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The Volkswagen ID.3 GTX may be the new sporty ID.3 model, but it also delivers an electric driving range of 369 miles and impressive efficiency of 4.4 miles/kWh.
The Volkswagen ID.3 appeared on UK roads in 2020 and was the brand’s first purpose-built electric vehicle. The ID.3 was updated in 2023 and gained a longer range. Now we have the sporty variant, the Volkswagen ID.3 GTX, a rival to the Cupra Born – which is based on the same platform as the ID.3. In the UK the ID.3 GTX is available as the ID.3 GTX Performance. So do you choose the Volkswagen ID.3 GTX or the Cupra Born?
The Volkswagen ID.3 GTX, unlike other GTX models, isn’t all-wheel drive, instead it retains the same rear-wheel drive layout as the standard ID.3. In the UK there’s one model available, the ID.3 GTX Performance, with a power output of 326PS resulting in greater performance, and featuring DCC adaptive chassis control with a newly-configured Vehicle Dynamics Manager. Other changes include more progressive steering and stronger stabilisers.
There’s also a 79 kWh (net)/84 kWh (gross) battery, which combined with a slippery drag coefficient of 0.263 Cd, results in efficiency of 4.4 miles/kWh and an impressive electric driving range of 369 miles.
The Volkswagen ID.3 GTX looks sportier than other ID.3 models, with design features such as a new front bumper and black wheels, but it doesn’t look as sporty as the Cupra Born. Interior space is unchanged from the standard ID.3, with lots of rear legroom and a 385-litre boot, which can increase in size to 1,267 litres with the rear seats down. There’s a large but relatively shallow compartment under the boot floor to store charging cables, and there’s a spacious storage area in the cabin between the front seats.
A useful improvement for the Volkswagen ID.3 GTX Performance is that it has five seats, whereas the previous ID.3 with the largest battery only had two rear seats.
The Volkswagen ID.3 GTX Performance doesn’t have a towing capacity.
The standard ID.3 is rear-wheel drive – as opposed to the front-wheel drive layout of most of Volkswagen’s petrol and diesel cars of this size – so it immediately has a potential advantage in terms of a rewarding driving experience. However the vehicle management systems in the standard ID.3 mean that you don’t get the main benefit of rear-wheel drive, ie. a level of adjustability and playfulness due to the ability for some wheel slippage. This has been remedied in the ID.3 GTX thanks to its DCC adaptive chassis control, including the ability to select Sport setting for the electronic stability control (ESC) system, which allows some slip at the rear wheels.
This change is combined with more power; the ID.3 GTX Performance has a power output of 326PS compared to the 204PS of the last ID.3 Pro that we reviewed. This results in more performance, with a 0-62 mph acceleration time of 5.7 seconds, compared to 7.9 seconds for the ID.3 Pro. The power output of the ID.3 GTX Performance is the same as that of the CUPRA Born VZ.
So the handling of the ID.3 GTX Performance is more fun than the standard ID.3. Although primary ride quality is mostly comfortable, secondary ride quality suffers due to the low profile tyres.
The ID.3 GTX Performance has three drive modes on offer, Eco, Comfort and Sport – as well as Individual. You can also gain an increased level of brake regeneration by choosing ‘B’ on the gear selector on the right of the steering column. The brakes themselves don’t have a huge amount of feel.
Virtually all car controls are located on the large 12.9-inch touchscreen, and the ID.3 GTX Performance features Volkswagen’s latest infotainment system. Earlier systems had very few useful shortcut buttons, which resulted in a lot of button-pressing to operate basic car controls. You can now select your own four favourite shortcut buttons, which sit at the top of the screen. At the bottom of the screen is a row of climate controls, which is a much better solution than these being accessed via the ‘clima’ button on the previous infotainment system. You now get front and rear window demist buttons on the touchscreen, although there are still also two physical buttons for these items strangely positioned amongst the buttons for the lights, which sit in a small panel between the touchscreen and the driver’s instrument display. The ID.3 GTX Performance also features a head-up display.
Volkswagen has listened to feedback about the previous infotainment system and made improvements, so here’s another item of feedback: please can you engineer the car to keep its settings when you get out of the driver’s seat. At the moment you can spend a lot of time choosing your own settings, ranging from switching off the lane departure warning system to switching on the heated seats, but if you get out of the driver’s seat for just a few seconds, the car switches itself off and you have to re-set all your preferences again.
The Volkswagen ID.3 GTX Performance has an impressive WLTP combined electric driving range of 369 miles. The real-world range during a week on test in winter averaged 320 miles. An energy consumption figure of 4.4 miles/kWh is also very efficient.
The ID.3 GTX has a maximum ultra-rapid DC charging rate of 185 kW, allowing a 5% to 80% charge to be completed in 26 minutes. It can also AC charge up to 11 kW using 3-phase electricity, typically found at a workplace in the UK, when a 0% to 100% charge should take 8 hours 30 minutes.
‘Plug & Charge’ is now included as standard, which means that an ID.3 driver can stop at a charge point, plug the car in, and the EV automatically authenticates itself and starts charging without any action being needed by the driver to use an app, a charge card, or make any payment.
An Electric Vehicle Route Planner can also select charging stops on a route, with the ability to identify if the chargers are in use or not.
The Volkswagen ID.3 GTX Performance is available from £46,315. Our test car had options of Driver Assistance Pack Plus (£2,240), Kings Red premium metallic/Black Roof (£965), mats (£105), and removable luggage compartment floor (£75), taking the total price of our test car to £49,700.
The ID.3 GTX comes with an 8-year/100,000-mile battery warranty.
Prices and specifications correct at time of review
The Volkswagen ID.3 GTX Performance retains most of the features of the standard ID.3 but adds a dose of sportiness. Aside from some visual tweaks, this means 326PS of power and 545Nm of torque, resulting in a top speed of 124 mph and a 0-62 mph acceleration time of 5.7 seconds. You benefit from more relaxed ESC settings for the rear wheels, but you also lose some secondary ride comfort due to the large wheels and low profile tyres. And don’t forget the excellent driving range of 369 miles.
So the Volkswagen ID.3 GTX Performance offers more performance than the standard ID.3, but we feel that many drivers wanting an ID.3 that’s more sporty to look at and to drive are likely to opt for the Cupra Born. The Volkswagen ID.3 GTX Performance is awarded a Green Car Guide rating of 9 out of 10.
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Paul Clarke, GreenCarGuide Editor
