Codenamed B9, the ninth-generation Passat is – most likely – the final one to feature internal combustion. Available strictly as a station wagon, the 2024 model offers 690 liters of cargo space behind the rear seats and 1,920 liters behind the front seats, meaning 24.4 and 67.8 cubic feet.
Customers in the market for an electric longroof with the footprint of the Passat Variant are now offered the ID.7 Tourer, which builds on the strengths of the sedan with more legroom and luggage space. However, the zero-emission wagon plays second fiddle due to 605 and 1,714 liters (21.4 and 60.5 cubic feet), respectively, in European markets.
Slightly longer than its combustion-engined sibling, the ID.7 Tourer takes inspiration from the ID. Space Vizzion, which Volkswagen unleashed at the 2019 Los Angeles Auto Show. The concept's highlight numbers are 82 kilowatt hours, 560 kilometers in the WLTP and 300 miles in the EPA's test cycle, 0.24 for the drag coefficient, and up to 265 kW (make that 355 horsepower) from two motors.
How does the series-production model compare to it? For starters, the Wolfsburg-based automaker quotes 86 kilowatt hours and fast charging at up to 200 kilowatts. Volkswagen estimates up to 685 kilometers in the WLTP. The EPA estimate isn't available. Chances are this fellow isn't meant for the US market. Even so, that would be 426 miles.
Similar to the sedan, the ID.7 Tourer can be had with a choice of two batteries. Available at launch, the Pro sports a 77-kWh. The standard battery's direct-current charging speed is 175 kW. Later on, the Pro S will come with 86 kWh to its name.
Photo: Volkswagen
What about power and performance? Based on the MEB platform of the ID.4 crossover and ID.3 hatchback, the ID.7 Tourer is exclusively rear-wheel drive. At least for the time being, that is, because Volkswagen is putting the finishing touches on the ID.7 GTX as we speak. Unleashed in September 2023, the sedan-bodied ID.X Performance concept offers 411 kW (551 hp).
Germany's largest automaker couldn't be bothered sharing acceleration estimates for the rear-drive ID.7 Tourer, which – due to a few extra kilos of curb weight – should be marginally slower to 100 kilometers per hour (62 miles per hour). The sedan requires 6.5 seconds, meaning around 6.3 seconds for the stint from zero to 60 miles per hour.
For the time being, 282 horsepower and 406 pound-feet (550 Nm) channeled to the rear wheels will have to suffice. Obviously torquier than the Passat Variant, the ID.7 Tourer does have a bit of Passat Variant to it as far as the interior is concerned.
The infotainment system's 15-inch touchscreen dominates the cockpit. Similar to the B9, the newcomer features a gear selector on the right side of the steering column. To be produced at the Emden plant alongside the ID.7 sedan and ID.4 crossover, the ID.7 Tourer will be available in right-hand drive for the British market. Pricing information will be released in the near future.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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