Fan boys do my head in.... I have a Telsa and love it (it's the best car I have ever owned) but I would be just as happy to drive one of these, well done VW, I think they have done a great job with this, the more electric cars on the road the better!!! ... and the more companies investing in this clean tech, the faster it will be adopted too!! I cant wait for a future when you can walk through a busy city and breath clean, fresh air
@@invictus_They-Them_Nazi_Hunter Well I have solar and a Tesla Powerwall so not for me at all, but yes this could ‘theoretically’ happen to other people I guess
See Mat Watson. He used to be decent but now he's just unbearable. 'click on the pop up banner' 'click on the pop up banner' 'click on the pop up banner'
Wow, this reviewer is great! Straight to the facts and highlighting all the strengths/weaknesses of the car. I've learned in 10mins all I needed to know about the car. Thanks!
Even though the ID3 came first, I think the ID4 will go down in history as the more important one because I predict considerably stronger sales in this SUV-hungry world we live in. Especially when you consider it's sold worldwide (unlike the ID3) and has a better quality interior
@timemachine_194 A lot of Americans are embracing electric cars (mostly Tesla) which is promising. It's a weird place as they never had to pay much for fuel, diesels never took off which is bizarre as they drive much more than Europeans.
The suspension is much more comfortable than the Model 3. And the id.3 i quieter. I have the model 3 and my wife the id.3. The id.3 is a practical comfortable hatchback well build no nonsense car - everything just works like it should - except for the SW. The SW is a true disaster. You can't really compare the model 3 and id.3 as a car. The model 3 is an electrical BMW M3 (just faster) and the id.3 an electrical Golf or the 3rd peoples car like they claim/intend. The model 3 is perfect for me and the id.3 perfect for my wife and she simply loves the car - the best car she has ever had.
How are you able to say the ID3 is so good and in the next breath say except for the SW surely the Software is the most important part of an electric car.
@@wobby1516 In comparison to a Tesla it does. The SW issues are related to the infotainment system. The drive of the car is not impacted. On the contrary functionalities like adaptive cruise control (and preditictive regen for roundabouts), automatic wipers, automatic long beam - short beam, sign recognition - works far better on the ID.3. whilst resetting trip odometer, streaming/music input, resetting consumption counters and so forth is a mess in ID.3. All these drawbacks are correctable, while Tesla still haven't solved the automatic wipers and consistently suffers from phantom braking after many years. So relative to Tesla the ID.3 is better on core car functionality. I had the Niro PHEV (same as the e-Niro) prior to the ID.3. Compared to that the Hyundai works flawlessly but it has far fewer functions and the UI is mostly based on real buttons not the touch UI. So it is an older and more traditional type of system. The ID.3 tries to be like a Tesla and on that it fails.
Love this guy reviewing cars. So natural, so relaxed and in a world seemingly dominated by Matt Watson, who I also enjoy watching, this chap is a breath of fresh air. Please Top Gear, this guy and Rory!
Some of the comments on here...I have spent some time with the ID3 and it is superb, such a relaxing drive, ride is amazing and the interior a joy to be in. Yes some of the plastics are a little hard, but how often do I stroke the door panels? Never. I suspect like all products compromises are made to keep cost under control. The money here has gone in the right places, great looking car in the flesh, quick off the lights. 0-30 faster than most petrol cars you will sit next to waiting for green and a dealer network to look after you.
I have an ID3 since two weeks ago. Was working perfect for two days after the software started to cause all sorts of issues, luckily VW just released a new version which I got, and after this update the car has been working a lot better. I like the car a lot, just do not get it with the 20" wheels, far too noisy. If you can, choose the 18".
I was waiting for the ID3 but decided on another EV when it was made known that the OS on the ID3 was not operating as it was designed to and that VW did not have the people on board to fix the many issues they were having on the test vehicles. It may well be a good car for the future but personally I would not consider this car until such time as VW have a fix in place for the Operating System or decide to change it.
"Short journeys around town" I am SICK of this talking point. I drove 380 miles from North Yorkshire to Cornwall the other week in a Zoe 50. Stopped twice to eat and rest. No problem. No fuss. No inconvenience. STOP it with this "EVs are only for city driving" bullshit. Stop it right now.
It's a lot of "school boy" drivers who's commenting. If you drive 300 miles without rest, you are a dangerous driver. Even professional drivers have to follow the law and take a rest. It's not a real issue for experienced EV owners.
I turned regen-braking off on my Ampera, you become accustomed to braking by just lifting your foot of the accelerator, problem being when all of a sudden you need to slow down quickly you just lift your foot off the pedal further instead of pressing the brake harder.
That's a good point, especially if you drive different vehicles, awkward excuse when you plough into the back of someone - they'll drug test you to death
Getting mine in five days. Had Zoe's for six(?) years now and agree with the 'hoonishness' It's hard to help people who haven't driven an electric car understand just how misleading the 0-60 figure is.
Good point for stopping and recharging. Tbh when most ev cars can do similar mileage with one charge 350-400 no matter weather , load, or speed as much then they will become a real replacement for the conventional ice cars. For town driving only ev Rae always been the better solution and wonder why car makers didn’t promote and make them a wide use many years ago, we might had have much cleaner air and more relaxed drivers, not idiots rushing through the city streets with ugly dirty diesels .
