We just sat in the Volkswagen ID.3: all the fuss for this?

The people's new car?

That's it! That's it! The Volkswagen ID.3 was finally on display, making its first official appearance in the German city of Frankfurt at the car show. Many journalists were on hand to discover the design and interior layout of the Wolfsburg company's electric vehicle, and for good reason, the long-awaited VW electric car officially arrives in the spring of 2020. If its design is criticized (we will come back to that later), its price-to-quality ratio seems excellent, especially compared to Renault Zoé (a reference on the market) and the Tesla Model 3, which is positioned in a more premium segment of the market. Three versions will be released:

• One equipped with a 45 kWh battery, i.e. 330 km range and 136 hp (100 kW) power
• One equipped with a 58 kWh battery, i.e. 420 km range and 204 hp (150 kW) power
• One equipped with a 77 kWh battery, i.e. 550 km range and 273 hp (200 kW) power.

The first edition (equivalent to the intermediate finish) where 30,000 pre-orders have already been registered, starts at €40,000 but the ID.3 will have a price starting below €30,000. This is enough to attract potential motorists who are inclined to swap the combustion engine cars for electric vehicles. Especially since VW has thought about charging by offering the possibility of recharging its ID.3 at up to 100 kW via the CCS Combo socket. This means that 290 kilometers of range can be gained in 30 minutes.

• How Volkswagen is working on the car of the future

Mixed feelings about the design

Unfortunately, if the offer seems attractive, the car's design is more perplexing, starting with a strange front panel and a bump at the bottom of the windscreen. The choice to contrast radically with the current catalog is perhaps the right one, but the car has a rather consensual look close to that of a minivan. Despite the new logo, the ID.3 does not really stand out from the competition and it is difficult to find the Volkswagen style in this vehicle. The same is true at the rear with a fairly large fin at the tailgate.

Inside, Volkswagen has also made its little revolution with a new interior, including a new dashboard. The change is, in my opinion, more successful on the inside, where everything is digital with a large 10-inch screen in the center of the cabin. As far as software is concerned, we are not yet at Tesla level but VW has the merit of moving in the right direction.

The instrumentation in front of the driver is also fully digital. A head-up display is even provided as an option. Above all, the real surprise of this ID.3 is the gearshift lever positioned on the right side of the dashboard. In terms of equipment, however, there is less clutter than in a Golf, all made from fairly hard plastics. Fortunately, there is plenty of space onboard, passengers will have legroom and plenty of storage space, and the trunk is also large with a capacity of 380 liters, which should satisfy motorists.

A future icon?

Can the ID.3 become the new VW Beetle? It is still too early to say. The first road tests will certainly provide more information on the quality of the vehicle, but the German manufacturer still has a lot of work to do to catch up to the competition, especially with software, and Tesla. However, the firm can count on a large dealer network and a renowned brand. VW wants to make the dieselgate problems disappear and no doubt the manufacturer will do everything to seduce drivers.

What do you think of the Volkswagen ID.3?