Torn - to ID3 or not ID3
Discussion
te.I’ve got a 73 plate ID3 now as a company car. I really don’t get all the hate for it. What is it that make people say it is crap?
Sure it’s not going to set the world alight and you wouldn’t buy one as a weekend toy, but for daily driving / family use it’s been good.
I much prefer it to drive than my E350d I got rid of to get into an EV ASAP.
Sure it’s not going to set the world alight and you wouldn’t buy one as a weekend toy, but for daily driving / family use it’s been good.
I much prefer it to drive than my E350d I got rid of to get into an EV ASAP.
plfrench said:
I’ve got a 73 plate ID3 now as a company car. I really don’t get all the hate for it. What is it that make people say it is crap?
Sure it’s not going to set the world alight and you wouldn’t buy one as a weekend toy, but for daily driving / family use it’s been good.
I much prefer it to drive than my E350d I got rid of to get into an EV ASAP.
Earlier cars had serious problems that are unresolvable without replacing hardware. I’ve read quite a few posts saying cars with the latest updated systems (version 3.2 software?) like your 73 plate are much improved.Sure it’s not going to set the world alight and you wouldn’t buy one as a weekend toy, but for daily driving / family use it’s been good.
I much prefer it to drive than my E350d I got rid of to get into an EV ASAP.
Personally, I wouldn’t touch a second hand ID3 or ID4 with a bargepole. It was very much a product rushed out of the door without proper development. VAG seem to be learning though, they pushed back the electric Macan launch by a year to get the software right. By all accounts the physical car is ready but the new group CEO is taking software development as seriously as the oily bits now.
Edited by wyson on Sunday 5th November 08:44
Few months ago a dealer lent us one of the last of the previous models for a few days. Car had done 600 miles and was asking for a software update. My first experience of EVs and I thought it drove fine - I quite liked the one-pedal driving mode.
The car was lifted by having a full glass roof. Steel wheels with wheel trims (one of which was missing) were a bit of a surprise. The wipers were strange - they were kind of madly flappy.
It did keep flashing up various ‘system unavailable’ messages.
The car was lifted by having a full glass roof. Steel wheels with wheel trims (one of which was missing) were a bit of a surprise. The wipers were strange - they were kind of madly flappy.
It did keep flashing up various ‘system unavailable’ messages.
Agree with all of the negative comments above. Our EV journey has been BMW i3 (12 months) > Tesla Model 3 Performance (2 years) > Audi eTron 55 (18 months) > ID3 Family Pro Performance (2 months)
The ID3 is the worse car of the lot by a significant margin. Cheap feeling, rattily, crap to drive and nowhere near as efficient as you would expect it to be. Will be getting rid shortly as my wife drives the most of the two of us these days and genuinely hates it.
The ID3 is the worse car of the lot by a significant margin. Cheap feeling, rattily, crap to drive and nowhere near as efficient as you would expect it to be. Will be getting rid shortly as my wife drives the most of the two of us these days and genuinely hates it.
I’ve spent 3 days in id3s, like the golf 8 I think the early models have unsolvable issues with hardware.
(The early models of golf mk8 need a new computer to fix the issues, but the new computer isn’t compatible with the early models!)
The one I drove was ok, 58kw and 220 mile range - achievable on country roads in the summer but I had a 130 mile range showing from maybe 90% charge when it was minus 7.
Motorway driving drops the range a lot, I spent 50 miles at 50mph once on the motorway,being overtaken by Lorries just to reach my destination.
Curiously they seem down on power. Mine had 200hp but drove like a petrol car with 130-150hp. Particularly slow at speed 50-70mph.
(The early models of golf mk8 need a new computer to fix the issues, but the new computer isn’t compatible with the early models!)
The one I drove was ok, 58kw and 220 mile range - achievable on country roads in the summer but I had a 130 mile range showing from maybe 90% charge when it was minus 7.
Motorway driving drops the range a lot, I spent 50 miles at 50mph once on the motorway,being overtaken by Lorries just to reach my destination.
Curiously they seem down on power. Mine had 200hp but drove like a petrol car with 130-150hp. Particularly slow at speed 50-70mph.
Whataguy said:
I’ve spent 3 days in id3s, like the golf 8 I think the early models have unsolvable issues with hardware.
(The early models of golf mk8 need a new computer to fix the issues, but the new computer isn’t compatible with the early models!)
