VW ID 7 Pro joins our fleet | Long-term test

Within days of taking delivery of our new ID7 long-termer, it returned to Volkswagen due to an intermittent passenger side windscreen wiper.

It stopped working during a cold snap, but later in the day sprang back to life (the driver side still worked). The car is now back with us, with VW unable to identify any fault. An unexplained gremlin that today’s tech-laden cars seem to suffer from occasionally.

Having driven the ID4 for six months last year, the ID7 marks a noticeable step up in terms of quality, comfort and performance. It much more closely embodies the spirit of Volkswagen than the carmaker’s first fully electric cars. Perhaps enough to persuade VW to return to its more recognisable Polo/Golf/Passat naming convention?

Our car is the ID7 Pro Match 77kWh 286PS, priced from £51,495 (we also have a heat pump, a £1,050 option, taking the P11D price to £52,545).

It’s the smaller of the two battery options (note the 77 is the useable figure – it’s the same 82kWh unit as we had in the Audi Q4 e-tron), with a WLTP range of 383 miles compared to the 437 miles offered by the 86kWh (useable) battery.

WLTP efficiency is 4.5mi/kWh; we’re getting around 3.5mi/kWh as the winter temperature is now regularly below 8 deg. C, which has seen the range drop to around 300 on a full charge. However, it tumbles alarmingly quick on a cold start, an effective reminder to precondition the battery before setting off.

The extensive list of standard equipment includes three-zone aircon with intelligent air vents, augmented reality head-up display, area view and rear-view camera, Park Assist with memory function, a variety of ‘Assists’ including lane, side, traffic, traffic jam and emergency, forward collision warning with swerve support, digital cockpit, dynamic LED matrix headlights, 19-inch alloys, driver and front passenger heated/massage seats, whopping 15-inch touchscreen infotainment, Car2X vehicle networking, voice assistant and Volkswagen Connect.

Some of these features will be explored in future reviews.

Initial impressions are favourable: the ID7 is big, but feels nimble, though not as agile as, say, the BMW i4. However, ride comfort and refinement are outstanding, befitting its natural habitat as an eager consumer of miles on long distance journeys.