Does the Volkswagen ID.7 Tourer have the performance and specification to put it among the best electric estate cars?

Volkswagen ID.7 Tourer review

January 10, 2025 Matt Allan

Does the Volkswagen ID.7 Tourer have the performance and specification to put it among the best electric estate cars?

I’ve always had a soft spot for estate cars. Even as they’ve fallen out of favour with much of the car-buying public, it’s been heartening to see some car makers stick with the concept.

What’s more heartening is that a growing number of brands are including them in their electrification plans. That includes Volkswagen, which having stuck with the Passat estate for 50 years is now ushering a new era of practical wagons for the electric age with the ID.7 Tourer.

But Volkswagen’s ID family has had a bumpy start to its journey, so can the ID.7 Tourer put right previous failings and establish itself as a serious option?

Design, interior and technology

The 4.9-metre-long ID.7 Tourer isn’t an EV that shouts about how futuristic or different it is. Instead, it’s simple, streamlined and sophisticated, with a smooth ‘face’ and a couple of creases to stop the sides looking flat.

The only departure from a traditional estate look is the silver D-pillar that dives down from the black roof spoiler to disguise the fairly boxy rear end. Other minor embellishments include a light bar beneath the bonnet and an illuminated tailgate badge.

Inside, the ID.7 follows a similar pared-back approach to the rest of the ID range but with consideration to some of the early criticism of those cars. For a start, the materials and finish are more worthy of a flagship car than the brittle rubbish of early ID.3s and ID.4s. Major controls feel more robust and the overall quality of touchpoints is noticeably better, enhanced by styling touches such as the faux-suede and vegan leather upholstery and illuminated strip that runs around the lower dash and door cards.

Like all ID cars, the dash is effectively buttonless and dominated by a 15-inch touchscreen that juts up and out from the dashboard. It would still be nice to have proper buttons for key functions like heating, but this latest screen brings a massively improved interface that includes clearer graphics, simpler shortcuts and far faster responses than the old system.

While the main screen is huge, the instruments are tucked away in a compact but clear panel that gives you the basics such as speed, charge and range. It is supplemented by a massive head-up display with augmented reality which cleverly projects navigation directions onto the glass in front of you.

Volkswagen claims the ID.7 Tourer offers ‘XL’ space and it’s not kidding. The 2.97m wheelbase provides an astonishing amount of room in the ID.7 wherever you sit. We’re talking space for four Michael Jordans to fit comfortably. If you and your passengers are more average, then five of you will fit with ease.

And you’ll have plenty of space for all your belongings too. The centre console with its clever split sliding cover and two-part armrest provides plenty of oddment storage, as do the deep, wide door pockets. Behind all that and accessed via a hands-free powered tailgate, the boot offers a capacious 605 litres, rising to 1,714 litres with the rear seats folded. That’s more than the BMW i5 Touring, Audi A6 Avant e-tron or VW’s bulkier, less efficient ID.4 and ID.5 SUVs.

Battery, motor and performance

There are three powertrain options in the ID.7 Tourer range – Pro, Pro S and GTX. I drove the ID.7 Tourer Pro S. The S means it gets a bigger battery than the standard Pro-spec car – 86kWh rather than 77kWh.

That battery, also found in the 335bhp GTX model, provides an official range of 424 miles (51 more than the smaller battery). On my drive, conducted in single-figure temperatures, the trip computer estimated that a full charge would deliver 345 miles. That’s a fairly big difference, no doubt partly due to the cold, but even at the lower figure, the ID.7 renders range anxiety a thing of the past.

And it’ll charge quickly too. The regular Pro maxes out at 175kW, while the S will charge at up to 200kW, allowing a 10-80% charge in 26 minutes, or to add 145 miles of range in 10 minutes.

Like other ID models, the ID.7 Tourer is rear-wheel-drive, and the Pro S uses a single 282bhp motor to power it. That’s punchy enough to get this big estate from 0-62mph in 6.7 seconds – faster than any Passat.

Like the Passat, though, the ID.7 is less about scorching getaways and more about having bountiful torque (402lb ft) to make reasonable progress even when fully laden. The chassis reflects that, set up for comfort and refinement rather than handling. Generally that works, its soft suspension smoothing out bad surfaces, but the softness can cause some odd choppiness over long undulating stretches of road.

The ID.7 is also almost eerily quiet, with virtually no sound from the drivetrain or outside world creeping into the cab to disrupt the relaxed ambience.

Volkswagen ID.7 Tourer price and specification

The ID.7 Tourer sits in an odd middle ground among electric estates – clearly bigger and more premium than a Peugeot E-308 SW, but not quite in the same camp as the Audi A6 e-tron or BMW i5 Touring.

That position is reflected in its price, which starts at £52,570 for the Pro, and £56,140 for the Pro S. An entry level A6 Avant will set you back £10,000 more, while a basic i5 Touring is an extra £13,000.

Spec-wise, the only differences between Pro and Pro S are the bigger battery and the alloy wheel design. Aside from those, every car gets plenty of high-end features – from adaptive LED headlights and the augmented reality HUD to three-zone climate control and a 360-degree camera. Heated massage seats, adaptive cruise control and park assist plus with memory function are also standard fit alongside a laundry list of driver aids.

Verdict

There’s no question that the ID.7 Tourer feels like the most complete and competent ID car yet.

Not only that, but for buyers keen on an electric estate, it feels like the common sense choice – bigger, nicer and more refined than the cheap options but not quite so out of reach as the traditional ‘executive’ marques.

The drivetrain is sufficiently powerful and packs a seriously impressive range. On top of that, it’s refined and comfortable, and there is an astonishing amount of room for people and possessions, as well as a fit and finish that’s reminiscent of VWs of old, rather than the early ID cars.