The new Volkswagen ID.7 for the first time in the Czech Republic: It ignores potholes in the roads and is completely normal inside

The Volkswagen ID.7 is the latest addition to the fleet of electric ID. models, with which the German automaker is paving its way towards electromobility. This time it’s a really big bite, because instead of a small hatchback or SUV, it’s an aerodynamic grand tourer, which is expected not only to move around the city, but also to be able to cover longer distances on the highway.

On top of all this, it has a quite attractive price tag of CZK 1,479,000, while you can currently take advantage of a special offer for the People version, when you will have the desired additional equipment in the car much more advantageously. For CZK 1,531,000, you will also get equipment worth CZK 188,700 for free, including metallic paint, IQ.Light Matrix LED headlights, heated steering wheel, 15-inch Discover Pro navigation or better front seats.

The car is already on the Czech market and we had the opportunity to drive it. Even before the classic editorial test, we can say some first impressions. These are thoroughly positive and there are not a few of them. You can make up your own mind about the design, but we were more interested in the interior. The interior is dominated by a new large screen, where the same graphics you already know from previous models are present, but there is a new layout.

But the main thing – the display does not freeze and is extremely fast. It was the first thing we focused on. The new voice assistant with the use of artificial intelligence understands your requests and partly also colloquial speech. Connecting a smartphone to wireless Apple CarPlay was incredibly fast, and during the time we spent in the car, there was not a single stuck or overheating.

At first glance, the interior looks great. Although the screen is huge, it is 15 inches, but it does not obstruct the view and works well. The touch control of the climate control could not have been implemented better. Yes, there are modern smart exhalations that you can give voice commands or run your finger on the screen to change the direction of the air flow, but if you just want a simple blow on your feet, you just click the appropriate button and it’s done.

We took over the car with 91% of the battery, which equaled a range of 420 km. After 44 kilometers we returned with a consumption of 21.0 kWh/100 km and a range of 333 kilometers. But it was caused by the sports mode, which my colleague Leoš from Svět motorů tried. After all, 210 kW on the rear axle encourages it. As long as I was driving in the default mode, the consumption hovered somewhere around 18.0 kWh/100 km and the range decreased almost proportionally to the number of kilometers driven.

For the first time, I was relatively satisfied with the function of the intelligent speed limiter. This is the thing that brakes you and your car on your own before sharp turns or until you reach the village. Of course, you can limit this function and even if it is on, you can still control the pedals as you want and you will always override the function. During that moment behind the wheel, we didn’t need to turn anything off, the assistant applied the brakes very gently and, on the contrary, let me sail through corners with a small radius. This is not a rule, usually these systems panic.

Therefore, if someone decides to actively use this function, it can be recommended based on first experiences. But we will have all the answers only after the classic editorial test. What probably won’t change is our opinion on the chassis. The ID.7 is by far the most comfortable electric Volkswagen and thus fully corresponds to the manufacturer’s description of “electric limousine”. However, it is an almost five-meter car that has adjustable shock absorbers and drives really wonderfully.

It doesn’t really matter what position you choose for the adjustable dampers, the level of stiffness is never such that the car rattles with you. And when the road is smooth, the car sways like a big limousine. Driving is pleasant, but not lively. In general, the driving experience of the car is sterile, but definitely not bad, I would compare it to the Lexus ES, for example. It’s boring, but you won’t mind driving this car across the continent.

And while we’re at it, we’ll have to look at the advertised consumption of 14.2 kWh/100 km and a range of over 600 km. We don’t see that at all. The car as such is comfortable and the 210 kW electric motor is enough for all possible situations in traffic. By the way, the battery has a capacity of 77 kWh, the installation was made possible by a larger battery cage thanks to a long wheelbase of 2971 mm. charging power is a maximum of 175 kW. The rest will be discussed in the test.