I thought the suspension was good when I tried it. Actually one of the reasons i ordered it. Bjorn nyland also said that the suspension was really good, and he has tried 10s of EVs...
@@edstratton do you have the adaptive one or the base suspension? I tried it out over crapy roads and it was ok, but not as comfy as a passat or something. Thing is I dont know how it will be like to live with if i do get it :D
@@metoo3773 I had the standard base suspension on my ID.3. However I've now sold it! I traded it in for an Audi E-Tron which has incredible suspension - you can hardly feel the bumps at all.
Thanks, I like my buttons and dials as well as a touch screen, I like the centre pod moving with the adjustable steering wheel, but overall the Kia Eniro reigns supreme in this sector, at the moment, but it is a fast changing environment. They will still sell very well, but this early release looks like a Beta model.
Sorry, VW have rushed this to market to avoid massive multimillion euro fines. The User interface and software are comical but not in a good way, the build quality has been lambasted in the German motoring press. Efficiency is also poor compared to rivals, Kia E-Niro has more range, more kit and is cheaper. The 77kw version only comes with 4 seats?! VW clearly have shot themselves in the foot!
I've been very sceptic and critical prior to the launch of the ID.3, but after I've seen it I like it better. The size is good and the design is nice. I like the minimalistic design - probably because I'm Scandinavian! 😅 But as mentioned in the video the scratchy cheap plastic is simply too bad for a car in this price range.... Well, the price is simply too high either way. So the ID.3 won't be the car I'll buy...
Well, they deserved the punishment, but I certainly think the current management have given Volkswagen a new direction. And yes, they appear to be doing well.
When they update the software it will be a good buy. I'm a bit surprised it isn't good though. Leaves plenty of room for another car maker to blow it away. Good review Doug.
The range that car has is enough to do long journeys, if I was to drive from Colchester to Edinburgh I would only need one charge stop, and if you’ve been driving for 200 miles you’re definitely going to take an hour on that stop, so when I’m charging the car I’m not noticing I’m charging the car because I need to park it anyway for my stop.
Is it correct that the UK versions don't have the MATRIX led, Auto High Beam headlights? Is this because we drive on the left? Also the heat pump is a £1250 extra so cold weather charging will take much longer.
If tesla expand their super charger network in the northen areas i can see their sales going through the roof on time to charge the vehicles quicker and more efficiently. What would worry me most of all is charging times ie, would it take a long time to get sufficient charge to commplete a journey in an ID3
Hell, it doesn't take that much time to do it in the Zoe. People don't realise: you don't charge empty to full at services, you put in enough to get home. That's usually 50 miles or so. Takes 15-20 minutes. Why fill it when you can do that when you get to your house cheaper? You don't. You just don't. Splash and dash: fill it when you get there.
@@timaustin2000 Perfectly agree. Besides, the ID.3 appears to be fairly efficient and fast charging. Bjørn Nyland went to the arctic circle in an ID.3: he found the journey nearly as quick as in his Model 3.
It charges at 100kW (Tesla at 150kw) - so if you can find charger at that rate (Ionity?) it shoudlnt be so bad. A coffee brea/ lunch time stop of 40minutes should get you 200mile range (330km) . In UK - and Europe where it is sold - I would be surpised to find many journeys that are over 400miles total within a single day. So if you start out from home fully charged thats a 40minutes stop on what would likely be a 6 /7 hour journey overall. I think this is perfectly normal sort of break for most people on a long journey.
@@bbbf09 IF you can find a charger, many faulty and slow and Ionity mega expensive. Supercharger always there and always working and I have never queued
@@davedyer3654 Even in last year (pandemic year) the amount of available rapid chargers has expanded a lot I notice in UK - at least in north England. They are new and tend to be less flaky, I find Instavolt & Polar to be best. Ionity are rare - yes expensive but still cheaper than fossil fuels. I have never queud either
I loved the one I test drove today, the slider ones on the touchscreen is annoying ... but the steering wheel and the windows were blown outta proportion alot
I’d like to know more about how it handles on motorways and in particular comparing driving assists like adaptive cruise and lane keeping vs Tesla and Nissan (eg Leaf and upcoming Ariya)
No, I'm not buying it for short journeys around town, I live in the country, I'm buying it because of the huge savings in fuel I'll get. We will regularly do 50 to 100 mile journeys in it.
3 Cheers for VW, being way ahead of rivals like Toyota/Ford on affordable cutting edge tech. There's lots of things to tweak for the 2nd gen ID3. But you're already making the competition appear positively prehistoric.
The depreciation is lovely on these cars. Just got a 21 plate for £13k so absolute bargain for a 3 year old electric car that retailed at £35k. Dont see it loosing another 70% over the next 3 years and when you consider the state of the 2nd hand car market [£7k for a 10 year old Golf] these ID3 are bargains
@@EinkOLED or gesture controls. Just swipe left or right. And a nostalgic mode for old-fashioned people where you can pretend to hold a steering wheel.
