Volkswagen has updated the ID.3 electric hatchback with a far-reaching series of revisions to the car’s design and tech
Volkswagen started to get really serious about its all-electric future with the introduction of the ID.3, a Golf-sized family hatchback that was the first model in the entire VW Group to use the bespoke MEB EV platform. Now, less than three years after the VW ID.3 went on sale, the car is being treated to a series of upgrades that are extensive enough for VW to refer to it as a “second generation” ID.3.
From the outside, the evolution of Volkswagen ID.3 looks relatively typical fare for what the car industry often calls ‘mid-life enhancement’. There are new colour options – including the vivid Dark Olivine Green of the vehicle pictured here – and the ID.3 gets fresh headlights and new tail-light clusters that create an arch-shaped motif and incorporate X-shaped brake lights. Cars equipped with Matrix-LED headlights also now feature an animation that welcomes and says goodbye to the user as they approach and leave the vehicle.
There are more significant bodywork alterations, though, that go beyond normal facelift fare. The front bumper is modified for a sharper look, but significantly, the black plastic area at the base of the windscreen has been removed altogether, and replaced by a larger body-coloured bonnet. VW says the move is designed to “create an additional impression of visual lengthening”, although it’s an abrupt U-turn from the original design, which was conceived to make the bonnet look shorter.
Claas-Lennard Stöhr, the ID.3’s product manager, says the tweaks are designed to move the model away from its ‘cute’ image. “With the new front end, there’s definitely a little more aggression,” he told us. “It’s still a friendly model but the sharper bumper and the surfacing on the bonnet means it’s more grown-up, a little more mature. That’s the look we’ve been aiming for.”
Interior design and dimensions
In any case, the ID.3 doesn’t change its overall dimensions – so it’s still a family hatchback measuring 4.26 metres long and 1.81 metres wide. Those dimensions continue to place the model between VW’s Polo and Golf in overall length, although the longer wheelbase allowed by the MEB architecture means that the interior space is actually closer to that of a Passat. The boot remains a match for the Golf’s, meanwhile, at 385 litres, with up to 1,267 litres if the rear seats are folded down.
There are bigger alterations to the ID.3 recipe in the passenger cabin, where VW says it has listened directly to customer feedback. There are more areas padded with foam – in response to those who said the initial ID.3 felt considerably less plush than a Golf – and the door inlays have been redesigned to incorporate softer, larger surfaces. There’s ambient lighting, too. VW says the changes create a “new haptic experience”; based on our time with an early car in a studio in Germany, the environment does feel considerably more upmarket, particularly thanks to double-stitching and the padded areas on the main fascia.
The cabin also features greater use of sustainable materials; its fabrics are completely animal free, and the microfibre material used on the door trims and seat covers, called Artvelours Eco, is made from 71 per cent recycled plastics.
Infotainment and technology
The VW ID.3 has received widespread criticism for its digital and driver interfaces, but despite being able to alter the software using over-the-air upgrades, VW has elected to overhaul only some of the features in the ‘second-gen’ model. The digital instrument panel remains unchanged, at 5.3 inches across, and the vehicle continues to have a rocker switch at the side of the steering wheel for gear selection.
The bad news is that the infotainment set-up – the bone of contention for many ID.3 owners – is not receiving a full set of upgrades on this occasion. European customers will get a 12-inch central display as standard, but because the layout of the dashboard has not been changed for right-hand drive, UK buyers will be restricted to a 10-inch screen for the time being.
What’s more, the changes to the interface are relatively minor, with the charging controls – previously based on a sub-menu – moved to the top level of the home screen. The system will also support ‘feature on demand’ technology, allowing users to add increased functionality for as short a period as one month. However, since UK models get features like navigation and dual-zone climate control as standard, the only potential add-on for buyers here will be an upgrade from 10 ambient-light colours to 30.
The set-up fully supports Android Auto and Apple CarPlay but within VW’s own navigation software, the route planner has been updated so it schedules charging stops more effectively on longer journeys. In some cases, for example, the system may suggest two short stops at points with faster charging capability instead of one halt at a lower-powered plug.
VW is already saying, though, that a different 12.9-inch display will become standard in the ID.3 (including UK models) from the middle of 2024 – housed in a unit that also incorporates backlighting on the fiddly combined slider control for the heating and audio volume. The reason for the delay is that the facelift has been brought forward a year, whereas the upgrades in IT are on a fixed deadline and couldn’t be accelerated in line with the rest of the tweaks.
Battery, range and charging
The core battery and electric motors of the ID.3 range remain unchanged; there’s a choice of 58kWh and 77kWh capacities, with WLTP range figures of up to 265 miles and 339 miles respectively. The bigger-battery figure is actually very slightly lower than the outgoing model’s, thanks to the plusher interior and some additional features outweighing a slightly more slippery shape. VW has also said that a third, smaller battery will be available in the future. It won’t be the same 45kWh pack that featured on earlier examples of the ID.3, but it’s likely to have a similar capacity, giving a range of around 210 miles.
For now at least, there’s a single rear-mounted motor producing 201bhp and 310Nm – enough, VW says, for the car to reach 62mph in 7.3 seconds (in the smaller-battery edition), and a top speed of 99mph. But we already know that VW is working on a higher-powered version of the car, badged ID.3 GTX; it will get more aggressive front and rear bumpers, flared side skirts and bespoke alloy wheels, to accompany increased pace. Contrary to speculation linking it to a four-wheel-drive configuration, it will actually have a single rear motor with a beefier output, perhaps as much as 295bhp.
The updated ID.3 will continue to be made at VW’s plants in Zwickau and Dresden – but in a bid to ease supply issues that have caused limited trim-level selection and long waits over the past 18 months, additional production capacity is planned to be installed in Wolfsburg.
The new ID.3 will go on sale in late spring. There’s no word yet on UK prices or final equipment lists, but given the range-wide upgrades on infotainment and improved materials, we’d expect a modest increase over the current car’s figures. Assuming that entry-level versions of the car become available again, that would give the updated Volkswagen ID.3 a starting price of around £41,000.
Keyword: New Volkswagen ID.3 2023 facelift revealed in full