Volkswagen used the 2016 Paris motor show to set out its vision for an alternatively fuelled future by revealing its all-electric ID.3 concept to an assembled media gathering (remember them?). Four years later, the ID.3 emerged in showrooms across Europe marking a step-change for the carmaker. It sits on a bespoke electric car-only platform, codenamed MEB that is intended to underpin a new generation of tens of millions of VW Group EVs worldwide. Continuing just-auto/AIC’s review of interior design and technology trends, we take a closer look inside this compact electric model.
Inside story
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The cabin has a light and airy feel, partly thanks to the two-tone light grey cloth seats, minimalist dashboard and spilt A-pillars. Add a panoramic roof and it feels even larger. Funky-coloured lighting strips help to accentuate the armrests in the doors and in the upper area of the dash panel. The display housings, steering wheel with the steering column and control modules in the doors are finished in white, adding to the car’s spacious feel.
All controls – including those on the steering wheel – are operated using touch-sensitive buttons. Only the electric windows, door mirrors and hazard warning lights are operated using conventional tactile switches. The chunky drive selector is also simple to use.
The front seats feature electric 12-way adjustment, manual adjustment of the seat depth, seat heating and also a pneumatically powered lumbar support with massage function. The front seats have fold-down armrests on the inner side.
Size-wise, the ID.3 measures 4,261 mm long (compared to the Golf that is 4,284 mm in length), 1,809 mm wide (Golf 1,789 mm) and 1,552 high (Golf 1,456 mm). The net result leaves plenty of room for six-footers sitting in the back on cinema-style seats, i.e. positioned slightly higher than the front. Further back, the boot can swallow 385 litres of luggage (including an underfloor stowage area for the two charging cables), and its volume can grow to 1,267 litres by folding down the split rear seat backrest.
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By GlobalDataAmbient lighting
Taking the form of a wide yet narrow light strip beneath the windscreen, VW’s ‘ID. Light’ aims to assist the driver. Once seated, the system signals that the ID.3 is ready to drive. On the move and when the car is due to make a turn and is following a route planned into the navigation system, the light moves to the left or right end of the strip accordingly. Having linked your phone to the car, when receiving a phone call, the strip will flash green. And while the car is charging, a green bar builds up from left to right representing the level of battery charge so that you can see the status from a distance. Although such ‘watch this’ innovations feel a little quirky, they help it stand out in an increasingly crowded marketplace.
Augmented reality head-up display
An optional augmented reality (AR) head-up display (HUD) projects vehicle information such as its speed onto the windscreen in front of the driver with, for instance, the turn arrows of the navigation system also displayed as they become relevant. However, the driver sees the information as a 3D staggered image at an apparent distance of around three to ten metres in front of the vehicle. This means that the display appears to be perfectly integrated into the real world outside the car. When adaptive cruise control or travel assist is active, any vehicle in front of the ID.3 is, from a certain speed, highlighted by the AR HUD with a luminous marking.
Voice control
Voice control also plays its part in the ID.3. Using the “Hello ID.” verbal trigger, the driver and front-seat passengers can give instructions such as “Hello ID, I’m cold” to turn up the heating or “Hello ID, play Radio 2” switch to the infotainment system to the corresponding station. The panoramic roof sunblind can also be operated by voice control.
Connectivity
The ID.3’s Online Connectivity Unit brings the online services of We Connect Start into the car. Highlights of We Connect Start include navigation and a variety of vehicle-related services. The Online Traffic Information services provide the driver with details of the situation on the selected route at any one point, along with any potential hazards. Meanwhile, the Charging Stations service offers live data on available charge points in the vicinity. It provides details on their charging capacity, as well as tariff costs.
Advanced driver assistance systems
A number of driver assistance systems are fitted to the ID.3 under the IQ. Drive umbrella designation. They include a front radar sensor, front camera, two rear radar sensors and eight ultrasound sensors to monitor the area around the car.
As part of the Assistance “Plus” package, Travel Assist bundles together features and functions more commonly seen in the luxury car class. This system largely takes over acceleration and braking from the driver at any speed and also helps to keep the ID.3 in its lane by appropriate steering interventions (within system limits). The driver has to lightly touch the capacitive steering wheel to keep the adaptive lane guidance active. Adaptive cruise control with a speed limiter is also integrated into Travel Assist.
Eco Assistance is another standard-fit system on the ID.3. It evaluates the navigation data and the road signs detected by the forward-facing camera and, if the ID.3 is approaching a bend or a town boundary, for example, the system can visually indicate when to lift off the accelerator. This simple yet complex calculation allows the car’s drive system to perform optimum energy recuperation, thereby supporting optimal range performance.
Other ADAS functions include lane assist (to help prevent the car from unintentionally crossing lane markers on the road), emergency assist (attempts to alert or wake the driver by steering jerks and, if this fails to generate a response, an emergency stop is initiated), side assist (monitors traffic behind the car with the aid of the car’s rear radar systems, specifically targeting ‘blind spots’) and front assist. The latter monitors the area in front of the car using a camera. It reacts to potential imminent collisions via warnings and, if required, braking interventions. Meanwhile, the ID.3’s oncoming vehicle braking when turning function monitors the opposite lane when turning off, issuing a warning and/or braking the car automatically if it anticipates an emergency. Swerve support helps the driver to navigate obstacles in the road by providing the corresponding steering interventions, and to avoid minor parking collisions, the standard audible park distance control has an integrated manoeuvre braking system.
Out and about
Our ID.3 Pro Performance (204 PS and 58 kWh battery) press car provided an actual range of 220 miles fully charged. It’s also nippy. Against the clock, it can reach 62 mph from rest in just over 7 seconds. The longer-range ID.3 Pro S, meanwhile, has a battery with an energy capacity of 77 kWh and provides an advertised range of 340 miles. Charging is pretty fast too. The battery can be recharged to around 80 per cent in just under an hour using a 100kW charger while a full charge takes about nine hours using a 7kW domestic wall box.
On balance, the seriously spacious interior of the ID.3 ticks a lot of boxes. Although its minimalist dash means adjusting the HVAC settings via a ten-inch touchscreen, the graphics are super-sharp and responsive. Its clean, futuristic cockpit doesn’t offend. There is very little not to like about this compelling family hatchback. And that is how it should be for a £40,000 price tag.
There is also no doubting the sheer engineering might (and investment) that has gone into building this car, setting the stage for the others that will follow it. Even the factory that builds it is said to be carbon-neutral. Like all OEMs, VW is obliged by law to take back energy carriers after they have been used in cars. The carmaker states that when the ID.3 reaches the end of its service life, its battery is capable of being reused in second life concepts – or could even become a source of raw materials after recycling. A pilot plant for this is being built at the Group’s Salzgitter site. Rival models include the Nissan Leaf and Kia e-Niro.
