Volkswagen will finally enter the electric car market in Australia when the ID.4 and ID.5 SUV twins land in the middle of next year.
The pair are the same cars under the skin but the ID.4 wears a conventional SUV body and the ID.5 is more style focused with a coupe-like sloping roofline.
We’ve tested the ID.5, which has been on sale in Europe for several years, and is available with a range of power options.
There is a single motor version that makes 150kW/310Nm and an all-wheel drive GTX variant that uses two electric motors to deliver 220kW and 460Nm.
All use a 77kWh electric battery that provides a driving range of 520km in single-motor versions and 490km in the GTX.
We drove the GTX, which costs about €58,000 in Europe – close to $100,000 in Australian money.
Our journey took us through a range of driving conditions from steep alpine passes to express German Autobahns and country roads that passed through quaint Austrian villages.
The GTX has noticeable punch off the mark and all-wheel drive grip provides plenty of purchase.
In a straight line it is quick, hitting 100km/h from a standstill in 6.3 seconds. There was little problem bounding up steep mountain roads, too.
If you want more potent performance you’re in luck. The ID.5 GTX that will arrive in Australia is likely to feature updates that boost outputs to about 250kW and more than 560Nm.
Through corners it’s less compelling and not as agile as its GTX badging suggests.
Steering is on the heavy side, which lessens the car’s sporty character and blunts drive feedback on tight and twisting roads.
It’s a heavy unit and you feel it on the road. It weighs about 2200kg or about 600kg more than a similar sized VW Tiguan.
Stiff suspension does an admirable job of keeping that bulk in check but the excess baggage dulls its sportiness.
Range is adequate around town but steep terrain and high-speed runs are battery sapping conditions for electric cars. We needed two stops at a supercharger to top up the car’s juice on our roughly 350km trip.
Higher speeds create more drag that reduces range and more energy is required to push heavy vehicles up hills.
The flip side is that on the return journey down the mountain the vehicle used its regenerative braking to feed energy back into the battery, adding substantial range.
It can accept a max charge rate of 135kW, which allows you to replenish the battery from 5 to 80 per cent – or about 367km of range – in 36 minutes.
Step inside and you are greeted by a spacious cabin.
Electric cars don’t have the mechanical hardware of petrol cars, which allows for a flat floor and a long distance between the front and rear wheels. That liberates plenty of space in the cabin.
The interior fit out isn’t up to scratch with current petrol-powered Volkswagens, though.
There are lots of hard plastics throughout the cabin, alongside some soft-touch surfaces.
The smaller ID.3 has had recent updates to address this issue and it’s likely the ID.5 will receive a similar makeover before it reaches Australia.
There were some nice touches, though, including 30-colour ambient lighting, a panoramic sunroof, a heated, leather-wrapped steering wheel and comfy heated front seats.
A giant 12-inch central touchscreen is easily accessible and is paired with a small digital readout in front of the driver that gives all the necessary information.
There are plenty of spots to charge your devices and some handy interior storage spots.
Climate controls are a bugbear, with users having to dive into the touchscreen to make the smallest changes.
Rear seat room is generous and so is the boot space even with the sloping roof, but vision out of the rear window is compromised in the name of style.
VOLKSWAGEN ID.5 GTX
PRICE $100,000 (est.)
POWER Two electric motors, 220kW and 460Nm
SPARE Repair kit
RANGE 490km
LUGGAGE 549 litres