VW responds to customer reviews

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VW has sold around 600,000 of its ID electric cars since the beginning of 2020. But while the Golf compact model has always dominated the world of internal combustion engines, the best-selling SUV ID.4 among electric vehicles and the cheaper compact ID.3 follow. Just a price question? A VW engineer recently revealed to the German magazine “Spiegel” that the developers had to finish the car very quickly.

The result: a slow launch due to improvements, cumbersome software, and an unusually sparse interior. VW also admits behind closed doors that sales expectations for the new Volksstromer are slightly higher. Therefore, almost three years later, the first facelift has already been done.

The boss pressured

New VW brand boss Thomas Schäfer (52) warned them – VW needs to show that they take customer criticism seriously. The ID.3 has been improved especially in the interior: foamed surfaces, more textiles instead of hard plastic, and a few leather surfaces are now replaced by vegan leather. The cockpit and door panels now look much neater than before.

Surprisingly, the directional switch remained in the enclosure of the virtual instruments. So-called sliders are also left to adjust the temperature and radio volume in front of the twelve-inch central display: grooves that you can swipe through, but hardly find in the dark due to the lack of lighting. But they need to be illuminated during the year.

technology remained the same

There are no changes in the driver either. As before, the facelifted VW ID.3, which will be available from autumn, is available with 204 hp (150 kW) rear-wheel drive, powered by either 58 or 77 kilowatt-hours (kWh) batteries. This means that the Wolfsburg-based vehicle has a range of 420 or 540 kilometers. After all, the larger battery pack’s charging power rises to 170 kilowatts, while the 58 kWh version has to make do with a slim 120 kW battery despite the latest software. But this also means that the third battery version (45 kWh) announced at the ID.3 launch and versions with 126 or 150 hp drives at lower prices have yet to appear, even after the overhaul. But this year it’s a GTX sports version.

As with VW ID.Buzz, ID.3 should now work with Plug & Charge. Simply plug the connector into the charging station – the chip card or mobile phone can remain in your pocket to activate the charging function. Upgrading the standard equipment with a twelve-inch screen, distance cruise control and other details makes the base model of the VW ID.3 Pro Life (with 58 kWh battery) expensive in Germany at around 44,000 euros. Swiss prices have not yet been determined, but we have to pay an additional fee compared to the previous one.

Source: Blick