ESTATE OF THE ART ESTATE OF THE ART

Many electric cars have been SUV shaped, and thus don’t provide the ideal replacement for the kind of roomy estates favoured by private hire operators specializing in airport transfers and other journeys where passengers and their luggage need to be moved.

But Volkswagen has premiered the latest of its ID models, and that could be just what’s needed. The ID.7 Tourer is one of the first electric estate cars in the upper medium sector, offering space for five people with up to 605 litres of luggage.

The ID.7 Tourer also looks like a good bet for those needing to make longer journeys without recharge anxiety. The car will be available with two battery sizes, and the larger of the two is expected to achieve ranges of around 425 miles (WLTP).

The ID.7 becomes the flagship of Volkswagen’s electric range. Europe-wide orders are scheduled to begin this month, with prices expected to start at around £57,000.

The estate sits alongside the “progressive fastback saloon” version unveiled last year. The ID-7 is basically Passat-sized, and sits alongside the newly-launched Passat Estate – no saloon version any more for the biggest conventional powertrain VW car. The ID.7 Tourer and fastback saloon will be produced alongside the ID.4 SUV at VW’s EV plant in Emden, Germany.

The ID.7 Tourer differs significantly from the fastback saloon, with a long roof line and its elegant transition to the boot lid. VW says the Tourer is a fusion of a classic estate such as the Passat and a dynamic shooting brake such as the Arteon.

Thanks to the increased height at the rear, the luggage compartment volume is even larger than that of the fastback saloon: with five people on board, the ID.7 Tourer has a luggage capacity of up to 605 litres. When loaded up to the backrests of the front seats and up to the roof, this figure rises to up to 1,714 litres.

The new ID.7 Tourer is equipped with the latest-generation electric drive system. The largest battery is designed for a maximum charging capacity of up to 200 kW at DC quick-charging stations.

At this power level, the battery can be recharged from 10-80% in less than 30 minutes.

Comfort features of the ID.7 range include a new automatic air conditioner, optionally available seats with pressure-point massage and air conditioning, and the new Wellness In-Car app.

The new ID.7 Tourer will be launched with innovative technological features, including an augmented-reality (AR) head-up display as standard. This projects information relevant to the journey into the driver’s field of vision, so their eyes can stay focused on the road.