 6.5sec 0-62mph time suggests. It’s particularly impressive when you consider the ID 7 tips the scales at more than 2.6 tonnes.

With that in mind, its ability to return more than four miles per kWh in pretty much any circumstance is really rather remarkable. Of course, that’s been in the warm summer months, so we’ll have to wait to see how it fares when the thermometer drops.

The ride has proved very comfy, too, despite those 20in alloy wheels. The adaptive suspension, which comes as part of the £1000 Exterior Pack Plus, means I can change how supple the suspension is, but it’s a great compromise in its normal setting. Comfort provides a soft, limousine-like ride, although it’s rather too floaty for me over long distances.

I like the car’s adaptive cruise control, too, and use it on most dual carriageway journeys. The self-steering tech works well, although I find that on long, straight sections, it’s unable to determine that I have my hands on the wheel, and will bong loudly.

The car can be too eager to veer itself back in lane when cornering on tighter roads, making it feel like you’re driving in tramlines in the dry, or aquaplaning in the wet. That’s rather disconcerting, but fortunately there was little rain on our summer adventure.

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