When first launched in 2023, the Volkswagen ID.7 was not only the largest electric vehicle yet offered by the German brand, it was also the most luxurious – this is effectively an electric Passat, taking the role of a flagship vehicle to target the executive market and going up against the likes of the Tesla Model 3.

The ID.7 comes in two forms, the hatch and an estate, or Tourer in VW parlance. There are two battery sizes with even the smaller one offering a range between charges of well over 350 miles, while a more recent GTX variant adds a front motor to the standard rear one for all-wheel-drive capability.

First impressions

Our test car is a hatch version of the ID. 7 and on first viewing many will be surprised to be told this is a hatchback, as it looks all the world like an electric saloon – a big one too, at close to five metres long. Some observers have suggested it lacks real presence – it certainly doesn’t have the ‘distinctive’ looks of VW’s early ID offerings – but we think the car exudes an understated quality, its swooping roofline satisfying to the eye.

It’s the same inside the ID.7 – plenty of space and quality fit and finish (which of course has long been expected of Volkswagen vehicles). Add to this comfortable progress and potency when required, and one can easily see why Volkswagen management think this car can steal sales from the executive heavyweights of BMW, Mercedes-Benz and sister VW Group brand Audi.

Design

The ID.7 follows the Volkswagen mantra of the ID range, having a subtly different look to the brand’s combustion-engined cars. Some might find the resultant slippery body style with not much in the way of creases and curves in the side panels rather bland, but it does present an understated look that will suit many in its target market.

The swoopy profile with a low frontal area also has another major advantage vital among electric vehicles – aerodynamics. The ID.7 has an impressively low drag coefficient which helps with that EV golden ticket, range.

Interior

Close to three metres of that almost five-metre length is between the wheels, so it won’t surprise readers to learn that there is plenty of space inside the ID.7, in both front and back, plus a boot of 532 litres – out-voluming most rivals and extending to 1586 litres with the rear seats dropped. There is also a handy ski-hatch for carrying long but narrow items.

Comfort was definitely the word in the driver’s seat of our test car. The seats come with lots of electric adjustment and even a massage function as standard. The view out front, and indeed all round, is very good, while the controls are very well thought-out – the slimline design includes the driver’s digital display plus a very effective head-up display which displays all the essential info low on the windscreen.

The central infotainment screen is of a big landscape format, 15 inches across the diagonal and relatively easy to use – definitely better than has previously been the case on some VW models. it’s more user-friendly and boasts useful shortcut functions, while the voice assistant is also improved though still not quite as polished as on some rivals.

The only real gripe here is that industry tendency to put everything on a screen. Nowhere is this more true than with the air vent controls – when on the move we don’t want to be trying to navigate the touchscreen just to close or shut off the hot air – a physical control would not go amiss here.

Plusses: Space, fit and finish.
Minuses: Air vent controls on the touchscreen.

Equipment

Plentiful equipment is a feature of the ID.7 – notables on the standard specification include matrix LED headlights with auto high-beams, tri-zone air conditioning, heating on the front seats and steering wheel, front and rear parking sensors plus a 360-degree surround view camera, and an auto park function.

Possibly standing out on the ID.7 options list is a ‘Smart Glass’ panoramic roof. The glass has a layer of electronics so a quick flick of a switch can turn it from full transparent to opaque in an instant. Other options include ‘ergoActive’ premium seats, with their own bespoke massage programmes, air conditioning and even specific functions for spine and pelvic muscles – apparently they have been certified by the German Campaign for Healthier Backs, which is apparently a thing…

It it disappointing, however, on such an upmarket car to find that a heat pump, an essential aid to battery efficiency, can only be found on the options list, at £1050.

Plusses: Extensive standard equipment
Minuses: Heat pump only on options list

Safety

The ID.7 scores very highly on its safety specification, to the point that when Euro NCAP crash-tested it in 2023 it not only gained a top five-star rating but also several ‘scored full points’ and ‘had a maximum score’ in the various test category reports.

