The high-performance Volkswagen ID 7 GTX will be unveiled at the Munich motor show in September, the brand has confirmed.
Volkswagen’s answer to the Tesla Model 3 Performance, the new four-wheel-drive range-topper is understood by Autocar to pair the base model’s 282bhp and 402lb ft rear motor with the ID 4 GTX’s 107bhp front motor to give a combined output of around 390bhp.
This should substantially reduce the ID 7’s 0-62mph time of around 6.0sec in Pro S guise, although it’s unlikely to match the Model 3 Performance’s 3.3sec.
The upgrade is also expected to bring a slight reduction to the ID 7’s 435-mile range (in 86kWh specification). A range of around 400 miles is likely.
Visually, the GTX will be distinguished by gloss black accents (including the roof), tinted windows and bucket seats with red contrasting stitching.
The model is likely to be priced at a significant premium compared with the regular ID 7, for which Volkswagen has suggested a starting price in the region of £50,000. For reference, the ID 4 starts from £38,845, with the GTX rising to £52,865.
The regular ID 7 will launch in Europe and China this autumn, with the US following in 2024.
Two batteries will be available: a 77kWh pack (used in existing ID models) giving a 382-mile range and 170kW charging; and a new 86kWh unit that allows 435 miles between recharges and top-ups at up to 200kW.
The saloon measures nearly five metres long and has a wheelbase of around three metres, making it larger than the Volkswagen Passat, which it indirectly replaces, and closer in size to the Phaeton luxury saloon, which bowed out in 2016.
Its cabin majors on practicality but various touches ramp up the ID 7's luxury credentials, including a panoramic roof that switches from opaque to transparent at the touch of a button, optional massage seats, an augmented reality head-up display and a 15.0in infotainment touchscreen running a heavily overhauled iteration of Volkswagen's MIB software platform.
Volkswagen has focused on making this new infotainment platform – shared with the facelifted ID 3 – easy to use. There is a new direct-access bar at the top of the touchscreen for quick access to core functions, for example, the main menu can be opened without closing any in-use app, the home screen can be configured to show icons for a driver's most commonly used apps and the main climate controls are now permanently hosted at the bottom of the screen to avoid scrolling on the move.
Perhaps most importantly, the controversial touch sliders for the temperature and volume controls are now illuminated, meaning they can be used safely at night.
