Volkswagen has revealed in full the updated ID.3 electric hatchback, a refreshed version of the electric hatchback, due on sale in 2023.
Quality and design
Indeed, it's just three years since the ID.3 arrived on Irish shores, and not quite four since it made its global debut. In updating the ID.3, Imelda Labbé, Member of the Board of Management for Sales, Marketing and After Sales at Volkswagen said that: "We have systematically taken on board the wishes of our customers. With the second generation of the ID.3, we are continuing the success story of our ID. family. The design has matured and the materials in the interior have been significantly upgraded. The new ID.3 demonstrates our clear commitment to quality, design and operability."
So what's new? The exterior styling has been given a light going over, with new bumpers, a new bonnet (that appears longer because it no longer has a black strip under the windscreen) and new two-part brake lights that make a distinctive 'X' shape at night. That new bumper also helps improve the car's aero performance, especially in how it controls the air flowing back and around the wheels, while you can also now get your new ID.3 in the rather fetching Olivine Green paint shown in our gallery.
Recycled materials
Inside, the changes have been more significant. VW is moving towards an leather-free interior design, so the cabin now uses a material called 'Artvelours Eco' for the door trims and seat covers, a fabric that contains 71 per cent recycled material. Volkswagen reckons that it has the same "characteristics in terms of look and feel and durability" as a newly-made fabric.
The overall quality of the plastics in the cabin have also been upgraded, but the biggest change is to how the car's infotainment system works.
The software that powers the central 12-inch screen (an upgrade from the old ten-inch unit) has been reworked to make the menu layout more intuitive and easier to operate with items like the charging menu being pushed up the ranks to make it quicker to access when you need it.
Plug and charge
There are also some new touches, including a plug-and-charge function, wherein at participating charging points the car's own software takes care of payment and authentication via the WeConnect app, so there's no need to go waving around your RFID or credit cards. Charging speeds have also been improved - up from 135kW to 170kW from a high-speed public DC charger.
The navigation has also been upgraded with a new 'Electric Vehicle Route Planner' that calculates charging stops so that the destination can be reached as quickly as possible using current traffic information and forecasts in addition to the battery charge level. It also works out which charging stations en route have the faster charging capacity, so will work that into its calculations.
There's a new Travel Assist upgrade, too, which includes tweaks to the lane-keeping steering that - working with 'swarm' data from other VW cars in the area - can keep you in lane on a country road as well as on the motorway.
There's an update for the 'augmented reality' head-up display as well, while the little five-inch screen for the speedo in front of the driver remains unchanged.
Also unchanged is the standard 58kWh battery (which gives you an official range of around 420km) and the optional 77kWh battery (which takes you beyond 500km). The ID.3 range - currently reduced to a single model in Ireland - should also re-expand into at least two trim levels when this new car arrives, and VW is promising the re-introduction of a more affordable model with a 300km range and a smaller battery.
Kai Grünitz, Member of the Brand Board of Management responsible for Development said: "With the new ID.3 we are bringing premium technologies into the compact class - in line with our Volkswagen goal of successively offering innovations in the whole model range. This is also reflected in the latest-generation convenience and assist systems in the ID.3. By using swarm data in the Travel Assist system, we are taking the next step on the path to highly automated driving."
Irish pricing and launch details for the updated ID.3 have yet to be confirmed.