@@ditchgreen6720 it's really not as complicated as he makes it seem - and how often do you open the rear windows from the front anyway. There may be reasons not to buy this car but that's not one of them
Why would the ID.3 only be used “around town”? Its range is sufficient, and it charges fairly quickly. Boot: the M3’s may be larger, but I for one hated to have to CRAWL into the boot in order retrieve my things.
Very good informative video I've liked & subscribed 👏👏👏👏 I haven't seen anyone commenting on cable theft . You are charging your car at a public place go shopping can the cable be secured to the car ? Thanks again
This is nothing against Doug, because EVERY car journalist has made a fuss about this, but the button to operate the rear windows is just NOT a big deal. This is becoming a car reviewer cliché like a "high load lip", or "the seats don't fold completely flat..."
VW build quality will be worse than a Dacia if they don't improve. Huge Debt and teething problems in building both Fossil variants and EV is hitting home now. Cost cutting on the Technology and Materials used is showing with a poor user experience. They need to hire quality Software Developers but probably already realised the best in Silicon Valley already work for Tesla. Let's hope they can add soon Android Auto, Augmented reality and interior improvements. The software and build quality need to be improved before ID 4 is released
If I want cool air I want a dial & the ability to move vents myself. Some of us drive very busy roads & winding roads - we can't afford to take our eyes off the road to play with VW electronic settings! (VW/Porsche made the same dumb mistake with the Taycan).
I like a lot of VW designs these days, and options are numerous like sunroof, which I have mostly had, now having seen quite a lot of youtube ID3 owners vids, i would agree that the vehicle looks good design wise, makes good use of interior space, however interior materials now being substandard, not ideal to think your new ID3 interior is substandard to your neighbours model 3, and I believe as far as owning one goes, if you have one on some kind of car finance, monthly payment for a fix period of time, and then it goes back, with known upfront costs, fair enough, but to buy one by financing it yourself, I think would be a big mistake against Tesla, as it's value could plummet over the next few years, as there could be known ongoing software issues over the months of ownership, as has been voiced by some owners of the E-tron, and I believe Tesla are superior now in almost all respects, and have just put the knife into VW sides by the latest updates to the model 3, and this is aside from the huge leaps and bounds that's surely going to happen once Teslas start rolling off the german lines with the latest battery tech, and new manufacturing implementations not seen in the auto industry, one only has to look at the latest youtube videos put up by the select few that have been given access to the latest full self driving software in the USA to see that in software capability all other manufactures are still in the, we haven't got a clue phase, you may not want self driving, but that's immaterial, it just shows how far ahead when it comes to electronics Tesla is to the rest of the auto industry, I'd be sceptical of going up in a VW made ballon, but I'd take a trip to Mars on Elons SpaceX Lol, and not forgetting Elon's companies no doubt have a certain sharing of information capability, and no I don't own a Tesla, just interesting to surmise how things could pan out
Good review except for the bit where he stabs at steering wheel controls with a finger - they're thumb rocker controls so that's how they're to be used! 🙄
Great clip , thinking of going for this for my next company car, is the published electric miles correct eg 262 miles on a charge and how do you recharge on the road?
Odd to say that you buy an ID.3 for "short journeys around town". I disagree. I use my first-generation Leaf for short journeys by don't regard an ID.3 as limited to short journeys. With a range at around 200 miles I see this as a car to cover most of my travel needs. In any case, 200 miles equates to about 3 hours by which time I usually need a coffee/loo/rest stop, which can be also be used for recharging.
every reviewer complains about the rear window buttons, I think it's brilliant. I can't count the times I lowered the rear window instead of the front in a parking garage or toll booth in my current car. I hardly ever want to lower the rear window so for me it seems like a great move.
The lack of buttons in a car is stupid because you cannot look down at all times. Basically, VW nailed the exterior (in my opinion) and failed the interior.
Yup. Interior design is very bad. I went with an E Golf instead. Sure, E Golf has much less range, but as a city car it's great.... Oh, and it's a hell of a lot cheaper.
Very interesting car -- for me, it's all about range, and the top model is getting there. Hopefully by the time 2030 comes around, they'll be even better.
@Howard Pym digitalisation includes voice controls and thus you don't even have to take your hands of the while to touch knobs or buttons. Plus digitalisation means tou can add, change, remove anything you want as the buttons are digital.
@Howard Pym it works well in my car as you have to press a button on the steering wheel to activate it, which pauses the music. Us it is not listening like other voice systems and only turns on when activated. Buttons are old school, soon to be a thing of the past, you have to move with the times otherwise we would still be riding around on horses. The problem with buttons is that they only do one action, thus you can't add new features or move them or change their size or position.
I enjoyed this video and would consider purchasing an ID3 in the future. Am I correct that this was filmed in and around Storrington in Sussex? If not, it has a great lookalike.
Interesting, Engineeres are proud of this, since this is a challenge to fulfill crash tests...and it is always in your view regardless how you move the wheel for your best sitting position. Compared to this stubid small steering wheel from Peugeot. Sight is often cutted or you have the wheel on your knees...
Nice looking car but not very special looking. It's also quite costly to go electric. Even to lease it's pricey. £470 per month with a £2814 deposit according to the VW website. Perhaps it's more cost effective and environmentally friendly to run your existing car for many years??
