Volkswagen ID.3 2023: the one we are deprived of

Just before the Volkswagen ID.4 we know well came the ID.3, a fully electric hatchback. First presented as a prototype at the Paris Auto Show in 2016, the ID.3 landed on the European market in September 2020. Unfortunately, this model is not marketed in North America.

Passing through Copenhagen for the launch of the Volkswagen ID. buzz 2023, The Car Guide also took the opportunity to travel a few kilometers at the wheel of the forbidden fruit that is the ID.3. Here is the full review of our first impressions.

A well-known architecture

If there were other electric vehicles like the e-Golf before the ID.3, the latter can boast of having been the first to be assembled on the MEB architecture intended exclusively for the group’s electric vehicles. Volkswagen. Spiritually, it is in a way the successor of the e-Golf.

Shorter, narrower, lower and lighter than the ID.4, the ID.3 looks more like a compact hatchback than a crossover. Depending on the version chosen, it can accommodate four to five occupants. We could compare it with the Chevrolet Bolt EV and even the electric Hyundai Kona. However, unlike these two models popular with us, the ID.3 has rear-wheel drive.

Aesthetically, the ID.3 looks a bit like a futuristic Golf. We found the test model’s trim elegant, which includes the lunar gray paint as well as the window belt, the roof and the tailgate in black. We are not fond of the rims that can be seen in the photos. Inside, the captain’s chairs provide excellent comfort. At the rear, there is sufficient clearance. As for the instrumentation, it is almost identical to that of the ID.4. You should know that there is no storage space provided under the front cover.

In France, consumers have the choice between a 62 or 82 kWh battery. The second is not exotic for people here since it is the one found in the floor of the ID.4. As for the 62 kWh, it will equip the entry-level version of the ID.4 from model year 2023. In short, these are known components. Depending on the market, the ID.3 can also receive a smaller battery with a capacity of 55 kWh.

As for autonomy, Volkswagen announces that you can travel up to 424 kilometers with an ID.3 Performance equipped with a 58 kWh battery. Autonomy increases to 556 kilometers in the case of a Pro S version. These data are calculated according to WLTP standards and these are more optimistic than North American calculation methods. Regardless of the version chosen, the power developed amounts to 150 kW, or 204 horsepower.

Although our test of the ID.3 was brief, we were able to pick up a few details that we consider interesting. If you have already taken the wheel of an ID.4, you will not be out of place by taking the wheel of the ID.3. Their behavior is very similar. Although their wheelbase is the same, the ID.3 remains more agile, lively and responsive, while being less clumsy than the ID.4. Thus, it is a very efficient city car. Unsurprisingly, we feel very little feedback from management.

Not for North America

Above, we compared the ID.3 to the Bolt EV and Kona electric, in particular because of their format, but also their vocation. If these two American and Korean models are marketed throughout North America, their success is centralized in Quebec, California and somewhat in British Columbia. Thus, when we open our blinders a little, we understand that the business plan of the ID.3 in North America was not interesting. Volkswagen preferred to focus on the ID.4, a crossover more suited to the North American majority.

You should also know that the ID.3 is not an entry-level car, although it is a compact hatchback. Indeed, in France, it displays an entry price of 44,990 euros. You have to add 1,100 euros to get an optional heat pump. As for the ID.4, it is sold from 43,000 euros. For reference, the eighth-generation Golf is offered there from 30,685 euros. Thus, it should not have been expected that Volkswagen would offer the ID.3 at a more attractive price than the ID.4 in our market. In this situation, who would have chosen the ID.3 over an ID.4 at the same price or maybe even cheaper? A handful of buyers.

If Volkswagen does not reject out of hand the idea of ​​diversifying its range of electric vehicles on our continent by evaluating the possibility of marketing, for example, the second generation ID.3, nothing has materialized either. For our market, the manufacturer is concentrating on the production of the ID.4 in Chattanooga, Tennessee as well as the possible marketing of the new IDs. Aero and ID. buzz.