Volkswagen ID3 1st edition full review - finally a real rival has landed 

Uh,... That's not the motor, Bob, it's the air con unit. Motor is on the rear axle.

Great review as usual Bob, have to say it looks so cheap material wise, don’t like that screen sticking to high in the middle. Just to tacky! Keep it lit lad👍

I'm just not sold on it. Plastics look as cheap as they were in my first car, a Renault 5.

A lot of practicality at the back comes with 7k price tag. My base edition won’t have a load through, pockets or usb at the back.

Bob could you do a piece with more details on how you found the handling of the id3 on irish roads? Was it the same as a golf?

Great review thanks, no scratching of plastic & the odd little mistake to keep us on our toes! This car won't suit everyone, but l think is will suit a lot of people who are moving from an ICE vehicle who want a well built practical car they can live with easily. Interestingly l had a chat with a M3 performance owner at a charger last week, he openly admitted the build quality was terrible & it had spent a lot of time at the service center, but he loved the technology so could forgive the car, & yes he worked in IT!

Happy to finally see this

The engine is at the back and btw the majority of electric cars have a 12 v system for the interior components

Great video bob 👍 two thing’s come to mind €40k no paint under the bonnet ? Software not working ! I couldn’t see Toyota or Hyundai launching a car with software not working & waiting till January for a promise update ! Not good enough Vw !

01:03 that's because it's maximum charge rate is 100kw. 02:50 it's a sticker. 03:40 the motor is at the back

God that interior looks so plasticky and cheap, the dashboard, the screen, the centre console and the door cards.

I really like this product. Modern looking from outside, pragmatic from inside. It's evident it was designed to lower the cost. They don't pretend to have a luxury EV, it's all about creating reasonable A to B machine for a reasonable price. I have heard you can buy the cheapest version for around 25k € in Germany (after all bonuses). That is really nice but I think there is still some space for discount. If they sell well they don't have to lower the price. We will see.

It costs the same as a Model 3 SR+.... Havent driven it..... but if it is just a Golf with a plasticy interior and faulty SW.... It is too expensive.

My opinion they need to speak to the skoda enyaq team pronto

That interior design is an abomination.

The electric motor are in the back and not under the Hood 😃

Who would buy the 1st edition of anything let alone the ID3...sure;y better to wait until at least the 4th iteration ?

It’s £10,000 more than what it should be. Priced same as a golf, would’ve been a no brainier

Great review Bob. Nice to see a real review of the ID3 instead of one where the presenter has spent half the time talking about the quality of the plastics 🙄

Hahaha...that is funny looking car from the inside. Very primitive comparing to Tesla. It have no chance !! Tesla model 3 with the new battery technology will be much cheaper by 2022 than it is now, so just wait for it. Volkswagen is stupid !!

Very nice BUT touch controles on staring where is just OVER engineering, physical control way better. Also touch buttons for screen, do they work with gloves on?

If you have an absolute need to save 10% on a Tesla model 3 SR+ I suppose this is some kind of rival. However if you want to save an additional 10% on this ID3 and get a car with more range , better tech, larger boot and build quality and near double warranty best to get Kia e-niro.

Thanks for the review Bob. On the exterior, a really lovely looking car but completely let down by a horrible cheap looking interior. For a €40k+ car that’s a big disappointment.

Why is the instrument panel so small. At least the model 3 has an offset A4 sized screen. Even the offset VW screen is small. More appropriate for an EV polo

Pretty poor that VW couldn't complete the software development before launch. I wouldn't be comfortable trusting them to deliver the upgrade on time.

Talk of the ID.3 has almost become boring, VW have really dragged their feet getting this to market. It looks to be a good car; it will have to be if VW are going to overcome their problems from diesel-gate and poor build quality over the last 10 years. Personally I would have more faith in offerings from their sub brands like Skoda and Seat - particularly Skoda, who's cars are better designed and built than the parent company imho.

Looks great and drives well. All I need in a car. Plus spacious.

VW are charging more for cars but are beginning to use cheap plastics and materials

ID3= This is how VW will go down if they don't step up their game. Underwhelmed ... ICE people trying to make EV cars.

