2025 Volkswagen ID.7

Its premium ambitions and electric DNA take hold inside. A low dash and a thin recessed band of vents open up the windshield for a better view of the standard head-up display that all but replaces the traditional instrument cluster. This results in wide open space topped by a glass roof and stretched to the edges with slender chrome door handles on textured dash and door materials. The microsuede on the armrests might take a beating, but the most notable interior design element is the one you don’t see most often. A blue light bar where the dash meets the windshield appears when the navigation is set, and will blink left to right if you need to get over for a ramp, or pulse blue on the right side if you need to make a right turn. It’s discrete but acts as a third reminder beside the nav display in the touchscreen or the commands in the head-up display.

How fast is the VW ID.7?

The ID.7 debuts a new, more powerful permanent magnet motor for the ID family of electric vehicles. It has more windings and stronger magnets than the ID.4, and it’s both air- and water-cooled. Rated at 210 kw, it makes 282 hp and 429 lb-ft of torque, up from 201 hp and 229 lb-ft in the ID.4, and boosts the 62 mph time to 6.5 seconds. It tops out at 112 mph, which may be a German problem on the Autobahn more than an American one. All that torque requires a new reduction gear, and a new inverter as well as additional cooling improve efficiencies and reduce frictional losses. 

From a dead stop, a surge of full torque gets arrested momentarily before dashing ahead. It’s more spirited than the ID.4, but it lacks the sudden burst of power common in more powerful EVs. There’s ample power for uphill passing, and it stays in character of the touring car by being serene and quiet while cruising, but responsive when called upon. 

Drivers can tap into four modes in Eco, Comfort, Sport, and Individual that stiffens the accelerator response in Sport and turns it to mush in Eco. Sport mode also tightens the steering feel and firms up the available adaptive dampers. The differences are more subtle than pronounced, and a layered menu system can let you customize it in Individual mode.  

A 77-kwh battery pack (82 kwh gross) feeds the motors, and the ID.7 should have a range of about 350 miles, though that hasn’t been certified by the EPA as of press time. The ID.7 can’t charge as fast as the Hyundai Ioniq 6 and doesn’t have bidirectional charging yet. DC fast-charge times at an output of 175 kw can fill the battery pack from 10 to 80% in 28 minutes, which is 10 minutes slower than the Ioniq 6 and its superior 800-volt electrical architecture. It also has an 11.0-kw onboard charger for 240-volt home charging.

There’s only one regen brake setting, set to B on the gear stalk on the column. It’s not grabby enough to make the car pull when you let off the accelerator pedal, but it’s strong enough to allow VW to slap basic drum brakes on the rear wheels. Most of the braking happens up front and through the motor, and VW claims there’s less rolling resistance with drums than with disc brakes.

How does the ID.7 handle?

The ID.7 is built for comfort. VW doesn’t offset its 4,788-pound curb weight with an air suspension, instead relying on front struts and a multilink rear suspension supplemented with available adaptive damping. The large high-riding sedan feels more connected to the road than most other electric crossovers or hatchbacks.

The suspension tune avoids nosedive under heavy braking, and even though driving hard into corners can nudge you in the seat, it’s never enough to tip you into the door. Hefty steering feel gets progressively tighter in Sport mode but the drive modes and granular modulations don’t move it much from its true nature of being a fine touring sedan, quiet, comfy, and with enough power to escape traffic. If seeking more potency, wait for the dual-motor GTX model.

The most surprising thing about the ID.7 is how isolated it is from the passing world. Tire and road noise don’t intrude until speeds of about 70 mph, and even then it’s muted. The fit and finish affirms VW’s premium ambitions.

The low dash and broad windshield makes for great outward vision and unlike other fastback sedans, the view out of the rear windshield isn’t so pinched as to obfuscate the blind spots.

Which VW ID.7 should I buy?

Good question. The ID.7 Pro sounds very compelling. Every ID.7 will likely come with a 15.0-inch touchscreen with an improved layout and updated infotainment system. It corrects most of the bugaboos of the touch-sensitive infotainment and climate sliders that launched with the ID.4. The climate sliders below the touchscreen are backlit and easier to slide your finger across while driving, but it’s easier still to press it down for incremental temperature changes. 

The touchscreen itself has much larger, clearer iconography, and the navigation display is easy to load and follow. A configurable top bar and climate lower bar act as hot buttons so you don’t have to scroll through menus. 

The head-up display comes standard, as well, because VW minimized the instrument cluster and vital driving info to a small rectangle the size of a candy bar. The augmented reality head-up display works well as a more advanced gauge substitute but the blue lines in the flashing navigation guidance can get washed out while wearing polarized sunglasses. 

How much is a fully loaded VW ID.7?

We expect it to top out between $60,000 and $70,000. One feature we loved were the ergoActive front bucket seats that not only blend heating, cooling, and power functions, but the massagers come with dozens of settings for type, duration, and intensity, and transform the ID.7 into a luxury tourer. Other options include Harmon Kardon sound and a fixed glass roof with power tinting.