Wolfsburg - The new Volkswagen ID.5 is the latest member of the German carmaker’s rapidly expanding electric car family.
As a midsize crossover, the Volkswagen ID.5 is fairly closely related to the ID.4, but with a sportier, coupe-inspired silhouette. Yet despite the sloping roofline, the ID.5 has just 12mm less headroom than the aforementioned ID.4, thanks to its ‘skateboard-like’ MEB platform.
“The ID.5 is the body style of the future: aerodynamic, expressive, sporty and, thanks to MEB, with short overhangs,” said VW design head Jozef Kabaň. “That’s how we have been able to ensure a spacious interior despite the dynamic roof line - this simply wasn’t possible before.”
The Volkswagen ID.5 will be available with three powertrain choices, with the single-motor rear-wheel drive models offering output options of 128kW and 150kW, and the twin-motor, all-wheel drive GTX performance model treating its customers to 220kW and a 0-100km/h sprint time of 6.3 seconds. While that’s hardly enough to scare off any Teslas, it should prove satisfactory for GTI drivers wanting to make the EV switch.
According to Volkswagen, the 150kW RWD model is good for a range of around 520km between charges on the WLTP cycle. Charging performance can reach up to 135kW at a fast-charging station.
The cabin of the Volkswagen ID.5 is fully digitised and brimming with tech, including augmented reality head-up display. The vehicle also incorporates the latest generation 3.0 software architecture, which allows for over-the-air updates, natural voice control and Car2X communication.
At this stage it’s not clear whether the Volkswagen ID.5 will come to South Africa. The local division is planning to bring some ID.4 units to South Africa in 2022 as part of a testing phase that will precede the company officially entering the local electric car market.