Take a tour of Volkswagen's first electric estate in walkaround video
We have taken a first look at the Variant of the future
Editor's note: Our colleagues at Motor1.com Italy got up close with Wolfsburg's first estate without a combustion engine in Marseille, France ahead of the official release. You can activate English subtitles in the video settings.
In terms of format, the Volkswagen ID.7 is the electric version of the Passat. Previously only available as a saloon with hatchback, we were able to see and touch it in the future Tourer version, i.e. as an estate or family car. The covers will not finally come off until 2024. We give you a little preview, still camouflaged, in this video.
A large boot
To describe it, let's start with the basics, i.e. the name. As you've probably already read, this is one of the first estate cars from Volkswagen not to bear the iconic Variant designation, but rather Tourer. One of the exceptions was the Arteon Shooting Brake, which the ID.7 Tourer follows a little, at least formally.
Gallery: Volkswagen ID.7 Tourer camouflaged prototype
A name that was probably intended to distance itself from the classic estate cars of the past, but without forgetting their success and the large boot that made these models legendary. And the load volume is indeed one of the most important figures of the new ID.7 Tourer: it is 545 litres, or 1,714 litres with the second row of seats folded down, a figure that is naturally higher than that of the saloon.
VW Passat Estate (2024)
In an internal comparison, this is slightly less than the 690 and 1,920 litres of the new Passat Estate generation, but still very high for its category. A visual comparison shows why: the new Passat Estate is slightly longer with more rear overhang, and the ID.7 Tourer has a slightly flatter roofline.
Volkswagen ID.7 Tourer study
Shared mechanics
There are no changes to the platform in the ID.7 Tourer compared to the saloon version. Both are based on the tried-and-tested MEB. The basic version of the Tourer is therefore also likely to be equipped with the "classic" 282 bhp rear-mounted electric motor.
An output that could probably rise to 400 bhp in the more powerful all-wheel drive versions in the future and perhaps even more in the possible sporty GTI or GTX variants.
What is still uncertain, however, is the battery, for which VW will possibly use 77 and 86 kWh batteries with a maximum charging capacity of 200 kW and a range (according to the WLTP homologation cycle) of 435 miles (700 km), as this is a car that is designed - also, but not only - for long motorway journeys.
Volkswagen ID.7 Tourer concept
Final design still to be defined
Just like the saloon in the early stages of development, the Volkswagen ID.7 Tourer was shown to us with an orange-coloured camouflage, somewhat similar to the one used to camouflage the saloon during the prototype's test drive.
Large estate cars with combustion engines:
As far as we could see, the electric car has very similar lines to the new Passat Variant, while some details - such as the design of the alloy wheels and the light units - are completely different. In general, the appearance is very close to that of the Space Vizzion Concept shown in 2019. Just like the saloon, the interior will feature a 15-inch central monitor, which will be used to control the infotainment system, which has been updated to the latest software.
Gallery: Volkswagen ID.7 Tourer Teasers
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