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Volkswagen ID.3 Revealed in Frankfurt, Changes Everything

After making 35 million Golfs and 20 million Beetles, Volkswagen is a little tired of making normal cars. It wants to bring that "people's car" expertise to EV with this, the ID.3, so-called because it's the third generation of VW after the other two we just mentioned.
Volkswagen ID.3 Revealed in Frankfurt, Changes Everything 116 photos
Photo: Guido ten Brink / SB-Medien
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The model was officially presented today at the trademark even Volkswagen Group likes to organize just before the Frankfurt Motor Show. Naturally, the press went crazy for it; the ID.3 represents not only a rival for the Leaf but also a blueprint for everything that will be underpinned by the MEB platform.

"How does it compare to the Golf?"...

is the question we hear most often when talking about the ID.3, and that's what we wanted to find out. In short, it kind of doesn't. One good example of this, is the 2,765mm wheelbase, which is 145mm longer than that of the Golf and about the same as a Passat's. But since the drivetrain is small, the overall length is basically the same.

The difference in hight is also quite striking, as the ID.3 is 60mm taller, mostly due to its batteries. As a result of this, the driving position is like a sports car on stilts. You don't get the feeling of being in a hanger like with most bubble-shaped MPVs.

The dashboard: something new

While not the most futuristic EV you can sit in, the ID.3 takes after Tesla to the point where current VW owners will say it feels "alien" to them. The instruments have been replaced by a small screen, which is glued not only to the steering column, but also an innovative new shifter.

Also, a new generation of the infotainment system is revealed, probably quite similar to what Skoda and SEAT will use. It's a tablet that sits almost in front of the dash and is accompanied by capacitive buttons. This is not the VW for old people with knobs you can operate without looking!

While we're talking about things we don't like, the air vents are mounted too low and the quality of the lower dash plastics is inferior to what you'd find on most €30,000 cars. Luggage capacity is rated at 380 liters, but a lot of that is lost through underfloor storage. We'd say a Golf is still better at doing the shopping run.

Batteries and engines

Volkswagen promises two engines at launch, both of which are mounted at the back and offer 150 or 204 HP respectively. This is in line with rivals like the Leaf or Kona. A twin-motor version, presumably with 306 HP, has also been pledged.

As for batteries, the base 45 kWh model will charge at 50kW as standard, with VW offering 100kW as an option. It gets up to 330 km of range (205 miles). The ID.3 1st Edition, which what the 30,000 pre-orders will have, gets a 58 kWh battery with 420 km of range (261 miles) and will be 100kW-compatible normally, adding about 250 km/h of range in 30 minutes. Finally, there's a range-topping version on the way with 77kWh of capacity and 550 km in range. Can we call it ludicrous?
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About the author: Mihnea Radu
Mihnea Radu profile photo

Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida.
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