New Volkswagen ID.7 Tourer is company’s first EV estate

How often do you see and SUV or crossover vehicle on the road? Obviously the answer is lots of times as the SUV has become the dominant choice for motorists who like the chunky looks, the high seating position and the perceived all-action image that comes with SUVs. Even though many of them now only offer two-wheel-drive.

How often do you see an estate car? The answer is not very often because they have fallen out of favour with many drivers. There are exceptions such as Audi’s range and the MG5 EV, but generally they are few and far between so it’s nice to report a new EV estate car from Volkswagen.

The ID.7 Tourer, Volkswagen’s first ever battery electric estate, went on sale at the end of last month (April). One variant will be available initially – the Tourer Pro Match – priced £52,240. Two other versions, the Tourer Pro S and a high-performance GTX version are set to go on sale in the summer.

With a potential range, according to Volkswagen, of 374 miles with the 77 kWh battery in the Pro Match version,  a larger 86 kWh battery with a projected range of about 425 miles in the Pro S model and the GTX all-wheel drive model will have the 77 kWh battery.

Standard exterior features across the range include LED headlights and LED tail light clusters, roof rails and diamond-cut 19-inch alloy wheels. One additional exterior feature of the ID.7 Tourer compared with the fastback is the illuminated Volkswagen logo at both the front and the rear.

Interior features include intelligent automatic air conditioning with smart air vents, and optional award-winning ergoActive heated front seats with pressure point massage, keyless locking and starting, luggage partition net, 30-colour ambient lighting, heated multi-function steering wheel, Discover Pro navigation system, an enhanced augmented-reality head-up display and a rear-view camera.

An optional panoramic sunroof with smart glass is also available and the transparent roof can be made opaque or transparent electronically by means of a polymer-dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) layer that is integrated in the glass.

The all-new dash and infotainment system comes with a high-definition 15-inch screen and the latest Volkswagen operating system. The new IDA voice assistant is operated using natural language and voice commands. This enables control of many vehicle functions and it can answer specific questions on a variety of topics, aided by online databases and, in future, AI technology via ChatGPT. Definitely something that tech orientated drivers will find appealing!