Car Enthusiast - click here to access the home page


 



Driven: Volkswagen ID.7 Pro Match 77kWh. Image by Volkswagen.

Driven: Volkswagen ID.7 Pro Match 77kWh
Volkswagen’s ID range of electric vehicles is a bit hit-and-miss, but while it’s not exactly exciting, the ID.7 is suitably polished and likeable.

   



<< earlier review     later review >>

Reviews homepage -> Volkswagen reviews

Volkswagen ID.7 Pro 77kWh

4 4 4 4 4

Volkswagen has updated the ID.7 range with bigger battery (86kWh) Pro S models, as well as a 'high-performance' GTX variant too, but is the regular 77kWh Pro Match fastback still relevant, especially now there's a handsome Tourer estate waiting in the wings?

Test Car Specifications

Model: 2024 Volkswagen ID.7 Pro Match 77kWh
Price: ID.7 Pro Match 77kWh from £51,550, car as tested £52,600
Motor: 210kW rear-mounted electric motor
Battery: 77kWh (usable) lithium-ion
Transmission: single-speed reduction-gear automatic, rear-wheel drive
Power: 286hp
Torque: 545Nm
Emissions: 0g/km
Range: up to 383 miles, 4.7 miles/kWh
0-62mph: 6.5 seconds
Top speed: 112mph (limited)
Boot space: 532-1,586 litres
Kerb weight: 2,172kg

Styling

It's not a pretty car, the ID.7 fastback. But it's not ugly either. A case of form following function, it's only 39mm shy of being five metres long from front to back, so it's large old thing. Perhaps it's related to the fact that the roofline doesn't meet the shoulder line until the very tip of the tailgate that makes it look somewhat odd in profile - but that slippery shape leads to a fabulous aerodynamic figure of 0.23Cd, which in turn lets the Volkswagen EV eke out every last reserve of its 77kWh battery with a quoted 383-mile range at a notable 4.7 miles/kWh. So whether you think it looks good or not (we don't mind it, but it still cedes a lot of visual-appeal ground to the most attractive ID. product by far, the Buzz), the ID.7 at least has a purpose to its general, kind-of-anonymous shape.

Interior

The cabin of any early ID. model is not going to go down as Volkswagen's best-ever interior effort in anyone's eyes, but - again - the ID.7 is better than the smaller-numbered EVs which preceded it, by the simple expedient of having a larger 15-inch infotainment system as standard. This is easier to use than the interface in other IDs, but it's still far from flawless and the cabin in general is almost entirely free from buttons. Nevertheless, the general quality of the finish in the ID.7's passenger compartment is excellent, while funky ambient lighting gives it a cool vibe when travelling at night. Thus, the minimalist interior is somehow more bearable and less frustrating as a result of all these touches, so it feels like it is more akin to one of VW's historically superb cabins, rather than one of its more questionable recent efforts.

Practicality

There's loads of space inside the ID.7, as a result of its grand exterior dimensions and a wheelbase that's 2,971mm long. Legroom in the second row is massive, with a completely flat floor running the full width of the car, but Volkswagen kind of undoes that initial good work by making the central rear squab quite narrow and high, so you're still left with what is a full four-seater, rather than a five. There's also not a great view out for the driver through the rear-view mirror, as the gap between the second-row head restraints and the VW's headlining is slim, which is exacerbated by the slope of the car's rear screen. But a 532-litre boot, with a fully opening rear hatch, makes the ID.7 a highly practical car overall, and even if you don't think it's quite useful enough to fit your lifestyle, there's always the Tourer to fall back on instead.

Performance

Volkswagen has added a bigger, 86kWh battery to the ID.7's range for the Pro S model, which has an official range of 437 miles. It's one of these that, in December 2024, managed to go 941km (584 miles) on a single charge of its battery at the Nardo test facility in southern Italy. That's 33 per cent further than it ought to travel in one hit, but don't get too excited: even though that ID.7 managed to achieved a whopping 6.8 miles/kWh during its mega effort, it did so at an average speed of 29km/h... which is 18mph. Sure, if you drove around permanently in a badly congested city in the heaviest traffic possible, you might replicate this on the roads. But the reality for the vast majority of UK drivers is going to be much less range to a charge than this.

The Pro S is also £3,900 more than this regular 77kWh Pro model, which as we've already said still has a mighty impressive range of 383 miles claimed. And our everyday testing of it happily proved that the Pro Match is one brilliant EV for everyday usability. It repeatedly hit 4.4-4.8 miles/kWh while running the 150 miles (each way) up and down the M1 to Heathrow, and managed to maintain an exceptional 4.4 miles/kWh across all 437 miles of testing. Further, with its 175kW rapid charging capability we hooked it up twice to get the battery back to 80-85 per cent each time, and it never took more than 30 minutes per charge.

