Small external changes, higher quality materials in the interior and more have come to the renewed 2023 model. The ID.3 is still a perfectly sized machine.
When Volkswagen presented the ID.3 in Latvia in 2020, it seemed that only the end of the bag would be open. An electric car, which will cost around 30 thousand euros, could really change a lot from such a behemoth of the automotive industry. Unfortunately, Covid and later the war in Ukraine caused by Russia dictated that Volkswagen sold its then cheapest electric car more expensively. However, at the time of writing, a fresh old version can be purchased from a dealer for 31.5 thousand. euros, which is very close to the promised 30 thousand.
Volkswagen ID.3
Volkswagen ID.3 marked a new era for the manufacturer. If after dieselgate accelerated the launch of the electric Golf on the market, then it was the ID.3 that was the big card that Volkswagen was hoping for, calling it the next major development point after the Golf. My opinion is that ID.4 is this development step, because crossovers currently dominate the market, but I will not argue with German marketing people.
But this description is still about the new version, which should be better and will have, if not without problems, then with significantly less problems. Interestingly, I hadn’t gotten the previous ID.3 to test at all. I had driven it, yes, but I hadn’t tested it.
Changes
Currently, the smallest electric car from the Volkswagen electric family has undergone changes that the uninitiated will not notice at all. However, noticing these differences, one could say that ID.3’s visual design has gone from being a bit playful or even childish to being more mature.
Volkswagen ID.3
As befits every facelift model – new lamps. I’ve always liked Volkswagen’s lamps that look like eyes. The biggest change that many might appreciate is the front hood – it is no longer a two-piece and comes with slightly sporty indentations that make it visually longer and more pleasing to the eye. The front bumper has also undergone changes and now has airframes to reduce the turbolens on the front wheels.
If you could still distinguish the new from the old model from the front, the rear has undergone imperceptible changes. I’m told the rear gauges are now more functional, but it’s hard to tell when driving the car.
Volkswagen ID.3
Many will surely be happy to know that the ID.3 will now come with better quality interior trim materials. It’s still recycled plastic that we’ll be dealing with, but it’s of a higher quality. Corresponding to 30 thousand euro for the car. Now the large 12″ multimedia screen comes as standard. That’s pretty much everything that has changed in the cabin.
Feeling
It’s no secret that I’m a fan of smaller cars. However, smaller cars often offer either little second-row space or a small trunk. In this regard, I reconfirmed that the ID.3 is a perfectly sized machine. At least for me. There is plenty of space in the back and a good sized boot. And among today’s crossover-dominated urban environments, the ID.3 is like a breath of fresh air. Outwardly, it even looks unusually small.
Volkswagen ID.3 trunk
That turning diameter! Because the motor is placed at the rear and the drive is at the rear, it is capable of a turning diameter of 10.3 m. You can’t understand it until you try it. Making a U-turn on Lielvārdes Street to get back to the Teikas intersection, I almost drove into the green separating lane!
Driving comfort is good. Of course, it is not a premium class, but in the comfortable benches you will not have to strain your bottom muscles at each hole. The run-in is also good. It’s like 7.3 seconds to a hundred, but it feels faster. Especially when pedaling at 30 km/h.
Volkswagen ID.3 interior
The navigation visual assistants are one of the most advanced – I really like the way the HUD shows information, making it easy to understand when to turn, and the LED bar that warns of the approaching turn. Anyway, Volkswagen has thought this out really well.
Areas for improvement… Still
I’ve never really been bothered by the haptic buttons on the steering wheel, although I’ve heard others don’t really like it. Neutral news for me, but negative news for these other people – those buttons are still there.
Volkswagen ID.3 interior
However, you can still see that Volkswagen is not a software company. Everyone already knows it’s outsourced, but still, this is one of the worst multimedia software I’ve ever used, purely from a user experience perspective. Fortunately, Android Auto is the same everywhere, only the screen size changes.
Technical parameters
Unfortunately, I failed to test the charging because I could not use up enough battery resources in 4 days. This is the problem of modern electric cars – the battery is too big to be able to discharge it during half a week long tests.
Volkswagen ID.3 at the Eleport charging station Domina Shopping Battery: 58 or 77 kWh Autonomy on a single charge (WLTP): 428 or 558 km Engine power: 150kW (310 Nm) 0-100 km/h: 7.3 or 7.9 sec Drive: rear Charging: 11kW AC and 170kW DC (120kW for 58kWh version) Ability to share electricity: possible but requires a suitable charging station
Verdict
If the ID.3 was initially playful, which was also reflected in the first color palette, then the new model is more serious. I think this fall teal color is perfect for this car. A perfect car for someone like me – compact on the outside, roomy and nimble on the inside. Everything is exactly as I want – from circumferences to charging parameters. Apart from the multimedia, Android Auto fixes it, and the price starts at €39,400.
The Volkswagen ID.3 is certainly not the leader of electric cars, but the larger the offer has become, the clearer it is that the ID.3 has become what the Golf is for internal combustion machines – a measure by which to understand whether the car is good. If you are worse, it is bad. If you’re better, that’s fine. If you are approximately the same, then the choice will be good for ID.3/Golf.
After many dieselgate it is the Volkswagen Group that is not close to its heart. This is understandable, but it must also be understood that Volkswagen was the first to be caught, everyone snorted. However, you can see that Volkswagen is still dabbling in the electric car space and it responded in more ways than one.
Volkswagen is slowing down its EV production, cutting “hundreds of jobs” at its electric car factory in Zwickau due to the „current market situation“.
Market situation: VW doesn’t make competitive EVs
— Jaan of the EV Universe ⚡ (@TheEVuniverse) September 16, 2023
Wondering when the Cupra Born will get a facelift?
While writing this description, I checked the Volkswagen page and noticed that the ID.7 price is posted. Surprisingly, it is almost the same price as ID.4 and ID.5. Maybe it’s not that surprising since only the outer shell changes… Anyway, I haven’t tried the ID.7 yet, but I’d say I’d go for it over the ID.4 or ID.5.
By the way, if this is a facelift model, maybe the jury of the Latvian car of the year will finally consider an electric car as a candidate for the title? Hardly, because everyone there is allergic to zero-emission cars, but maybe because facelift models have won in previous years…
If you notice an error in the article, let us know about it by highlighting the reverse text and pressing Ctrl+Enter. Thank you!
5 1 vote
Evaluation of the article
Continue Reading
2023-10-04 05:02:57
#Volkswagen #ID.3 #facelift #review #Charged