By screens, I think you mean capacitive buttons

What are these rear wheel drive EV’s going to be like in Winter and driving in snow? 🤔

I was expecting more from an EV that's brand new and build from the ground up. Like Johny Smith said, the ID3 is a bit of a disappointment when you compare it to other cars in this class

Why do you say the VW active cruise control is better than anyone elses ? I have tried several manufacturers systems and they all do what they should, so why is VWs best ? And another thing - how come the latest batch of EVs can't beat the Hyundai Kona/Kia Niro EV stats (now several years old), even with the "latest" battery tech ?

The interior build quality is atrocious, as is the overall practicality. And that software. Okay Tesla might be the same BUT VW are one of, if not THE biggest car manufacturer. Great start & just as bad as the Passat GTE I had to reject becausr of buold quality and that trashy information system, which at the time they had no idea whatsoever when they’d be able to fix it. And these aren’t new cars if course, they’ve just been dragged out of a field after sitting there for nearly a year - hardly new 👎🏻

That centre screen looks like a child's cartoon tablet.

All i can see is hard plastics. I expected more from vw... so this car is a HARD NOPE from me. And is way to expensive..

It's too expensive

Hi Bob that was a good review of the ID3, It will be very interesting to see how it handles over the cold winter months ahead as a new EV?.

An even better rival will be there soon, the Skoda Enyaq... and it will kick the arse of sooo many. When it's VAG? Always ask:"SKODA VERSION WHEN!?"

How is this better or cheaper than an e-Niro that's out since last year? In any case, I do agree that it's very good that VW got serious about making electric cars.

That closing of that door doesn’t sound very solid.

As you might expect VW do the typical ‘car’ stuff well but are struggling to get the tech sorted. This car has already been delayed significantly due to software issues so sorting them out by January may be optimistic. I assume that the updates will be OTA?

I was just searching RU-vid and I never thought I'd see a video of a right-hand drive ID3! 😃 5:57 Interesting to see that the bar on the infotainment display is on the left even in right-hand drive… 😳

I'm guessing they had to release it now, with the glitches, to save the early adopters cancelling their orders? Especially as there are some very good deals on the future models of the ID3 and the equipment they include as standard, much of which have been left off this 1st Edition! Marcus at EV Journey has a run down of what's available in Germany and the prices which look pretty good as well! Imagine all those 20,000 units' orders being cancelled, because the customers could wait 6 months for a fully loaded car, without the silly decals!

08:09 The Max (top version) has wireless charging. This is probably the Plus then? Something to be aware of.

It’s not perfect but this seems a good attempt at a more mass market EV. An important one for VW for sure.

I always enjoy your reviews. I find your style inimitable. In this review, although I understand what you mean, your reference to "a real" car company" irks me. Tesla has been making cars for several years now - they make cars - real cars. They are car-makers - a real car company. In my opinion, they make excellent cars. There are many established car-makers, VW is perhaps the biggest of them. I am happy to see these established car-makers embrace, innovate, manufacture and promote the electric car. Let me reiterate, I understand your point but the "real car company" and it "feels like a real car" comments vexed me. I probably need to get over myself - I'll have a word. Nonetheless, I was disappointed by these remarks in what is an entertaining and thorough review of an exciting new car. It all bodes well for the future. I appreciate your part in keeping us informed and interested. When I think about it, what does me being irked and then posting about it say about me? Fair play to you. I'll stop now.

my god! -is this what the biggest car maker is going to market with to compete with tesla?

Shite range for the money.

Great review!! Love your work 🤙

Electronics look pretty outdated for an EV that was built from the ground up

VW bet a load on this😂😂😂😂😂😂😂..... it doesn't look like the software is ready for a ev😂😂😂😂!

I Dunno if I'd buy a 1st edition one as the next one will have bugs and things polished out and Maybe more tech or something like that

That backseat doesn’t look comfy for long trips

Picked up my wife’s GTI PP for her yesterday and was given a drive of the id3, have to say for 34 grand it was an absolute blast,front of it a bit bubbly for me but if I didn’t care about my love of getting into a car and just driving I’d have one of these in the morning Perfect city car

No airvents in the back?