That's generally true. Unless you're driving a very inefficient ICE car, its better to run it until it can't anymore than to keep replacing it every few years as the environmental impact of making a new car is considerable. That being said, aside from the initial impact from manufacture, it will be a lot better for the environment (especially for low-to-the-ground levels of pollutants) than an ICE car. Also depends how much you're driving as if you do a lot of miles in shorter trips then the money saved via charging from home vs petrol will make a bigger difference than fi you only do 4000-5000 miles a year.
If the total cost of purchase and running costs over 4 years is for example £50k. Would you rather spend £30k on the ICE car and £20k on running costs or £45k on the EV car and £5k on running costs. As a car is a depreciating asset and arguably running costs have no real material value, I think most people would choose to spend the money on a depreciating asset that will retain some value at the end. So, for example, if say both cars retained 50% value, then the ICE car would be worth £15k and the EV car would be worth £22.5k, thus the EV owner would be £7.5k better off
@timemachine_194 Fascinating. You guys have given this much thought. As time goes on the purchase cost should reduce and the case for EV will likely be even more compelling. Depreciation seems to be quite high on used examples on sale in NI like the Nissan Leaf (£9,000 for 2015) and Renault Zoe (2016 for £7,000), so buying one second hand could significantly shift the balance towards EVs.
@timemachine_194 That is amazing. As Northern Ireland is a small country the average commute is only 40-80kms, so a used EV car, even with a slightly reduced range, should do the job. :-)
Great review, but no comparison to the Honda E or Mini? Or even Corsa? I guess this does best them prob fairly easily, I'd still fork out a bit more and get a Tesla
In my country there is no Tesla Superchargers, but the govern offer a grant in 11 000€ for purchasing a new electric car. Tesla isn't on list. VW id3 at 26 000€. Best deal.
Vw the criticism is clear the interiors of the Id range need revisiting before other id ranges appear- fix the buttons and add proper window switches, separate heating controls and a reposition of light switches
THe ID3 is a first gen electric car from VW - with many problems eg the screen freezes (other reviews) ... the best time to buy it is when it is a second gen - they will have ironed out all the problems by then. Until then I will keep my £35k in my pocket.
Because the Model 3 was the car all the Germans tore down before making their own and VW CEO Hebert Diess revealed that after having Elon Musk test drive the ID.3, he himself test-drove the Tesla Model Y, which he says is the “reference” car for the German automaker.
There will always be an EV that is new with new features and look. It's like phones. You wish for the newer that offer what you don't have so much of today. At the end when you buy it, it's old-fashioned already. Buy what you need, what you can afford and learn to deal with its limitations and issues. New cars will have issues, all of them. Then they get better and better as the time goes.
They must of went on holiday for a long......time when they designed that interior, looks like an 8 grand car. Also which muppet had the great idea to get rid of buttons, then make it so clunky that by the time you figure it out you will be rear ending the car in front and all this for an eye watering 32k minimum....hmmmm no thanks!
@@edstratton perhaps Ed, but that’s not my point. It’s the fact they are charging 34k for something that is no where near the quality of a 34k non electric car which is far more complex
@@mell3109 Point taken, but I don't think it's about VW making more money by using cheaper materials. It's about trying to keep the purchase price down into a zone where enough people will think it's just about affordable, when it costs billions to design and mass produce a new electric car completely from scratch.
@@edstratton hi Ed, I just don’t get the pricing. If they tool up for a new car then they dont load up the price for early adopters. The new BMW is roughly the same price as the last one. I don’t see the complexity in an electric car. A motor or 2 and a battery pack. As these are no longer low volume cars the pricing need to reflect the overall product. @ these price points it is not a car that the vast majority of people will be able to afford (which is slightly off topic from my original comment) but to me at this price point we have gotten used to a high standard in cabin quality, scratch plastics are now only ever seen in sub 20k cars etc. As an example Tesla build quality is shocking. If any company had brought a petrol engine to the market with interiors or build quality like this the motoring press would crush them for it. For some reason it’s all rose tinted glasses but I wonder what the motoring press are up to, they should be all over this. Price - not acceptable, quality - not acceptable etc. Look on line to Audi Enron and the guy who has a horrible time, it is shocking
@timemachine_194 Other EVs at the same price point and similar range do not have inferior interiors such as Hyundai, Kai, BMW, DS, MG, Nissan, Peugeot, Vauxhaul & Renault amount others.
Then all the Norwegians driving EVs must be delusional, they sure seem to think that electric cars get them wherever they want in a really cold climate.
Hmm...means you should not buy any car, since there is no vendor which did not cheat the software of diesel engines. VW is just the only one which got really fined for it.
Fan boys do my head in.... I have a Telsa and love it (it's the best car I have ever owned) but I would be just as happy to drive one of these, well done VW, I think they have done a great job with this, the more electric cars on the road the better!!! ... and the more companies investing in this clean tech, the faster it will be adopted too!!
I cant wait for a future when you can walk through a busy city and breath clean, fresh air
Lol, because all the cars are at home in the garage due to electric blackouts.
@@invictus_They-Them_Nazi_Hunter Yes if you are unfortunate enough to live in California, no blackouts whatsoever where I live
@@danielsanderson790 not yet you mean.
@@invictus_They-Them_Nazi_Hunter Well I have solar and a Tesla Powerwall so not for me at all, but yes this could ‘theoretically’ happen to other people I guess
More reviews by Doug please. He’s personable but clear & not here to piss about and push his own ego. 😀👍
He's great. Much prefer him to Mat Watson. Direct and to the point.
And cute.
Agreed, he's excellent.
Honest and accurate reviews by Doug. Too many of these car reviewers are annoying and the vid gets closed after 30 seconds, but not this guy.
See Mat Watson. He used to be decent but now he's just unbearable. 'click on the pop up banner' 'click on the pop up banner' 'click on the pop up banner'
Wow, this reviewer is great! Straight to the facts and highlighting all the strengths/weaknesses of the car. I've learned in 10mins all I needed to know about the car. Thanks!
Even though the ID3 came first, I think the ID4 will go down in history as the more important one because I predict considerably stronger sales in this SUV-hungry world we live in. Especially when you consider it's sold worldwide (unlike the ID3) and has a better quality interior
@timemachine_194 A lot of Americans are embracing electric cars (mostly Tesla) which is promising. It's a weird place as they never had to pay much for fuel, diesels never took off which is bizarre as they drive much more than Europeans.
The suspension is much more comfortable than the Model 3. And the id.3 i quieter.
I have the model 3 and my wife the id.3. The id.3 is a practical comfortable hatchback well build no nonsense car - everything just works like it should - except for the SW. The SW is a true disaster.
You can't really compare the model 3 and id.3 as a car. The model 3 is an electrical BMW M3 (just faster) and the id.3 an electrical Golf or the 3rd peoples car like they claim/intend.
The model 3 is perfect for me and the id.3 perfect for my wife and she simply loves the car - the best car she has ever had.
How are you able to say the ID3 is so good and in the next breath say except for the SW surely the Software is the most important part of an electric car.
@@wobby1516 In comparison to a Tesla it does.
The SW issues are related to the infotainment system. The drive of the car is not impacted. On the contrary functionalities like adaptive cruise control (and preditictive regen for roundabouts), automatic wipers, automatic long beam - short beam, sign recognition - works far better on the ID.3. whilst resetting trip odometer, streaming/music input, resetting consumption counters and so forth is a mess in ID.3.
All these drawbacks are correctable, while Tesla still haven't solved the automatic wipers and consistently suffers from phantom braking after many years.
So relative to Tesla the ID.3 is better on core car functionality.
I had the Niro PHEV (same as the e-Niro) prior to the ID.3. Compared to that the Hyundai works flawlessly but it has far fewer functions and the UI is mostly based on real buttons not the touch UI. So it is an older and more traditional type of system. The ID.3 tries to be like a Tesla and on that it fails.
Love this guy reviewing cars. So natural, so relaxed and in a world seemingly dominated by Matt Watson, who I also enjoy watching, this chap is a breath of fresh air. Please Top Gear, this guy and Rory!
id3 is on our top list of cars we want to buy next year. Good review
Some of the comments on here...I have spent some time with the ID3 and it is superb, such a relaxing drive, ride is amazing and the interior a joy to be in. Yes some of the plastics are a little hard, but how often do I stroke the door panels? Never. I suspect like all products compromises are made to keep cost under control. The money here has gone in the right places, great looking car in the flesh, quick off the lights. 0-30 faster than most petrol cars you will sit next to waiting for green and a dealer network to look after you.
At present I have a current model Polo. It also has hard plastics, but I could'nt care less because it's fun to drive, practical and great value.
I don’t understand what car companies these days have against actual buttons.
These touch interfaces are a step backwards.
@@Kavafy I know right
I've got one and the touch screen and haptic buttons are terrible. The old Golf 7 was fine, they didn't need to mess with it.
Buttons break... touch just need to be wiped down
@@mostlymessingabout I've literally never had a button break in a car.
I have an ID3 since two weeks ago. Was working perfect for two days after the software started to cause all sorts of issues, luckily VW just released a new version which I got, and after this update the car has been working a lot better. I like the car a lot, just do not get it with the 20" wheels, far too noisy. If you can, choose the 18".
Thanks for your advice; the fast lane cars come with 18 inch wheels as standard, even if you get a Max.
I was waiting for the ID3 but decided on another EV when it was made known that the OS on the ID3 was not operating as it was designed to and that VW did not have the people on board to fix the many issues they were having on the test vehicles. It may well be a good car for the future but personally I would not consider this car until such time as VW have a fix in place for the Operating System or decide to change it.
I have just ordered my ID.3. Excellent test drive, can’t wait for delivery end of June.
How is it? I'm thinking of getting one.
short jouernys around town with 200+ miles range and 100kw fast charging? thats just a dumb statement.
I agree. It’s got enough range, charges fairly quickly and seats four people comfortably even on longer journeys.
200+ in summer. That will drop to 100 ish in winter. So not that far really...
@@mostlymessingabout not true! I own one myself, getting arond 250 km in -10 Celsius i sweden. 120 km highway speed.
Really good, (and non irritating) presenter. Whilst the car would not be my choice, great review. thanks.
I've had enough of reviewers trying to be quirky and entertaining. Just tell us about the damn car.
"Short journeys around town"
I am SICK of this talking point. I drove 380 miles from North Yorkshire to Cornwall the other week in a Zoe 50. Stopped twice to eat and rest. No problem. No fuss. No inconvenience.
STOP it with this "EVs are only for city driving" bullshit. Stop it right now.
It's a lot of "school boy" drivers who's commenting. If you drive 300 miles without rest, you are a dangerous driver. Even professional drivers have to follow the law and take a rest. It's not a real issue for experienced EV owners.
Just ordered a white id.3 with mid range battery,cant wait for delivery day. Test drove one a couple of days ago and was very pleased with the id.3.
I turned regen-braking off on my Ampera, you become accustomed to braking by just lifting your foot of the accelerator, problem being when all of a sudden you need to slow down quickly you just lift your foot off the pedal further instead of pressing the brake harder.
That's a good point, especially if you drive different vehicles, awkward excuse when you plough into the back of someone - they'll drug test you to death
I will pick my ID.3 up after Christmas, we already have a Mini Electric and that is a real "hoon" of a car.
Getting mine in five days. Had Zoe's for six(?) years now and agree with the 'hoonishness' It's hard to help people who haven't driven an electric car understand just how misleading the 0-60 figure is.
Good point for stopping and recharging. Tbh when most ev cars can do similar mileage with one charge 350-400 no matter weather , load, or speed as much then they will become a real replacement for the conventional ice cars. For town driving only ev Rae always been the better solution and wonder why car makers didn’t promote and make them a wide use many years ago, we might had have much cleaner air and more relaxed drivers, not idiots rushing through the city streets with ugly dirty diesels .
I thought the suspension was good when I tried it. Actually one of the reasons i ordered it. Bjorn nyland also said that the suspension was really good, and he has tried 10s of EVs...
I agree - I own one and I find the suspension very comfortable!!
British roads are covered in pot holes.
@@edstratton do you have the adaptive one or the base suspension? I tried it out over crapy roads and it was ok, but not as comfy as a passat or something. Thing is I dont know how it will be like to live with if i do get it :D
@@metoo3773 I had the standard base suspension on my ID.3. However I've now sold it! I traded it in for an Audi E-Tron which has incredible suspension - you can hardly feel the bumps at all.
@@edstratton oh nice :D Well why did you sell the id3? Was there some reason or you just really wanted the etron? :D
Thanks, I like my buttons and dials as well as a touch screen, I like the centre pod moving with the adjustable steering wheel, but overall the Kia Eniro reigns supreme in this sector, at the moment, but it is a fast changing environment.
They will still sell very well, but this early release looks like a Beta model.
Yes, part of me says "Promising, but wait for the facelift model"
Sorry, VW have rushed this to market to avoid massive multimillion euro fines. The User interface and software are comical but not in a good way, the build quality has been lambasted in the German motoring press. Efficiency is also poor compared to rivals, Kia E-Niro has more range, more kit and is cheaper. The 77kw version only comes with 4 seats?! VW clearly have shot themselves in the foot!
Not really...the orders are higher than estimated as said by VW itself.
I've been very sceptic and critical prior to the launch of the ID.3, but after I've seen it I like it better.
The size is good and the design is nice. I like the minimalistic design - probably because I'm Scandinavian! 😅
But as mentioned in the video the scratchy cheap plastic is simply too bad for a car in this price range.... Well, the price is simply too high either way.
So the ID.3 won't be the car I'll buy...
What do you expect when punishing a company in the magnitude of billions, they have to cost cut somewhere, I think they done well considering.
Well, they deserved the punishment, but I certainly think the current management have given Volkswagen a new direction. And yes, they appear to be doing well.
When they update the software it will be a good buy. I'm a bit surprised it isn't good though. Leaves plenty of room for another car maker to blow it away. Good review Doug.
The range that car has is enough to do long journeys, if I was to drive from Colchester to Edinburgh I would only need one charge stop, and if you’ve been driving for 200 miles you’re definitely going to take an hour on that stop, so when I’m charging the car I’m not noticing I’m charging the car because I need to park it anyway for my stop.
You forgot to mention about the happy face
Is it correct that the UK versions don't have the MATRIX led, Auto High Beam headlights? Is this because we drive on the left? Also the heat pump is a £1250 extra so cold weather charging will take much longer.
Not sure about all models, but the 1st Edition definitely has the matrix lights - and they are amazing!
You can change left/right driving simply switch on the display, so the MATRIX-Light is working correctly even in the UK.
Checkout the new 2021 Style and Business spec models.
If tesla expand their super charger network in the northen areas i can see their sales going through the roof on time to charge the vehicles quicker and more efficiently. What would worry me most of all is charging times ie, would it take a long time to get sufficient charge to commplete a journey in an ID3
Hell, it doesn't take that much time to do it in the Zoe.
People don't realise: you don't charge empty to full at services, you put in enough to get home. That's usually 50 miles or so. Takes 15-20 minutes.
Why fill it when you can do that when you get to your house cheaper? You don't. You just don't.
Splash and dash: fill it when you get there.
