VW ID-3 test drive

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Mon 2 Nov 2020 17:12
VW ID-3 test drive - Avant

I had a good hour-long run in a VW ID-3 today. Very much as expected. Certainly good to drive, with plenty of oomph and safe, neutral handling. Not a huge amount of difference between the driving modes Eco, Comfort and Sport. Unlike most reviewers, I didn't find the interior cheap-looking: it seemed fine to me. Seat comfort not bad, although the 1st edition demonstrator didn't have lumbar support which was needed. Generally, as some testers have said, it's a good car which perhaps doesn't break as much new ground as VW would like us to believe.

Two big antis for me, though. Firstly it failed the keyboard test. I need a flat or nearly flat floor with rear seats folded down, to push my music keyboard in with its wheeled case. VW don't offer a variable boot floor - no idea why not - and there's a big step from boot floor to folded seatbacks.

Secondly, I did (honestly) try to get on with the touchscreen. But sadly I wasn't convinced that it was any sort of improvement. (a) Things didn't always happen at the first prod. (b) You have to look at the screen for too long if you're driving for it to be safe. (c) If the sun shone on to the screen, visibility was much reduced but not the fingermarks. (d) Halfway through the hour's drive, the system decided that it was night, although the sun was shining brightly. Headlights went on with no means of turning them off, and the map background went black. I may be showing my age, but I have a rooted objection to an IT system that does what it wants and not what I want. I'm not a control freak, but I do think that when driving a car one needs to be in comtrol.

There was no HUD on this model, but it wasn't needed as one's speed and the speed limit both appear clearly on the screen in front of the driver. Excellent - but the effect was spoilt because it kept saying 'speed exceeded' with every press of the accelerator, even when I was nowhere near the limit. If there was a link to the satnav, there was no obvious means of establishing it.

I've enjoyed a succession of VAG cars as they've all been good to drive, and just as importantly there's been nothing that consistently annoys. Controls fall to hand and do what you expect them to. But with the ID-3 VW is like a cow that's given a good pail of milk - and then kicked it over.

I've ordered a Kia E-Niro for delivery next spring.

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Mon 2 Nov 2020 18:07
VW ID-3 test drive - badbusdriver

I hope you told, or will tell the dealer why you are going elsewhere. Probably won’t make any difference to the German behemoth, but you never know. Maybe if enough folk make it clear they don’t want all the controls on the touchscreen (and that they want to be in control of it), they will take notice.

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Mon 2 Nov 2020 22:30
VW ID-3 test drive - Avant

I did indeed, politely but firmly, and the salesman admitted that some people like it, some don't (the touchscreen arrangement I mean: I can't see anyone raving about the step up in the boot).

A really first-rate new feature would appeal to the great majority.. But as you say, I doubt if VAG will listen. Presumably it costs less to do it that way - even less if you get the customers to do some of the development work for you.

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Mon 2 Nov 2020 22:51
VW ID-3 test drive - sammy1

Good job you didn't try the Honda Jazz e, apparently the touch screen will display a fish tank right across the dash. Hope it only does this when stationary. If you could put wheels on your game console or smart TV you would almost have the latest model

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Tue 3 Nov 2020 07:20
VW ID-3 test drive - daveyjp

At least the Honda-e (its not a Jazz), has a screen which has been thought of as part of the design.

Like a lot of other manufacturers VW appear to have forgotten about the car needing a screen and at the last minute stuck it on the dash. The new Yaris is exactly the same, which considering the old one has a screen integrated into the dash, is a backward step.

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Tue 3 Nov 2020 07:56
VW ID-3 test drive - badbusdriver

I think you are talking about the Honda E rather than the new Jazz Sammy(?). The Jazz does have a screen, and you may well be able to look at an aquarium, but it is of a fairly standard size. The screen on the Honda E stretches the full width of the dashboard and yes, you can have it showing an aquarium or, amongst other options (i assume) a Japanese garden. If that wasn’t enough, there is also a 3 pin plug hidden beneath a cover where you could plug in a gaming console to use with the dashboard screen!.

I’d guess you can’t do this in motion, but not sure about the aquarium or Japanese garden, could be useful for keeping calm if stuck in a traffic jam.

Not a new idea though, you can have a roaring open fire showing on the screen of a Tesla!.

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Tue 3 Nov 2020 09:06
VW ID-3 test drive - John F

Like a lot of other manufacturers VW appear to have forgotten about the car needing a screen and at the last minute stuck it on the dash. The new Yaris is exactly the same,....

...and our 2019 Peugeot 2008's screen has a rather 'add-on' look to it. The screen on my 15yr old (VW) Audi A8 is beautifully incorporated into the dashboard from which it automatically emerges, and into which it can be instantly banished if found to be visually offensive.

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Tue 3 Nov 2020 10:25
VW ID-3 test drive - Andrew-T

Maybe if enough folk make it clear they don’t want all the controls on the touchscreen (and that they want to be in control of it), they will take notice.

No they won't. Everything is creeping inexorably towards the dreadful prospect of fully autonomous vehicles. Suggesting the opposite is counter to all the backroom boffins' best efforts. Modern cars are slowly morphing into computers, rather like phones did a decade or two ago. I'm not sure why they are still called phones, speaking into them is a minor part of their use now.

Edited by Andrew-T on 03/11/2020 at 10:29

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Tue 3 Nov 2020 11:03
VW ID-3 test drive - Sulphur Man

Not entirely true. Honda have already listened (they have good form here) and have categorically stated that all their car products will retain essential controls on physical, dedicated buttons.