Furthermore, being a bit lighter than the Pro S due to 9kWh less of battery pack, the Pro is a tenth quicker to 62mph from rest with a healthy 6.5-second sprint. This translates into more than enough real-world performance than anyone could ever need - the ID.7 zips from walking pace up to 50mph really swiftly, while it's suitably strong and punchy on the motorway too. Crisp throttle response and well-judged regenerative braking also serve to make piloting the VW smoothly and efficiently a breeze, and having tried the car at the other end of the range - the 340hp GTX dual-motor - we don't think the Pro feels a notable step down from it when it comes to straight-line go. So in terms of its speed, its power delivery and its electrical efficiency, the ID.7 Pro is a remarkably capable thing.

Ride & Handling

At no point is the ID.7 Pro set up to be thrilling to steer, but going back to that GTX, neither is that model either. And that's supposed to be the sporty one. If anything, the Pro feels every bit as sharp to drive and as it's lighter than the dual-motor flagship (but not trim outright, as it still weighs 2.17 tonnes), it's suitably agile despite the fact its suspension is set up for comfort, rather than speed.

But, by gum, the ID.7 thoroughly excels on the motorway. That soap-bar exterior might not be winning any automotive beauty pageants, but it has another benefit beyond maximising electrical range and that is the sheer, magnificent rolling refinement the car can summon up. Even at 70mph on a squally night, the Volkswagen cuts quietly through the air with an elegant dignity, while tyre noise is also quelled to an exacting standard. Soft, supple suspension and 19-inch wheels with 50-profile front, 45-profile rear tyres ensure the ID.7 has a wonderful, loping gait when it's travelling at higher, steady-state speeds, which makes this one of the very best EVs we've ever tried for effortlessly munching up the miles on long-distance hauls. Scratch that; it's one of the best motorway cars of any propulsion type we've tried.

Value

At £52,600 as tested, the ID.7 Pro Match 77kWh isn't cheap, but it's also not stupidly exorbitant if you're after some kind of premium EV that's practical and which can go more than 300 miles to a charge in everyday driving. The Pro also comes with a healthy roster of kit as standard, including three-zone Climatronic climate control, an augmented-reality head-up display, the digital cluster and 15-inch infotainment with wireless app-connect (Android Auto and Apple CarPlay), a 360-degree camera system, adaptive cruise control, IQ.Light Matrix LED headlights and LED taillights with direction-sweep indicators, heated and massaging front seats, a heated steering wheel, and 30-colour ambient interior lighting, among more. However, it's a shame that the essential piece of EV equipment, a heat pump, is a £1,050 option on a grander, upmarket car such as the ID.7.

Verdict

There's nothing massively fancy or flashy about the Volkswagen ID.7 Pro Match 77kWh EV, but by the same token there's a quiet, authoritative air about everything this car does which makes us feel like it is easily one of VW's stronger electric efforts. And, in one of those happy circumstances, we also reckon this regular ID.7 makes more sense than trading up to either the S or the GTX, because it'll do pretty much everything you need it to do, and do it very well, without going to the extra expense of either of those two other cars. Perhaps just spec this powertrain as a Tourer and you'll have the best VW ID. this side of the Buzz.



Matt Robinson - 20 Jan 2025



  www.volkswagen.co.uk    - Volkswagen road tests
- Volkswagen news
- ID.7 images

2025 Volkswagen ID.7 Pro Match UK test. Image by Volkswagen.2025 Volkswagen ID.7 Pro Match UK test. Image by Volkswagen.2025 Volkswagen ID.7 Pro Match UK test. Image by Volkswagen.2025 Volkswagen ID.7 Pro Match UK test. Image by Volkswagen.2025 Volkswagen ID.7 Pro Match UK test. Image by Volkswagen.

2025 Volkswagen ID.7 Pro Match UK test. Image by Volkswagen.2025 Volkswagen ID.7 Pro Match UK test. Image by Volkswagen.2025 Volkswagen ID.7 Pro Match UK test. Image by Volkswagen.2025 Volkswagen ID.7 Pro Match UK test. Image by Volkswagen.2025 Volkswagen ID.7 Pro Match UK test. Image by Volkswagen.








 

Internal links:   | Home | Privacy | Contact us | Archives | Old motor show reports | Follow Car Enthusiast on Twitter | Copyright 1999-2025 ©