Volkswagen ID.5 Introduction

By

Published

I am among the simple minds that think the ID.5 should have been called the ID.4 sportback or ID.4 coupe. I think that is much clearer to the public. A higher number signals a bigger car. The ID.5 should have been the number for the ID.# successor to the VW Passat.

Specs at EV-Database.org:

VW ID.5 side view. Photo by Maarten Vinkhuyzen.

Just like the ID.4 and Skoda Enyaq iV, the iD.5 is is a big, heavy car by European standards. But because it is a BEV, it is also sportier than many lighter, smaller fossil fuel burners. The lack of even an automatic transmission makes it very agile when you are the first at a traffic light. (I think I can write the same lines for every BEV that I review or introduce.)

VW ID.5 front. Photo by Maarten Vinkhuyzen.

The dashboard and infotainment are the same as in other ID.# models, more than adequate for most people.

VW ID.5 dashboard. Photo by Maarten Vinkhuyzen.

I had the pleasure of sitting in the backseat when someone else conducted a long test drive in the ID.4. He drove on highways, on country roads, on 20 mph suburban streets, and through inner city areas. Where possible, he used one-pedal driving and adaptive cruise control.

The cruise control did provide a little surprise. On a 40 mph country road, there appeared a warning: "left turn 15 mph in 200 meters." The driver waited to see what was going to happen. The cruise control slowed down to 15 mph, the driver made the turn, and the cruise control nicely accelerated to 40 mph again.

The route planner also had a nice gadget. It told you to take the next right or left via a traveling light on a long, small light bar at the bottom of the front window screen. It used the complete width of the car to urge you to go left or right. I saw it in blue and red but could not tell the different meanings of the colors. (This is another point for me to explore when I goin on my own test drive review of the ID.5.)

The best way to describe the interior is that it is spacious. The big sunroof likely plays a big part in that. The rear seats are great — presenting no problem for long people or people with long legs. The front seats require manual configuration, so there's no need to be patient while the slow automated functions put your seat in place.

The exterior is nicer, in my biased view, than the exterior of the ID.4. It is less massive and intimidating while still offering about the same amount of interior space. The ID.4 has the "macho SUV" image compared to the elegance and longer legs of the ID.5.

A full 1st impressions review of the ID.5 is planned for later this quarter.

VW ID.5 front row from passenger side. Photo by Maarten Vinkhuyzen.

VW ID.5 rear seats showing ample leg space. Photo by Maarten Vinkhuyzen.

VW ID.5 rear with bike rack. Photo by Maarten Vinkhuyzen.

VW ID.5 big sunroof over full cabin. Photo by Maarten Vinkhuyzen.

Grumpy old man. The best thing I did with my life was raising two kids. Only finished primary education, but when you don't go to school, you have lots of time to read. I switched from accounting to software development and ended my career as system integrator and architect. My 2007 boss got two electric Lotus Elise cars to show policymakers the future direction of energy and transportation. And I have been looking to replace my diesel cars with electric vehicles ever since. At the end of 2019 I succeeded, I replaced my Twingo diesel for a Zoe fully electric. And putting my money where my mouth is, I have bought Tesla shares. Intend to keep them until I can trade them for a Tesla car. I added some Fastned, because driving without charging is no fun.

Advertise with CleanTechnica to get your company in front of millions of monthly readers.

May saw France's plugins take over 24% market share, up from 20.9% year on year, with new Stellantis BEVs arriving. Full electrics grew from...

Plugin electric vehicles saw strong year on year growth in market share in Sweden, taking 61.9% of the market, from 47.5% in May 2022....

The Volkswagen ID. Buzz three-row electric vehicle had its official reveal on June 2. Here's (almost) everything you want to know about it.

Growth continued for the Norwegian plugin EV market in May 2023, as combined plugin share hit almost 90%, up from 85% a year ago....