Smoother exterior, new interior and more range for Volkswagen’s smallest EV – and it’s coming to Oz
- Exterior design
- Animal-free interior
- New multimedia tech
- Actual specifications
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The much-criticised, hard-plastic interior of the landmark Volkswagen ID.3 has been overhauled as part of a mid-life upgrade for the small German electric hatchback, which also brings a refreshed exterior and longer EV driving range.
Due on sale in Europe by mid-year and in Australia by around early 2024, the upgraded VW ID.3 will be the third Volkswagen EV to arrive here after the ID.4 and ID.5 mid-size electric SUVs, which are now due Down Under late this year.
The Volkswagen ID.3 is the sister model to the rear-wheel drive Cupra Born, which arrives here in March, but its interior was slammed by customers as the EV’s single biggest shortcoming.
So for 2023, the VW ID.3’s cabin has been given higher quality materials and its 10-inch infotainment display has been ditched for a 12-inch multimedia touch-screen, while the glitchy software package that runs the interior interfaces has also had a major update.
The enhanced ID.3’s range is a claimed 546km on the WLTP cycle for the 77kWh lithium-ion battery version, which is actually 3km less than the original ID.3.
The range is 426km for the lighter, cheaper ID.3 with the 58kWh battery, which is precisely the same as before – as is the charge rate of up to 125kW.
Both versions of the ID.3 will be delivered to customers with a carbon-neutral status, with their CO2 emissions from production having been offset by Volkswagen.
Launched at the 2019 Frankfurt motor show as the first product based on the Volkswagen Group’s make-or-break MEB (Modular Electric Platform) dedicated-EV architecture, the ID.3 has found more than 600,000 homes and is now built at Volkswagen’s main plant in Wolfsburg as well as in Zwickau, Germany and in China.
But the short cycle time – less than three years since the original ID.3 launch – shows Volkswagen has done the numbers and knows it will lose out to Korean and Chinese car-makers if it persists with the ID.3’s rudimentary interior philosophy.
“The new ID.3 demonstrates our commitment to value, design and sustainability,” said the Volkswagen brand’s board member for sales, marketing and aftersales, Imelda Labbé.
“The design has matured, and we’ve upgraded the quality of the materials used in the interior.”
Exterior design
While the MEB architecture means the A-pillar will always be awkwardly forward, the design refresh smooths out the ID.3’s front-end, making it look far sportier than the original.
It also uses standard LED headlights and its optional 18-unit matrix LEDs swivel with LED ‘eyes’ towards whoever approaches it with the key.
At 4.26 metres long, the new ID.3 has improved its aerodynamics to boast a drag coefficient of just 0.26Cd, thanks to its elongated nose, A-pillar water-deflector strips that double as aero vanes and electronically activated radiator blinds that only open when the electric motors need to be cooled.
The windscreen is now made of acoustic glass to help lower interior noise levels, and there’s a near-flat underbody to minimise turbulent sounds from underneath.
The ID.3 is 1.8 metres wide and 1.56 metres high, and retains its short overhangs and relatively long, flat-floor interior.
Animal-free interior
Volkswagen admits customer criticisms were “taken on board and implemented”, resulting in a better feel to the interior trim materials, which are now ‘animal-free’ as standard.
The basic interior material is Artvelours Eco, which is 71 per cent recycled from plastic waste, and is used on the seats and the door trims, while foam-backed plastics make the interior surfaces feel less like egg shells.
Riding on a 2.77-metre wheelbase, the ID.3 offers 385 litres of standard luggage space, or up to 1267 litres with the rear seats folded down.
It retains the old car’s smaller, 5.3-inch digital screen for the driver, and a large rocker switch to select the drive modes.
New multimedia tech
The 12-inch multimedia screen runs most of the functions via touch or voice control, and the entire menu structure has been altered to put the most frequently used tabs in the most prominent places.
The revised cabin cab inductively charge smart devices and its App Connect function allows media to be directly streamed through Android Auto, Apple CarPlay and MirrorLink through to the car’s sound system.
The rewritten software for the ID.3 is supposed to speed up the performance of the infotainment systems and allow over-the-air updates for ongoing changes.
Unfortunately, that also means features-on-demand, which is Volkwagen’s way of saying “subscription” services, and it will cover everything from the two-zone air-conditioning system to navigation (at least in Europe).
Standard features, however, include an EV route planner and bi-directional charging, allowing the car to power electrical devices – and even homes and electricity grids (via a bi-directional charger, where allowed).
Meantime, updated swarm data for its Travel Assist system helps the ID.3 edge closer to autonomous driving capability. It can actively change lanes on motorways at speeds above 90km/h with just the tap of the turn signal and only needs one lane marking (like the centre line) to drive on Travel Assist, even on lightly marked country roads.
There’s also a memory function for saved parking manoeuvres, plus an augmented-reality head-up display.
Actual specifications
The Volkswagen ID.3 continues to incorporate an electric motor on its rear axle to deliver 150kW of power and 310Nm of torque.
Besides accelerating to 100km/h in 7.3 seconds (and on to a 160km/h top speed) in ID.3 Pro spec, it also allows the ID.3 to have a turning circle of only 10.3 metres.
The permanent synchronous motor is “well above” 90 per cent efficient in almost every driving situation, Volkswagen claims, and the entire system, including the power and control electronics, weighs only 90kg.
It retains the concept of either cruising in Drive mode or gaining maximum regeneration via the Braking mode.
For everything you auto know about EVs, listen to carsales’ Watts Under the Bonnet: the electric car podcast
Join the conversation at our Facebook page Or email us at [email protected]
Keyword: Upgraded 2023 Volkswagen ID.3 revealed