VW says it will launch its 2025 ID.7 electric sport sedan in the U.S. in two trim levels and with both rear- and all-wheel drive formats. Pricing, though, hasn’t been revealed and won’t be until “closer to launch” in the third quarter.
Typically, a two-trim strategy provide a more basic entry-level model and a mid- or top-range premium version. But Volkswagen in marketing the ID.7 as a “near luxury” sedan, so its base Pro S trim should come very well-equipped. the Pro S Plus will offer even higher levels of posh. For other VW EVs, the Pro S and Pro S Plus are the top trims on the lineup.
Rear-drive versions of the 2025 ID.7 will use a single motor mounted on the rear axle and rated at 282 horsepower and 402 pound-feet of torque. All-wheel drive versions will have two motors – one on each axle – capable of delivering a maximum of 335 horsepower. Both will use an 82- kWh lithium-ion battery pack.
Those are the same powerplants installed on the three upper ID.4 electric crossover trims for the 2024 model year.
VW also is holding back on revealing range estimates for the ID.7 until closer to launch, but the streamlined sedan should deliver a few miles more than the boxier ID.4, which is rated – for 82 kWh battery versions – at 292 miles for rear-drive models and 263 miles for all-wheel drive versions.
How the ID.7 stacks up
Sedans have been phased out by many automakers in the U.S. market and electric sedans are even rarer, so the ID.7 won’t have a lot of direct competition. Midsize premium electric sedans in the ID.7’s anticipated price range are the Hyundai Ioniq 6, which is likely to be the prime competition, plus the Tesla model 3. lower trim levels of the BMW i4 and some trim levels of the Ford Mustang Mach-E, a crossover with some sedan-like styling characteristics.
The ID.7 may be the roomiest of the bunch. At 195.3 inches, it is longer than any of the others and just .75 inches shorter than the ID.Buzz van. The ID.7 also has a longer wheelbase — an indicator of cabin legroom — than any likely competitor but the Mach-E, which, at 117.5 inches, beats the VW electric sport sedan’s wheelbase by a scant half an inch.
Driving range varies among likely competitors’ rear-wheel-drive models, from 256 miles for the base BMW i4 with a 66 kWH (usable) battery to an extended range of 310 miles for the Ford Mustang Mach-E with an 88 kWh (usable) battery.
Key VW ID.7 features
The ID.7 is expected to come to market with a sporty, EV-modern interior with a flat dash hosting a centrally mounted, 1f5-inch infotainment touchscreen that will be control central for most vehicle functions. But backlit sliders beneath the screen will provide cabin temperature and audio volume controls, and there’s a touchpad on the left side of the dash with headlight and defroster controls.
A head-up display will show drivers most of the info they need, projected directly onto the lower portion of the windshield, but there’s also a small digital driver info screen behind the flat-bottom steering wheel. the shifter is located on the steering column, leaving the center console clean and open.
To make up for the paucity of physical controls and to make it easier for drivers to use the vehicle’s functions -like selecting drive modes – without taking their eyes off the road to stare into the infotainment screen, VW has developed a voice command system that can be used to do more than change audio channels and make phone calls. Drivers will be able to use to it set those drive modes, set up the navigation system and driver-assist systems such as lane-keeping mode, even adjust the in0dash vents for the climate system.
While VW hasn’t supplied most vehicle measurements yet, the company did disclose that the ID.7’s primary cargo area – behind the fold-down second-row seats – measure a spacious 18 .8 cubic feet. Among potential competitors, only the Tesla Model 3 and Mustang Mach-E have more.
The Pro S trim will get 20-inch alloys, adaptive ride damping, premium massage seats (up front) with hearing and cooling and an upscale 700-watt, 14-speaker Harman/Kardon sound system.
Safety
It is a new model, do the ID.7 hasn’t yet been crash-tested by wither the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)or the non-profit Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). But the ID.4, with which the ID.7 shares a platform, has received top crash safety ratings from both.
VW said the ID.7 will use the IQ.Drive advanced driver assist system as standard equipment. It features hands-on-wheel semi-autonomous driving in some circumstances. Also standard across the line will be automated Park Assist Plus for parallel and perpendicular parking. We expect standard safety and driver assist systems for the ID.7 to also include full-range adaptive cruise control, front collision mitigation, blind spot monitoring, lane departure warning and lane keeping assist and more.