VW ID.3 Facelift: Electric car in improved form in first driving report

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There have already been a few electric cars from VW, but the ID.3 was the first to be designed exclusively as such. Hectic development and ambitious cost expectations meant that the ID.3 came onto the market with all kinds of weaknesses. Volkswagen made improvements in several steps. The facelift is supposed to have finally eliminated the roughest weak points. A first impression shows that this was only partially successful.

Surface impression raised

VW focused on three chapters in particular for the redesign: charging performance, software and the superficial impression of quality in the interior. The previous impression of the interior made it easy to make everything seem less cost-optimized with the redesign. Underfoamed plastic, a bit of leather and a glossy black trim don't miss their mark, and the interior doesn't look quite as sparse anymore. On the other hand, the dark plastic trim almost attracts fingerprints, so it doesn't look quite as attractive anymore. Nevertheless: All in all, VW has responded to the criticism and visibly upgraded the ID.3's interior.

Software runs stable

The layout of the dashboard itself remained unchanged. The 5.3 inch small instrument cluster provides an overview of the most important information. In the center, there is still a 12-inch screen with an unlit wiping groove. The display doesn't exactly overwhelm with graphic opulence. It is kept rather simple, but this makes it easy to use. A head-up display with augmented reality is included in the expensive equipment lines, which is still a very good solution. The overall work pace is also not quite as plodding as it once was. Updates now come to the car over-the-air. The software in the test car ran stably and without any major bugs. Both of these things were not a matter of course at VW in the past. The infotainment system cannot keep up with the best solutions on the market, but it is manageable.

Charging power raised at peak

The third major construction site was the charging speed. VW has certain limits here with the modular electric system. The peak power increases to 170 kW, and on our drive we even saw 176 kW for a short time. But for this, the initial charge level and the battery temperature must be in an ideal window. Otherwise, the real charging power remains significantly below that. We recharged 22.4 kWh in just under 22 minutes and had a SoC of 81 percent at the end. Accordingly, the average charging power in this window was around 61 kW. There is still no preconditioning of the battery. No matter how you look at it, the ID.3 is still not one of the charging champions after this revision.

VW finally wants to implement the bidirectional charging that has been promised for a long time. This would allow the traction battery to be tapped externally. Plug & Charge is also supposed to be possible: Once it is up and running, the driver can simply plug in the car at certain charging stations, and charging will then take place automatically without any further detours via app or map. The route calculation and charging stops already seem to work quite well. The overview shows where the driver has to stop and for how long in order to optimize his driving time.

Batteries unchanged

The two batteries with 58 and 77 kWh energy content remain unchanged. The small one can be charged with a maximum of 120 kW, and VW states the range in WLTP as 429 km. The larger battery was built into the test car, which is said to last for up to 559 km at a stretch in the cycle. The power consumption in WLTP is almost identical at 15.2 and 15.3 kWh/100 km. According to the on-board computer, we achieved 14 kWh/100 km during the test drive, which took us over the highway and country roads. A look at the long-term monitor showed 18.2 kWh/100 km. It has to be taken into account that the charging losses are not recorded in the on-board computer's figures, but they are in the cycle.

Rides pleasantly

What the ID.3 is still good at: pleasant driving. The car is well insulated, and the ID.3 remains quite silent even on the highway. Neither the whirring of the electric motor nor wind noise penetrates excessively inside. The seats are pleasing with firm upholstery, only their adjustment range should extend a bit further down. The tuning of springs and dampers is also successful and fits into the overall picture of a mature car. Unevenness is skillfully filtered, only on long waves does the body bounce minimally. The steering works precisely, but does not offer much feedback. However, the poorly controllable brakes and long pedal travel are more annoying.

With 150 kW, the powertrain is powerful enough to make the ID.3 Pro S, which weighs at least 1.93 tons, appear confident. The version with a small battery is slightly faster in the standard sprint with 7.4 seconds than the test car, for which 7.9 seconds are promised. That doesn't matter in everyday life; here as well as there, the ID.3 seems more than adequately nippy. It stops at 160 km/h.

The ID.3: An expensive car

The base model of the revised ID.3 costs 39,995 euros, with the large battery and more extensive standard equipment, at least 47,595 euros are due. The purchase subsidy, which is shared between the manufacturer and the taxpayer, can still be deducted. The fully equipped test car is expected to cost 59,745  euros. At the latest, that seems excessive, because the ID.3 is truly not alone on the market. Among other things, the clean workmanship, the successful chassis and the good insulation speak for it. But in terms of software, VW basically only delivers what the customer can always expect anyway: stability and the absence of major flaws. In addition, the peak charging performance may have increased significantly under ideal conditions, but it still cannot even begin to keep up with the fastest rivals. All this comes with a price that is marked by some self-confidence.

(mfz)