Volkswagen’s ID.3 gets a subtle-but-effective facelift
It’s hard to believe VW’s brilliant EV is getting the mid-life treatment already
The VW ID.3 has had some subtle exterior changes
Rear seats in the new ID.3
The side profile is one of the best views of the stunning refreshed ID.3
We can’t believe the ID.3 is already at the mid-life update stage of its cycle. It seems like only yesterday that the gorgeous little C-segment all-electric family car was introduced to Irish car buyers, who were quick to take the plunge.
As the country was gripped by Covid in September 2020, VW launched the ID.3 – and since then they have sold 3,352 in Ireland.
It came close to being the best-selling EV in the country in 2021 but was pipped by its new big brother, the ID.4. Not that VW would have cared, having the two best-selling electric cars in the country.
But since then, there has been a flurry of new EVs flooding the market as manufacturers scramble to steal a charge (pun intended) on the competition.
Rear seats in the new ID.3
Everyone is at the same game these days and there are more options than ever, thanks to the influx of American and Chinese EV cars.
So VW is acting on this by introducing lots of new and different EVs (Buzz, e-Up and the announcement of the ID.7) to accompany the improvements to established ID models to ensure they remain the top seller (currently at 19 per cent of all EVs).
All of which is a long way to get to this refreshed ID.3, which is unmistakable and has clearly influenced pretenders to the throne the Cupra Born (a group stablemate, to be fair) and even the BYD Dolphin (expect to see them everywhere in the coming months, once launched).
The slightly modest tweaks include more body colour (ours was the Dark Olivine Green Metallic finish) than before, especially to the front which has now disregarded the black bit at the back. This sounds small but it gives the car a longer look, and sits well atop the new bumper, which got a makeover to improve aerodynamics.
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There is a much bigger and more noticeable improvement on the inside though, with more space and there have been much-needed upgrades to the software and some welcome extra functionality.
Fundamentally it is still the same car though. Don’t be too shocked to hear that a success story’s mid-life facelift isn’t going to completely start over.
There are two different models, with the entry-level version (Pro) housing a 58kWh battery chargeable at up to 120kW with an official range of up to 428km. It’s priced from €42,965.
Standard equipment is pretty generous and includes a 10-inch touchscreen, two-zone climate control, four USB ports, adaptive cruise control, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, front and rear parking sensors, navigation, wireless phone charger, heated front seats, 18-inch alloy wheels, auto LED headlights and auto wipers.
Our test car was the higher trim (Pro S), priced at €51,730 which comes with the bigger 77kWh battery for a WLTP-ratified range of 557km.
The side profile is one of the best views of the stunning refreshed ID.3
One of the best things about this car is the range and the ability to get almost exactly what they claim. Of course, this is heavily affected by the inclusion of air conditioning and dependant on ow much or little motorway driving you do…but in general this is one of the best ranges going.
We had upgraded 20-inch ‘Sanya’ alloys, which definitely affected the range a small bit, but there is also a heat-reflecting windscreen which reduced our need to crank up the a/c, thus preserving the range.
There is a snazzy new augmented reality head-up display, a 30-colour ambient lighting set up and new electrically-adjusted ArtVelour comfort seats in the front. On that topical hot potato…the rear only has two seats (in our Pro S) which we are guessing is tactical to reduce weight to offset the heavier battery pack. It won’t affect most but it did mean one of the GAA runs with a car full of kids was far more dramatic than expected. They all survived. But the Pro version does have three seats so don’t panic!
The rear-mounted electric motor produces up to 204hp and 310Nm of torque, which is a lot, but don’t forget that this is a heavy car – a smidge under 2,000kg – yet it still produces very little cabin and road noise.
The ID.3 rides very comfortably and there is really god body control, especially on some our appalling national roads which are nonchalantly ignored by this well-built machine.
This drive surprised us both as we have been afforded the luxury of testing a whole host of new EVs in recent years since the first iteration of the ID.3. This makeover is timely, welcome, cleverly worked out and will give the plucky car a big boost over the coming years.