"https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/motor-shows-geneva-motor-show/honda-bucks-industry-trend-removing-touchscreen-controls"

However, cars are becoming appliances, no doubt about that. And I think BMW's features-by-paid-subscription will become an industry norm.

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Tue 3 Nov 2020 13:23
VW ID-3 test drive - Mike H

Our Honda CR-V Hybrid has both. All the heating controls are available as knobs or buttons, but there is one button marked "Climate" .......that brings them up on the touch screen. Heaven knows why.

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Tue 3 Nov 2020 09:53
VW ID-3 test drive - Trilogy.

Another conquest for KIA. I recently read about a woman who went to a VW showroom to buy a Golf. The sales staff took no interest in her, she found KIA very interested in helping out and bought a car from them instead.

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Tue 3 Nov 2020 10:33
VW ID-3 test drive - madf

I would only buy a VW if they paid me.. and then I would sell it to buy a Kia Niro

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Tue 3 Nov 2020 11:16
VW ID-3 test drive - badbusdriver

Thinking about it some more, it seems careless of the design team to have this step in the load bay which prevents the car being a viable contender for Avant.

I believe the ID-3 was a ‘clean sheet’ design, and surely one of the biggest advantages of an EV is in packaging. As such, it shouldn’t have been too difficult to design it with a completely flat floor with the seats folded.

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Tue 3 Nov 2020 11:52
VW ID-3 test drive - Stackman II

Is the boot thing related to the fact that the car has its motor(s) in the back driving the rear wheels ?

It's not a completely clean sheet design as it sits on VW's MEB platform so is a compromise.

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Tue 3 Nov 2020 13:10
VW ID-3 test drive - badbusdriver

Wasn’t aware it was an existing platform Stackman. As for the boot, the Renault Twingo/Smart Forfour have the engines under the boot floor meaning the boot floor is higher than its rivals (and therefore the actual volume markedly less), but it does mean that you get a flat floor with the seats folded.

So if the VW’s motor being under the boot floor had an effect, surely it would be to raise the boot floor, making a step less likely. But even if, as I suspect, VW were just chasing the volume figures, it doesn’t excuse them not offering an adjustable boot floor to make it a level platform.

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Tue 3 Nov 2020 14:00
VW ID-3 test drive - Catfood

Funnily enough Honest John Review gives 5/5 top mark for this car.....

Biased or Unbiased ?

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Tue 3 Nov 2020 14:12
VW ID-3 test drive - madf

Funnily enough Honest John Review gives 5/5 top mark for this car.....

Biased or Unbiased ?

5 out of 5 is perfection..

Nothing in life is ever perfect (except my wife .. dear)

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Tue 3 Nov 2020 16:23
VW ID-3 test drive - Catfood

Does VAG pay for the editor's bonus or holiday ?

It seems they always give the VAG cars 5 out of 5 mark.....

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Tue 3 Nov 2020 23:00
VW ID-3 test drive - alan1302

Does VAG pay for the editor's bonus or holiday ?

It seems they always give the VAG cars 5 out of 5 mark.....

Except they don't most VW cars on here don't have 5/5 - you could have checked first.

Also 5/5 doesn't mean perfection.

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Tue 3 Nov 2020 17:40
VW ID-3 test drive - Andrew-T

<< 5 out of 5 is perfection.. Nothing in life is ever perfect (except my wife .. dear) >>

Madf, does she check your posts as well as your mobile calls ? :-)

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Wed 4 Nov 2020 06:52
VW ID-3 test drive - madf

<< 5 out of 5 is perfection.. Nothing in life is ever perfect (except my wife .. dear) >>

Madf, does she check your posts as well as your mobile calls ? :-)

No.

I have to admit it was written for effect :-)

And it worked!

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Tue 3 Nov 2020 17:17
VW ID-3 test drive - Trilogy.

Thinking about it some more, it seems careless of the design team to have this step in the load bay which prevents the car being a viable contender for Avant.

I believe the ID-3 was a ‘clean sheet’ design, and surely one of the biggest advantages of an EV is in packaging. As such, it shouldn’t have been too difficult to design it with a completely flat floor with the seats folded.

BBD, it's common, most designers are too lazy to design cars properly any more. Lots of cars have steps. However, in this instance the ID-3 has been designed to be available without a step. Autocar's review/test shows it without one albeit an LHD version https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-review/volkswagen/id-3/specs, unless I'm misunderstanding what Avant meant.

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Tue 3 Nov 2020 18:58
VW ID-3 test drive - Avant

The picture of the boot in your link is interesting (thank you). No step and a flat enough floor.

Maybe the new ones coming through (the demonstrator was a 'First Edition') will offer a variable boot floor. The demonstrator had some metal U-shaped 'pegs' which a floor could have rested on; but there was just a piece of carpet, not a hard movable platform.

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Tue 3 Nov 2020 22:17
VW ID-3 test drive - Brit_in_Germany

I believe there is a variable boot, see i.auto-bild.de/ir_img/2/4/0/6/6/0/5/Bilder-Innenra...g

Maybe the dealer had removed it for security.

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Tue 3 Nov 2020 23:23
VW ID-3 test drive - Avant

Many thanks for that. The one I tried didn't have any of that 'furniture' in the boot. So we can hope that the versions coming through now at least have it as an option.

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Wed 4 Nov 2020 00:16
VW ID-3 test drive - Zippy123

Thanks for the mini review Avant.

I'll be jealous, in good humour, for a while re the Kia, I'm told it's a much underrated car, as I'm still borrowing SWMBO's Note and will be whilst working from home - no need for anything different at the moment.

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