The one I drove was ok, 58kw and 220 mile range - achievable on country roads in the summer but I had a 130 mile range showing from maybe 90% charge when it was minus 7.
Motorway driving drops the range a lot, I spent 50 miles at 50mph once on the motorway,being overtaken by Lorries just to reach my destination.
Curiously they seem down on power. Mine had 200hp but drove like a petrol car with 130-150hp. Particularly slow at speed 50-70mph.
They’re definitely not the quickest accelerating above 70 but my wife’s previous Mk 7.5 1.5 petrol Golf wouldn’t have kept up 50-70 even in third. It might be deceptive because it is just so easy?(The early models of golf mk8 need a new computer to fix the issues, but the new computer isn’t compatible with the early models!)
The one I drove was ok, 58kw and 220 mile range - achievable on country roads in the summer but I had a 130 mile range showing from maybe 90% charge when it was minus 7.
Motorway driving drops the range a lot, I spent 50 miles at 50mph once on the motorway,being overtaken by Lorries just to reach my destination.
Curiously they seem down on power. Mine had 200hp but drove like a petrol car with 130-150hp. Particularly slow at speed 50-70mph.
Odd you found it rattly Swoll - ours ( I’m including the Cupra Born here too) has been pleasantly rattle-free. I hate a rattle and found them both to be the least rattly cars we’ve owned.
Overall all though, not had enough other electric cars to compare against having come from a lifetime of ICE so perhaps it’s just that EV moves the game on so much from a smoothness and responsiveness perspective that I’m blinded as to how crap the ID3 really is
What was really bad what the MG ZS EV I test drove - that was so unresolved in so many ways that it was embarrassingly bad. Everything from stiction in the steering through to awful cabin droning noise and very unresponsive regen / braking set up - just terrible.
A friend has an early iD4. The drive itself is fine. It’s the UI and details that make it sub-obtimal:
-2 switches for 4 windows?!? Really?
-Un-lit climate controls?!? Really?
-No battery pre-heating/pre-conditioning at all, leading to truly pathetic DCFC speed in cooler weather. Really?!?
Uncompetitive DCFC speed, period. Really?!?
They took it on one road trip and vowed never again due its S-L-O-W charging.
At the right price, as an around-town runabout, sure.
As an only car? Not for them, or me.
-2 switches for 4 windows?!? Really?
-Un-lit climate controls?!? Really?
-No battery pre-heating/pre-conditioning at all, leading to truly pathetic DCFC speed in cooler weather. Really?!?
Uncompetitive DCFC speed, period. Really?!?
They took it on one road trip and vowed never again due its S-L-O-W charging.
At the right price, as an around-town runabout, sure.
As an only car? Not for them, or me.
plfrench said:
They’re definitely not the quickest accelerating above 70 but my wife’s previous Mk 7.5 1.5 petrol Golf wouldn’t have kept up 50-70 even in third. It might be deceptive because it is just so easy?
.
Could have been the ones I was driving, perhaps an early batch. I have a Mk7.5 1.5/150/dsg golf myself - when I was driving the id3 I was convinced it was the 150hp version but when I checked it was actually the 200hp one. .
It was fine from a stop and at lower speeds, but acceleration tailed off the faster you went. Full acceleration just gave me a slow increase in speed along the lines of the 1.0/110hp VW engine as I was watching the speedometer. It was in normal drive mode, there wasn’t a sport option available.
It’s wasn’t that quiet on the motorway either, VW have done a good job with the 1.5 as it’s very quiet. The only downside being a bit of roughness from cold over the first mile, on a DSG it’s not really an issue but I’ve heard people having problems with the manuals being jerky.
I’ve checked the performance numbers from various sources and the 200hp id3 is supposed to be almost a second quicker from 50-110mph than the 150hp golf, but the ones I’ve driven were a lot slower.
Edited by Whataguy on Sunday 5th November 19:10
The earlier ID3 had ridiculous things like 2 buttons for 4 windows, no rear speakers, and steel wheels. Bare in mind these cars were around £30k after the gov incentives ended.
The latest iD3 starts from £38k, and still doesn't have rear speakers.
I'm sure there's plenty of better alternatives on the market in terms of value for money
The latest iD3 starts from £38k, and still doesn't have rear speakers.
I'm sure there's plenty of better alternatives on the market in terms of value for money
Gassing Station | EV and Alternative Fuels | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff