VW started pre-sales on two electric SUVs

A few days ago, the head of the VW Group, Herbert Diess, expressed himself cautiously optimistic that hopefully the most difficult will have been accomplished soon. The talk is of the global semiconductor shortage, which affects all car manufacturers and leads to long delivery times and unfinished cars. Nevertheless, VW has meanwhile started advance sales of the new ID.5 electric SUV. At the market launch, there are three different drive versions, all of which are combined with the same battery. According to the manufacturer, the electric car can travel a maximum of 520 kilometers. VW specifies a delivery time between three and a maximum of six months. VW ID.5 is the flatter ID.4      

With a height of 1.61 meters, the ID.5 is the flatter version of the already available ID.4 electric SUV and comes with a coupe-like rear. The space in the interior should correspond to a VW Tiguan (with 150 hp petrol engine) that costs at least 38,395 euros - also equipped with the Discover Pro navigation system, Comfort telephone interface, and LED headlights. The ID.5 can charge - briefly - with 135 kilowatts as the maximum charging power at corresponding DC fast-charging stations, the ID.5 GTX can even charge with up to 150 kilowatts of electricity.

VW itself points out that the values ​​mentioned are the maximum peak power that can be achieved for a short time depending on various factors such as outside temperature and state of charge. Like any other electric car, the ID.5 automatically reduces the charging speed when the battery is more than 80 percent full or the ambient and battery temperature do not reach around 23 degrees Celsius. You can order the following three versions of the ID.5      

• ID.5 Pro with an electric motor on the rear axle with 128 kW of power (aka 174 PS) and a range of 520 kilometers. Cost (before deduction of the subsidy): 46,515 euros.
• ID.5 Pro Performance with an electric motor on the rear axle with 150 kW of power (aka 204 PS) and a range of 516 kilometers. Cost (before deduction of the subsidy): 47,550 euros.
• ID.5 GTX with all-wheel drive and one electric motor on the front axle and one electric motor on the rear axle with a total of 220 kW (aka 299 PS). The range is 491 kilometers. Cost (before deduction of the subsidy): 53,615 euros.

Compared to the VW ID.4, the standard equipment of the ID.5 is more extensive. In addition to light-alloy wheels, the ID.5 also offers a speed limiter with an online connection as well as a turning brake function and the Ready 2 Discover Max radio navigation system with a 12-inch touchscreen instead of 10 inches at no extra charge.

The cruise control uses car-to-x networking with various other vehicles and cloud computing in order to map the speed limits as precisely as possible and not have to rely on outdated navigation data, for example. For a surcharge, there is Travel Assist with swarm data, which can learn the driving behavior of other networked vehicles in order to improve the driver assistance systems, such as the lane departure warning system. The basic requirement for using these online services is a free user account with VW ID and an activated We Connect Plus subscription. This subscription can be extended for a fee three years after the vehicle has been delivered and includes online map updates for the navigation system, real-time traffic information, auxiliary heating via a smartphone app, online information on e.g. B. Charging stations and the voice control "Hello ID". The We-Connect Plus online subscription is available for EUR 145 per year. At this price, VW is roughly on par with BMW and the ConnectedDrive packages.

Collection for pre-sale of the VW ID.5 and ID.5 GTX:

• VW has officially started advance sales for the ID.5 electric car. Compared to the VW ID.4, the standard equipment of the ID.5 is more extensive and, in addition to aluminum wheels, also includes a 12-inch radio navigation system and cruise control with online connection.
• The cruise control uses car-to-x networking with various other vehicles in order to be able to map speed limits as precisely as possible and not have to rely on possibly outdated navigation data.
• The electric SUV VW ID.5 Pro starts at 46,515 euros (before deduction of the purchase premium) and offers 174 hp, a range of 520 kilometers (according to the WLTP measurement cycle) and a maximum charging power of 135 kilowatts.
• The first vehicles are to be delivered in spring 2022. According to VW, customers currently have to expect a delivery period of up to six months.