First video I’ve seen of yours. Great review mate 👍

The Irish price for this is insane for this 1st edition with mid sized battery (usable 58 Kw). In my local dealership it's listed as "on the road" for about €41,300. At 75 mph on a full charge it gets you 160 miles of range. At 55 mph it gets you 250 miles of range. Source: Bjørn Nyland. The car for everyone? I don't think.

Very nice car. But i think they have a lot work to do with the software.. very slow and LOT of bugs

I think it’s a decent car for 34k. I think it’s questionable at 41k and I think it’s daylight robbery for 48k with no battery/motor difference! Great seeing VAG doing electric. I think the Enyaq or 7 seater electric Skodiaq will shift big numbers here.

I pre-ordered this as soon as I could. Went to Frankfurt 2019 to see it premier at the motor show ...and then fell out of love. Plasticky and cheap feel inside and out when compared with comparable VW / Audi ICE Cars. How can this be the case for such an expensive vehicle? VW forget how to make high quality fit and finish along the way to electrification?! And price is another stand out issue. Its just far too expensive for the affordable electric car that VW were supposed to be championing. Overall I felt if VW had set out deliberately to stamp out it's nascent development of EV production - in order to keep petrol/diesel industry alive - then this is way you might go about it.

I agree with you about fear of EV adoption. People don't like change. I would suggest to anyone who has not driven an EV to go and try at least one, especially if you may be thinking of buying a new combustion car. They do still cost more, but this is offset by very low running costs, almost no maintenance and a lovely driving experience. I have had a BMW i3 for a year now. By choice I will not buy a combustion car ever again.

10:14 You're welcome

It’s positive that a large traditional car companies are at least having a go at offering an alternatives to Tesla. Tune in to Battery and Investor day on the 22nd to discover what cards Tesla has up their sleeve it go along with the Octovalve, mega casting and heat pump!?

Went to look at this yesterday and was surprised how terrible it was, went to see about tesla afterwards and i ended up buying a model 3. The quality difference between the 2 is night and day.

"I think Tesla are catchable by a real car company". People used to say similar things about Nokia and Blackberry when the iPhone came out. I think this ID3 is more evidence that actually, the "real" car companies are still way too far behind. This thing is £1200 less than a Tesla Model 3 and its worse in every way possible (slower, less range, less premium build, no access to the supercharger network and cant drive itself). They are focusing on catching up to the 2012 Tesla Model S whilst Tesla is focusing on self driving roboctaxis. I think its already game over for the legacy car manufacturers.

Nice review Bob, but not so impressed with the car. What is the lighting console doing all fiddly between the, er, ugly ? infomation (?) console ? And the .... am, damn, losing the words, the front ‘struts’ (?) , on the drivers side - it looks very much as if they actually obstruct the driver’s line of sight ?! Also I saw in previous - someone else’s - a glass window on the roof which brought tons of light into the cabin. But no mention of that. (Actually it looked just a bit dark when u were doing yr piece to camera from the drivers seat ... ). Also - ahh, sori m8 ! - but I got completely lost when u were going thru the 3 diff models n their respective ranges and costs, party cos I ha no idea what the conversion rate euro=£ is at the mo. Might it be possible for you to put up the specs on the screen ? Then I could freeze frame and digest... But the prices did sound to me to be on the very high side; certainly much more than I expected from VW’s stated objective of a ubiquitous ‘People’s Car’. //. Sori, I feel that this comes over much more critical - both of the video & vehicle, (I’m less concerned about the latter) - than I intended, but I do really enjoy the style of your reviews and am a subscriber ... OC none of that gives me any rite to be rude, and if it comes across that way I really apologise. I look forward to the next one ....

As a Tesla owner, I really wanted this to be a good car that would bring EV to more people - and it looks to be a good car when they fix the start up issues. But, it is 8-10K too expensive - and certainly in the UK the 2 models that they are bringing to the country are priced the same as the Tesla SR+ and LR. As you state, the Tesla is a different car - for a different market, this was meant to be a "peoples car" (VW group comment). But the pricing is wrong for the status and market. Such a shame.