As might be expected the standard list includes a host of ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems), extending to Assisted Lane Changing and Exit Warning. The first scans traffic and suggests a lane change to the driver if one is available, which it will then carry out if the driver activates the indicator in the corresponding direction. The second warns occupants on opening the door if a vehicle is approaching from behind, right down to bicycles.

Plusses: Excellent level of standard safety equipment
Minuses: Nothing comes to mind

Powertrain

The ID. 7 was the first VW model to employ a new electric motor, the most powerful yet fitted in one of the brand’s EVs with 210kW of power, equivalent to 286hp, and a highly impressive torque figure of 545Nm. This means that while the ID.7 is a big car, it is no slouch, with our rear-wheel-drive single-motor version claiming a 0-62mph time of 6.5 seconds.

Thanks to a bigger than average 77 kWh battery, this car comes with a WLTP certified range of 380 miles plus – well within ICE-engine territory. Charging is impressive too; the ID.7 can be recharged at up to 175 KW, so if you can find a suitable charger, it will take just 10 minutes to add another 120 miles-plus to the range. Recharging from five to 80%, meanwhile, takes 28 minutes. With an 11kW AC home wallbox you are looking at eight hours to fully charged.

Volkswagen is also offering a version of the ID.7 with an 86 kWh battery pack – it is not any quicker but will extend that battery range to around 430 miles. And then there is the all-wheel drive GTX variant, which adds an extra motor on the front axle, but cutting the official range in the process to 365 miles.

On the road

The overwhelming impression when one gets the ID.7 out on the road is of comfortable progress. The suspension does a very good job of dialling out the worst excesses of UK road surfaces without producing over-soft, nauseating progress and one can easily eat up many a motorway mile without fatigue.

What makes this all the more impressive is that our test car did not boast VW’s Dynamic Chassis Control adaptive suspension system, which we are told provides even more limousine-like progress. It’s an optional extra on all bar the GTX variant, as part of the £1,000 Exterior Pack Plus.

Ask the ID.7 to perform and it will do so. The instant electric response to a kick down makes dispatching slower traffic a rapid and easy process while tackling a series of challenging B-road corners it offers good feedback and precise placing from the steering. It is a big car though, with handling not quite as sharp as some of its perceived rivals.

As one would expect from such a model the ID.7 brims with technology. Particularly notable is the adaptive regenerative braking, which will automatically match any retardation of the car in front, returning energy to the battery in the process. It’s effective, and very smooth in operation.

One aspect the ID.7 cannot be faulted on is its interior ambience – there is virtually no motor, wind or road noise even at speed and particularly for something from a mainstream, rather than executive, brand this is an exceedingly quiet car.

Plusses: Comfortable ride, precise steering, great range
Minuses: A big car to hustle through challenging roads

Costs

The ID.7 offers executive levels of luxury and progress but it does come with a price tag bordering on such territory too. At more than £51,500 for our Pro Match test example, the least expensive variant, this car will cost more than several rivals with all-wheel-drive – for that on the ID.7 you’ll need to pay more than £10,000 more.

Of course the ID.7 does come with all the benefit-in kind and VED advantages of an EV. But note that from April you will be hit by the ‘Expensive Car Supplement’, adding another £1,700 to your total costs over five years.

Summary

Volkswagen has done an excellent job with the ID.7, creating a very effective large electric executive car. While some may argue that visually it lacks distinction, most buyers will be wanting something that is easy to live with and satisfying to drive, with a good range, and the ID.7 ticks all those boxes.

The car is by no means the least expensive in its sector and the lower price of rivals may sway some buyers towards them. But the ID.7 certainly does demonstrate the adage that one pays for quality.

Business Motoring First Drives are the initial test of a new vehicle, of usually between 50 and 100 miles. Business Motoring Full Reviews are usually conducted over a full week, completing several hundred miles.