Volkswagen ID.7 Tourer: The trunk asset
If the latest generation of Volkswagen Passat is manufactured in the same factory as the Skoda Superb but is not, unlike the Czech, available as a sedan, the Volkswagen ID.7 leaves you with a choice. Thus, alongside the three-volume silhouette (which in reality hides a five-door hatchback body), we find the Tourer station wagon, with necessarily greater carrying capacity.
According to VW, the gain on the trunk side is 73 liters (605 l under the luggage cover in total), or roughly 10% more space for luggage than the Volkswagen ID.7 sedan. In practice, it’s nothing but joy with a flat surface, perfect shapes for playing Tetris with suitcases and a low threshold to avoid straining your back when loading “heavy”. In short, this station wagon perfectly meets the initial expectations of fans of the genre.
A cabin that blows hot and cold
On board the station wagon, we inevitably find the qualities and faults of the Volkswagen ID.7. On the positive side, there is of course plenty of room (a little more even at the rear on the headroom side), a real plus to which the giant wheelbase (2.97 m) is no stranger. But if the presentation is less open to criticism than in other members of the ID family with better quality materials, this large VW offers a driving position with an agreed design layout, with a large central touch screen ( 15 inches) to -almost- do everything and a small digital counter and…that’s about it.
Another complaint, if the very latest in-house productions, starting with the Tiguan, have come to their senses in terms of ergonomics, this is not the case with the Volkswagen ID.7 station wagon. Thus, most of the controls, including the buttons on the steering wheel (with haptic feedback) are touch controls and are not the most practical to use. Between too much sensitivity and the impossibility of knowing what we’re pressing without looking at them, we finally say to ourselves that good old buttons aren’t so bad. That said, this German station wagon demonstrates a real sense of practicality with plenty of storage space on board including large door bins and a large tote bag between the front seats. Finally, it should be noted that this ID.7 of course offers the equipment expected in a large tourer in 2024 even if, VW requires, recourse to the catalog of options is inevitable to get out of the ordinary.
At the wheel: the pleasure of a grand tourer
There’s more to life than just the SUV! If leggy models are obviously more popular than other body types, getting behind the wheel of the Volkswagen ID.7 Tourer confirms that real driving pleasure remains the No. 1 advantage of sedans and other coupes. Despite its very substantial weight (from 2.1 to 2.3 tonnes depending on the model chosen), the Volkswagen ID.7 station wagon offers the mix of safety, precision and agility expected of a large tourer. Balanced with healthy reactions, this German offers a precise front axle allowing it to always be in connection with the asphalt. Enough to drive without a second thought at the wheel of this propulsion (it also exists in 340 hp GTX four-wheel drive), especially since the electronic aids act with discernment while never being intrusive. We must also commend the level of comfort, especially when the Volkswagen ID.7 is equipped, like our test model, with DCC controlled damping, integrated into an options pack (€1,390) also including variable ratio steering. . Brilliantly smoothing out the defects of the road, the German allows you to swallow the kilometers without tiring, especially as the soundproofing is also good on board. In short, it’s great work!
Equipped to ride for a long time except for one detail…
Like the sedan, the Volkswagen ID.7 Tourer is available in several options. Sharing the same 286 hp electric motor offering more than sufficient performance and powering the rear wheels, the basic version and the large Autonomy “Pro S” here on test do not, however, have the same battery. The little one called “Pro” already has a 77 kWh accumulator ensuring, according to VW, up to 605 km of autonomy and a maximum direct current charging power of 175 kW. Like the four-wheel drive Volkswagen ID.7 GTX, the Pro S has a more generous 86 kWh accumulator. As a result, the range of action is here increased to 683 km (according to approval) and it is obviously this last proposal which serves as the “High Autonomy” version of the range. But an annoying detail: whatever version you choose, Volkswagen charges for the heat pump as an option (€1,150), even though this equipment obviously helps reduce energy consumption and therefore efficiency.
400 km on the motorway in one go: easy!
If some electric users drag themselves at 100 km/h in the right lane of motorways to go as far as possible before recharging, we consider that an electric car is a car like any other. So, with a full battery and driving at the speed limits, we set off on the road at the wheel of the Volkswagen ID.7 station wagon, leaving the Paris region to go to the Cotentin. The first good sign of the generous autonomy of the Volkswagen ID.7 Tourer is that the route planner does not indicate any recharging required to reach our destination, almost 350 km away. But as the outside temperature is very low (below 6 C°), we ask to see. The result on arrival is more than positive. In Saint Vaast la Hougue (go ahead, it’s charming), the German still has more underfoot with more than 120 km of autonomy remaining. In fact, given the difficult conditions of this test (weather and driving at 130 km/h), traveling 400 km before recharging is easily within the reach of this electric German. And when you need to refuel, the Volkswagen ID.7 station wagon also provides, with a quick terminal, a maximum accepted power of 200 kW (175 for the basic Pro version) so you don’t have to wait too long. In short, if it will of course require more refueling than a Passat TDI, this VW ID.7 will meet the expectations of big electric drivers. Especially since after our return trip (more than 1000 km) and only three charges (including one for comfort), the average energy consumption of this wattage station wagon was below 19 kWh/100 km. Really not bad!
The results: convincing and at a variable geometry price…
Very pleasant to drive, spacious and practical, the VW ID.7 Tourer station wagon is also among the best “long distance” electrics on the market. Enough to appeal primarily to companies looking for their employees to have a “wattage” capable of swallowing several tens of thousands of kilometers per year without too many constraints. But if it is often through rental that they do their car shopping, it should be noted that this Volkswagen ID.7 station wagon is also expensive to pay for its services with, for the Grande Autonomie Pro S version here on test, a price starting at €60,690. Except that between the list price and the current promotions, there is a margin. Until the end of 2024, Volkswagen is offering big discounts on its electric tourer as well as other models in the ID family. And given the price war that is looming next year, it is not certain that these advantageous proposals will not be maintained. The best thing is to inform yourself and of course, as with any car purchase, to negotiate!
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