Having seen the first models in its ID EV range receive a mixed response, the arrival of the flagship ID.7 earlier this year was claimed by Volkswagen to represent a step-change in its offering, with new powertrain and interior technology.
We’ve previously tested the regular fastback model, which arrived first, but the ID.7 is also now available as an estate, badged as the Tourer.
Performance and drive
Three versions of the ID.7 Tourer are available – the Pro Match, with 286hp and a 77kWh battery; the Pro S Match, with the same power and an 86kWh battery; and the GTX, with 340hp, the 86kWh battery, and four-wheel drive, along with a higher level of standard equipment. The Pro S Match, tested here, offers a highly impressive official range of 424 miles, which as well as beating most other EVs on the market is also well ahead of the Pro Match and GTX, at 373 miles and 359 miles respectively (though slightly behind the standard ID.7 Pro S Match, which offers 436 miles).
We weren’t pining for the extra power of the GTX either, with our test car offering rapid and relentless acceleration. On the other hand, a brake pedal which has more travel than is typical takes some getting used to.
The ID.7 Tourer generally does a good job insulating you from the road via refinement and ride quality, though we suspect it would do even better on the standard 19in wheels than with the optional 20in wheels fitted to our test car, which saw some ruts and potholes causing disturbance. Handling is reliable rather than entertaining, but that’s in line with what we’d expect from a large VW of this type – very much built as a comfortable cruiser.
interior tech
Dominating the ID.7 Tourer’s interior is a 15in infotainment touchscreen. By contrast, the regular driver display screen is small, but this doesn’t matter because you will mostly be looking at the large and impressive augmented reality head-up display, which provides all the relevant driving information. In particular, massive video game-style turn arrows make it virtually impossible to miss a sat-nav instruction. In a similar vein, we also love the blue light that scrolls across the bottom of the windscreen to indicate direction changes, which has comparatively little practical value but is very cool.
As befits VW’s flagship EV, interior materials are of good quality – although we’d argue that there isn’t much in the way of visual interest. There’s also a good amount of practical storage space in the centre console.
As you’d expect from a car that’s nearly five metres long, there’s lots of rear legroom, while headroom is fine even with the optional panoramic sunroof fitted to our test car.
Of course, one of the main reasons for choosing the Tourer over the regular ID.7 is the increased carrying capacity. Boot space with the rear seats in place increases from 532 to 605 litres, while with the seats folded the Tourer’s capacity increases to 1,714 versus 1,586 litres. It’s a decent increase, although perhaps not game-changing. The Tourer’s boot features a near-flat loading lip, and an adjustable floor which was set with our test car to create charging cable storage. We also had optional partitioning cargo nets.
Running costs
As a large EV estate, the only real alternative to the ID.7 Tourer is the even larger BMW i5 Touring, which the VW significantly undercuts on price. Instead, we were expecting the main question to be whether the extra carrying capacity compared with the regular ID.7 was worth the (relatively minor) £690 price increase and slight loss of range, which would inevitably come down to individual usage requirements. But in fact, the Tourer has stronger expected residual values than the fastback, meaning it should work out cheaper on a cost-per-mile basis. We’d therefore argue that of the available ID.7s, the Tourer will be the one to choose for fleets.
Positive: Impressive EV range, estate practicality, robust expected RVs, interesting and useful on-board tech
Negative: Unusual brake pedal feel, ride quality imperfections with optional wheels
Standard equipment: 19in alloy wheels, 15in infotainment screen, augmented reality head-up display, area view and rear-view camera, keyless entry and start, three-zone climate control, front massaging seats, automatic LED matrix headlights, illuminated front and rear emblem, rear tinted glass, electric tailgate.
Engines: Electric: 286hp, 340hp
Equipment grades: Match, GTX
Transmissions: Single-speed automatic
| Model | Volkswagen ID.7 Tourer Pro S Match 86kWh 286 PS 1-spd auto |
| P11D | £56,115 |
| Residual value | 50.1% |
| Depreciation | £28,031 |
| Fuel | £2,834 |
| Service, maintenance and repair | £2,251 |
| Cost per mile | 55.19p |
| Range | 424 miles |
| CO2 (BIK%) | 0g/km (2%) |
| BIK 20/40% a month | £19/£37 |
| Luggage capacity | 605 litres |
| Battery size/power | 86kWh/286hp |
| Score | 8/10 |