I still prefer my Tesla model 3

It won't be a big seller in North America or Canada where the Golf and e-Golf were big sellers (very coveted : I owned an e-golf). As this market has gone SUV gaga and there seems to be no turning back. Also a production car that has such important glitches would it not make consumers a bit gun-shy of converting to an EV ? I do hope it is not so as we need more cies making more of them. I was hoping for one as soon as it was announced but with the price and official release (i.e. we ain't getting it at all - only the ID.4) .. I had to go the Tesla way.

I looked at an ID3 at my local VW showroom yesterday. For an electric car the exterior design looks good, however the interior was terrible, cheap hard plastics everywhere, I mean it was proper nasty. Not what I would expect from a German brand. I'm not a fan of screens that sit on top of the dash, ascetically it looks wrong and should be integrated into the dash. It's also looks and feels cheap.

That is one UGLY CAR inside and out! Cheap plastic everywhere and the electronics have more bugs than an old dog's bed, wouldn't touch this thing with a barge pole.

Nice review Bob. You said it, people who like cars don't understand EV's yet but when they do the ID3 will be the new Golf. I also think the car is bordering on being very futuristic looking so when people see it out shopping it will make a big impression. These types of futuristic looking designs are also going to make other cars look very dated soon.

The cost of all EVs are grossly overpriced..simply due to new tech..prices will come down massively after about 5 years, when all the company's have millions of these cars sat in storage yards.

Sorry a 1958 Bel Air Chevy is a big car. A Toyota Land Cruiser is a big car. That’s a small car Bob. Great review. The more EVs the better.

Note zero space in the glovebox much like the French car makers.

All these touch screen gizmos are a distraction and will cause accidents.. Rather than just pushing a button and feeling the click i feel you spend more time looking at the menu's rather than concentrating on the road....

Great video Bob, please stop mentioning the ID Buzz, my money is stacked up in the corner waiting for it! I’m so pleased that the ID.3 is a good car, we need some good cars.

Nice review, thanks. A question to you Irish: so you ditched the British, even switched to metric (yay!), but you still drive on the wrong side of the road - wtf is that? 😉

Not much car for a lot of money. Rather pay a little extra and get a Tesla and get a lot more car for your money. It looks good though just not at that price should be 15 grand less.

Nice. I want to know about the handling and I loved the first 10 minutes and then i skipped some moments and i don't think that the handling and suspension and wild speed aspect was covered.

Interior quality seems to be a quite bad, but if the price comes to around 30000€ as a new piece, then we might have a new peoples car

It looks like what the Golf+ would look like in 2020. Quite underwhelmed by the I.D 3...

I tied one and its the car deal ever. Most battery cars are noisy, but not this one. Its a unbelievel god car.Bought it!,,,,,,

Got to give those photos some recognition! They’re really really nice shots!

Is the bigger boot not er due to it being a bigger car. If you want a bigger boot then ergo buy a bigger car but you have to then accomidate a bigger car

I've read that build quality is shoddy and interior design does not compete well with other manufacturers in the same class. VW rushed them to market.

Why oh why vw can’t you spec the heads up display with the 77kw tour models

Looks cheaply made for a €50k car before subs. Alot of plastic and basic features missing. Half baked software too is bad seeing as it's been built and not shipping for 12 months. What happens if the software updates need newer hardware to work ? Are 1st editions dead in the water. Think the skoda enyaq will be a better prospect.

Don't go ta Dublin 😎

No catching tesla bro

"I am navigating system, I can't cool your feet, idiot!"

How can an electric car be valued more than mechanical vehicle? It’s just basically a biscuit tin on wheels. And people will fall for it 🙄

Škoda Enyaq iv looks to have far better material quality.

Why is there no front trunk? isn't it designed as pure electric?

How does this compare to Model 3? What does anyone think?

Hi Bob. Would you say there is less tyre roar than a golf.?

The wireless phone charger is an option, and was only available in the top tier 1st edition.

Charging port much easier at the front. Those cables at fast chargers are not very long.

VW are desperately trying to increase their margins. Good god that interior looks cheap. Please, please bring back buttons. Proper buttons. Reminds me of a smartphone with wheels attached.