@@timaustin2000 Perfectly agree. Besides, the ID.3 appears to be fairly efficient and fast charging. Bjørn Nyland went to the arctic circle in an ID.3: he found the journey nearly as quick as in his Model 3.
It charges at 100kW (Tesla at 150kw) - so if you can find charger at that rate (Ionity?) it shoudlnt be so bad.
A coffee brea/ lunch time stop of 40minutes should get you 200mile range (330km) . In UK - and Europe where it is sold - I would be surpised to find many journeys that are over 400miles total within a single day. So if you start out from home fully charged thats a 40minutes stop on what would likely be a 6 /7 hour journey overall. I think this is perfectly normal sort of break for most people on a long journey.
@@bbbf09 IF you can find a charger, many faulty and slow and Ionity mega expensive. Supercharger always there and always working and I have never queued
@@davedyer3654 Even in last year (pandemic year) the amount of available rapid chargers has expanded a lot I notice in UK - at least in north England. They are new and tend to be less flaky, I find Instavolt & Polar to be best. Ionity are rare - yes expensive but still cheaper than fossil fuels. I have never queud either
I loved the one I test drove today, the slider ones on the touchscreen is annoying ... but the steering wheel and the windows were blown outta proportion alot
I’d like to know more about how it handles on motorways and in particular comparing driving assists like adaptive cruise and lane keeping vs Tesla and Nissan (eg Leaf and upcoming Ariya)
No, I'm not buying it for short journeys around town, I live in the country, I'm buying it because of the huge savings in fuel I'll get. We will regularly do 50 to 100 mile journeys in it.
3 Cheers for VW, being way ahead of rivals like Toyota/Ford on affordable cutting edge tech. There's lots of things to tweak for the 2nd gen ID3. But you're already making the competition appear positively prehistoric.
Yeah,.... but years behind Nissan/Renault.
The depreciation is lovely on these cars. Just got a 21 plate for £13k so absolute bargain for a 3 year old electric car that retailed at £35k. Dont see it loosing another 70% over the next 3 years and when you consider the state of the 2nd hand car market [£7k for a 10 year old Golf] these ID3 are bargains
am looking at one of these, how is the infotainment in 2024, improved at all since this review?
@@johnw65uk still early days but so far so good. Nothing bad to report
It’s cos the new ones are out and they’re the second generation a lot better than old ones. The old ones really were not all that.
@@kingsgrilleruk6757 no that's not it. Used EVs across the board show a similar trend
At 3:16 it’s clear this is not a car I could put up with. Opening windows shouldn’t be difficult 🤦♂️
In 10 years the steering wheel will be replaced by left / right touch sensitive displays.
@@EinkOLED or gesture controls. Just swipe left or right. And a nostalgic mode for old-fashioned people where you can pretend to hold a steering wheel.
Such faff didnt stop sales of Tesla model 3 where you have to go down so many sub-menus on the touch screen just to open the glove box
bbbf09 Tesla windows are easy (normal) to open/close though. So that’s something 😂
@@ditchgreen6720 it's really not as complicated as he makes it seem - and how often do you open the rear windows from the front anyway. There may be reasons not to buy this car but that's not one of them
so what's the best this segment electric car?
Actually a lot of the negatives aren't as bad as all reviewers state. I bought a Born, it's useable within 6 hours.
Car companies. Please include buttons in your dash. Touch screen becomes very difficult to operate while the car is in motion.
Why would the ID.3 only be used “around town”? Its range is sufficient, and it charges fairly quickly.
Boot: the M3’s may be larger, but I for one hated to have to CRAWL into the boot in order retrieve my things.
Cars are typically designed for the 95 percentile
I was getting this for 50 mile round trip daily motor way journeys but saying its strengths lay in city driving puts me off?
I still think this is a proof of concept from VW. Wouldn’t buy it until the next Generation of electric cars from VW
Very good informative video I've liked & subscribed 👏👏👏👏 I haven't seen anyone commenting on cable theft . You are charging your car at a public place go shopping can the cable be secured to the car ? Thanks again
The Beetle, the Golf and now the ID.3...or VW Bug 🐛 as a reviewer called it 🎯
Think I will stick with my mk7 golf thank you 😊
What is it like on ice? Rear wheel drive and weighty
This is nothing against Doug, because EVERY car journalist has made a fuss about this, but the button to operate the rear windows is just NOT a big deal. This is becoming a car reviewer cliché like a "high load lip", or "the seats don't fold completely flat..."
The interior it looks so... Fisher-Price.
Great presenter. Had he been a liiiiittle older he’d reference Porsche 928 on the moving instrument cluster.
My first thought as well! Back in 1978... (when I was an engineering student).
VW build quality will be worse than a Dacia if they don't improve. Huge Debt and teething problems in building both Fossil variants and EV is hitting home now. Cost cutting on the Technology and Materials used is showing with a poor user experience. They need to hire quality Software Developers but probably already realised the best in Silicon Valley already work for Tesla. Let's hope they can add soon Android Auto, Augmented reality and interior improvements. The software and build quality need to be improved before ID 4 is released
Tough hatchback EV competition in this segment, Nissan, Peugeot, Vauxhaul, Renault, Mini, Hyundai, Honda and now VW.
