Background
We've had large electric estates; like the BMW i5 Touring. And more compact ones - like the MG5 and station wagon EV versions of the Peugeot E-308 and the Vauxhall Astra Electric. Now time for something in-between. This Volkswagen ID.7 Tourer.
As the name suggests, it's an estate version of the ID.7 hatch and enters production just as another similarly-sized large-ish Volkswagen - the Arteon Shooting Brake - leaves us. Being an EV, this Tourer isn't a direct replacement for the Arteon Shooting Brake (which was combustion-based and sometimes a PHEV). But the design spirit that links the two products is similar, even if the ID.7 Tourer is arguably less original to look at. That originality didn't help that old Arteon model sell in decent numbers though. Will this Tourer do better? Let's take a closer look.
Driving Experience
The ID.7 Tourer doesn't of course drive any differently to an ID.7 hatch. The ID.7 range has introduced lots of fresh drive technology, principally with the brand's new 210kW e-motor. This differs from previous VW Group EV motors, with stronger magnets, a higher wire cross-section, more windings and improved cooling, all of which ought to improve efficiency and power (rated at 286PS). All initial ID.7 Tourers will be of the single motor rear-driven sort: a dual motor AWD GTX performance version will follow. This will pair the 286PS rear motor with a 108PS front motor, for a combined output of around 395PS. You'll want to know about drive range on the mainstream models. The familiar 77kWh 'Pro' battery offered from launch will take the car up to 374 miles. A larger 'Pro S' battery (at 86kWh the VW Group's biggest to date) will arrive later to improve that to 425 miles.
You twist the gear selector (a column-mounted stalk) to get going, one notch for 'Drive' and two notches for the 'B' mode that maximises regenerative braking and allows for near one-pedal driving. On the move, there are four main drive mode options - 'Eco', 'Comfort', 'Sport' and 'Individual'. And if you've ticked for the option of Adaptive Chassis Control adaptive damping, these will control ride quality too. Expect exemplary refinement thanks to the slippery aerodynamics. As you'd expect, there's plenty of autonomous drive tech. Volkswagen's now familiar 'Travel Assist' set-up has been updated with an 'Assisted Lane Change' feature. And it uses 'swarm data' from other VW Group vehicles for more accurate speed control and lane guidance.
Design and Build
This Tourer variant is less divisive-looking than its interestingly-styled Arteon Shooting Brake predecessor, which is disappointing but predictably necessary. A more significant comparison is with the current Passat, which is only offered in estate form. An ID.7 Tourer is shorter, wider and taller than that alternative Volkswagen combustion-powered model (which in PHEV form would be an interesting ID.7 Tourer alternative).
This isn't one of those estates lengthened for extra practicality over the hatch model: the dimensions are identical to the standard ID.7 - 4,961mm long, 1,862mm wide and 1,536mm tall. Long-roof proportions accentuate a contrast-coloured top with subtle roof rails. And the rakish silhouette delivers a sleek 0.24Cd drag factor, just 0.1Cd more than the standard model. Inside up-front of course, it's the usual ID.7 design, which feels of much higher quality than any ID model to date, with plush materials and plenty of soft-touch surfaces. You'll notice that there's no big instrument screen (or smaller instrument screen pod as in other ID models). Instead, most of what you need to know is projected via the standard Head-up display, incorporating augmented reality tech. A small, minimalist instrument screen is retained in the line of the cabin's innovative 'smart Air Vents' which (annoyingly) can only be angled via the central touchscreen, or by the 'IDA' voice control system.
In the rear, thanks to the lengthy 2,966mm wheelbase (180mm longer than a Passat), there's generous space for two adults. Out back, there's a 605-litre boot, which is 73-litres more than an ID.7 hatch. It's 25-litres less than a BMW i5 Touring but usefully more than, say, an MG5 or a Peugeot E-308 SW. The seats-folded total is 1,714-litres.
Market and Model
Price-wise, there'll be only a small premium over what you'd pay for an ID.7 hatch. Which means that prices start from just over £52,000 for the base 'Pro Match' version with its 77kWh rear-driven drivetrain. The brand has also engineered a bigger-battery 86kWh Long Range Pro S AWD version (from around £56,000). And Volkswagen will be offering an AWD GTX performance variant too, with a combined output of around 395PS.
If you're prepared to find just over £1,000 more, you can specify an energy-efficient heat pump, which should add a few miles to your driving range in the winter months. Plus your dealer is going to want you to look at adding in larger 20-inch wheels, a temptation you should resist because it'll sap your EV range. And they'll ask you to consider the optional 'Interior Pack', which for £2,000 more gives you ventilated front seats, heated rear seats and a 12-speaker 700-watt Harmon Kardon sound system with a digital 16-channel amplifier. For another £1,000, an 'Exterior Pack Plus' package adds a power-operated tailgate and Progressive steering, which uses pinion gearing to give more direct responses to larger steering angles and allows for more dynamic reactions.
For an extra £1,110, you can embellish the 'Exterior Pack Plus' package with possibly the key extra you might want on this car, the smart Glass panoramic sunroof, which can become opaque, or made transparent again, from one moment to the next via a polymer-dispersed liquid crystal layer integrated in the glass.
Cost of Ownership
You might hope that this ID.7 would use the advanced 800V electrical infrastructure that allows another only slightly larger VW Group model, the Audi e-tron GT quattro, to use the new generation of ultra-fast public chargers. Because the ID.7 uses a different platform to that Audi (merely a stretched version of the MEB chassis primarily developed for much smaller, more affordable EVs), only a 400V system is in play here. But Volkswagen has done its best to maximise possible charging speeds from it: the ID.7 can charge at up to 175kW in 77kWh 'Pro' form (with a 374 mile range); and up to 200kW in 86kWh 'Pro S' guise (with a 425 mile range). There's also battery pre-conditioning, which, once a charger destination is programmed into the navigation, readies the battery for maximum top speed charging capability on arrival. You can trigger that feature manually too.
Volkswagen has done its best to help by providing its EV owners with a 'We Charge' app that helps you find and use over 150,000 public charge points. Expect a 10-80% top-up in the 77kWh model to take under half an hour from a public rapid charger. On the move, a standard 'Eco Assistance' feature draws on navigation data and road signs detected by the car's forward-facing camera so that if your ID.7 is approaching a bend or a town boundary, the system can visually indicate that you should lift off the accelerator. This apparently simple, yet complex calculation allows the car's drive system to perform optimum energy recuperation, thereby supporting optimum range performance.
An ID.7 driver will enjoy lower maintenance costs than would be needed for a combustion model - obviously no oil changes are required and regenerative braking means that the brake pads are designed to last the life of the car. There's a fixed servicing schedule, with a basic inspection after two years (unlimited mileage) and subsequent services every year or 20,000 miles. There's the usual unremarkable three year / 60,000 mile Volkswagen warranty (the third year operated by the retailer).