Volkswagen hasn’t exactly nailed the EV game yet … globally, at least. With the much hyped ID.7 sedan scrapped for North America, and cars like the ID.Buzz reporting bleak sales, VW was in a fix.
Outside of the US, things haven’t been as bad. Its EVs have taken off, of late, in regions like Europe and China, and now it seems VW is trying to do everything to reverse its fortunes elsewhere as well.
The new ID.3 Neo looks to be the starting point of that change. It’s based on the ID.3, the very first ID-badged model that was built from the ground up as an EV. The Neo brings quite a few changes to the hatch in almost all departments. But most notably, out go the controversial touch-sensitive sliders, in come the physical buttons!
That change alone is enough to put a smile on my face. It shows VW has been listening to drivers.
The EV will come in three variants: Trend, Life, and Style, all of which will come in three different configurations. A new electric motor called APP350 (Axial Parallel Position, 350 Nm torque) powers the car. It supposedly offers higher efficiency, all thanks to a 38% reduction in heat losses.
The base ID.3 Neo Trend will come equipped with a 125-kW (167-hp) electric motor and a 50-kWh battery. The WLTP range on this variant is listed at 259 miles (417 km).
Next up, the Life trim will come with a 140-kW (187-hp) motor and a 58-kW battery pack with a 307-mile (494-km) WLTP range, while the top-spec Style variant will come with a 170-kW (228-hp) motor and a 79-kW battery pack. On this trim, you’d be able to go 391 miles (630 km) on a single charge – that’s a 50-mile (80-km) increase from the standard ID.3.
Additionally, the entry and mid variants get 105-kW charging capability, while the Style model allows max DC charging of 183 kW. VW has also fitted the ID.3 Neo with Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) functionality, which enables it to power external devices on a 3.6-kW output.
The new ID.3 Neo is the first concrete outcome of the brand's "True Volkswagen" initiative. According to current CEO Thomas Schäfer, the goal is to gradually return VW to its core business of producing mainstream cars that are both functional and appealing to consumers.
Speaking of appealing, the design now features narrow headlamps connected by an LED light strip at the front end, with an illuminated VW logo in the center. The roof now comes painted the same as the body color, as do the A-pillars, rear spoiler, and the tailgate, replacing the previous glossy black treatment. Most of the bodywork is carried over from the ID.3, but the subtle changes make the car appear sleeker and more elegant.
But it's the interiors that see the most changes. And most of those changes aren't even new – rather, the ID.3 Neo borrows almost everything from the Polo's interior.
There are now two pads of physical buttons replacing the haptic controls and a two-spoke, squared-off steering wheel. The climate controls, too, have physical buttons now, alongside a big volume knob in the center console.
For instance, the wide center tunnel sits higher than the ID.3, and the dashboard has been somewhat reworked with better materials and simpler designs. AHarman Kardon audio system, front seats with memory and massaging capabilities, a panoramic sunroof, and an augmented reality heads-up display, are available as optional features.
Additionally, Volkswagen no longer uses two window switches on the driver's door panel to manage four windows; instead, each window now has its own switch. VW also offers a 10.3-inch digital gauge cluster that is considerably larger and more tastefully integrated, in addition to a 12.9-inch screen for the infotainment system, which lets you stream media, play games, provides help with parking, and manage charging.
As for safety, you get the usual suite, which includes an upgraded Connected Travel Assist system with optional traffic light recognition and the Park Assist Pro with a memory feature. These are linked to Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) features like the turning brake, front assist, and lane assist functions.
Pre-sales for the ID.3 Neo have already started in Europe, with pricing starting from €33,995 (≈US$40,000) in its home country, Germany. The first set of deliveries are planned for July.
Too bad the ID.3 Neo will probably never make its way Stateside – it is simply too small to be sold in the US. But the shift in VW’s design approach gives hope for VW cars of the future.
It’s not every day that you see a carmaker admit that its current crop of EVs (the ID.3 and ID.4, specifically) were not “true Volkswagens”, with its CEO going as far as saying the company got them wrong. Can Volkswagen correct course with the ID.3 Neo?
Source: Volkswagen