@timemachine_194 I can't say that I am overly familiar with the chassis of each car, but the Leaf, Zoe & E do not have ICE versions.
The ID3 is no big deal. I had a fleet of electric cars in the 80s. Thanks Scale Electric.
If I want cool air I want a dial & the ability to move vents myself. Some of us drive very busy roads & winding roads - we can't afford to take our eyes off the road to play with VW electronic settings! (VW/Porsche made the same dumb mistake with the Taycan).
Is this model equivalent to VW polo or Golf?
How do touch sensitive controls work if you're wearing gloves or have wet hands?
They don't!!
25% too expensive
That’s good as I have just purchased one with 27% discount!
You never mentioned VWs greatest car?????? The Scirocco - so much better than the Golf and the greatest looking VW ever
Would like to see an urban range test rather than most reviewers focussing on Motorways as 90% of journeys will be relatively local or a commute
I like a lot of VW designs these days, and options are numerous like sunroof, which I have mostly had, now having seen quite a lot of youtube ID3 owners vids, i would agree that the vehicle looks good design wise, makes good use of interior space, however interior materials now being substandard, not ideal to think your new ID3 interior is substandard to your neighbours model 3, and I believe as far as owning one goes, if you have one on some kind of car finance, monthly payment for a fix period of time, and then it goes back, with known upfront costs, fair enough, but to buy one by financing it yourself, I think would be a big mistake against Tesla, as it's value could plummet over the next few years, as there could be known ongoing software issues over the months of ownership, as has been voiced by some owners of the E-tron, and I believe Tesla are superior now in almost all respects, and have just put the knife into VW sides by the latest updates to the model 3, and this is aside from the huge leaps and bounds that's surely going to happen once Teslas start rolling off the german lines with the latest battery tech, and new manufacturing implementations not seen in the auto industry, one only has to look at the latest youtube videos put up by the select few that have been given access to the latest full self driving software in the USA to see that in software capability all other manufactures are still in the, we haven't got a clue phase, you may not want self driving, but that's immaterial, it just shows how far ahead when it comes to electronics Tesla is to the rest of the auto industry, I'd be sceptical of going up in a VW made ballon, but I'd take a trip to Mars on Elons SpaceX Lol, and not forgetting Elon's companies no doubt have a certain sharing of information capability, and no I don't own a Tesla, just interesting to surmise how things could pan out
I cannot imagine why anybody would choose a higher spec one of those over a Model 3. It's like choosing an ass kicking instead of cake and a cuddle.
Why anyone would choose a coffin, instead real car? Hm...
I'm on my second i3 and fancy a change, but one of my concerns about the ID3 is the reported lack of brake regen. I'll just have to test drive one!
ID4 is 4th major VW launch?
Good review except for the bit where he stabs at steering wheel controls with a finger - they're thumb rocker controls so that's how they're to be used! 🙄
Boot space of the ID.3 (385 l) is smaller than e-Niro (451 l).
Yes, it’s quite a bit smaller, he should have compared it to the boot of the Golf (I believe the ID.3 has 30 or 40 litres more).
Great clip , thinking of going for this for my next company car, is the published electric miles correct eg 262 miles on a charge and how do you recharge on the road?
Odd to say that you buy an ID.3 for "short journeys around town". I disagree. I use my first-generation Leaf for short journeys by don't regard an ID.3 as limited to short journeys. With a range at around 200 miles I see this as a car to cover most of my travel needs. In any case, 200 miles equates to about 3 hours by which time I usually need a coffee/loo/rest stop, which can be also be used for recharging.
every reviewer complains about the rear window buttons, I think it's brilliant. I can't count the times I lowered the rear window instead of the front in a parking garage or toll booth in my current car.
I hardly ever want to lower the rear window so for me it seems like a great move.
The Model 3 is a sedan, the Id.3 a hatchback. It's not really surprising that the id.3 has less head- and boot-space.
Sedans should have less head room? 😂
The lack of buttons in a car is stupid because you cannot look down at all times. Basically, VW nailed the exterior (in my opinion) and failed the interior.
Yup. Interior design is very bad. I went with an E Golf instead. Sure, E Golf has much less range, but as a city car it's great.... Oh, and it's a hell of a lot cheaper.
Good warts and all overview. Too bad in Australia we're now told we won't get it 'til 2023-4 :-(
Very interesting car -- for me, it's all about range, and the top model is getting there. Hopefully by the time 2030 comes around, they'll be even better.
Interior quality looks shocking. It’s a bit of a mess really.
Go to your local dealer and watch at it...had the same feeling watching videos, but much different if you sit in this spaces car in reality.
Thinking of buying an ev but honestly probably would not invest that much on a basic level VW.
Off topic, but I'd like to know what beautiful old English town he was driving through.
Storrington, West Sussex
I want buttons! Is that so much to ask for?
Digitalisation of the dashboard is the way forward with over the air updates. Cheaper too.
@Howard Pym digitalisation includes voice controls and thus you don't even have to take your hands of the while to touch knobs or buttons. Plus digitalisation means tou can add, change, remove anything you want as the buttons are digital.
@Howard Pym it works well in my car as you have to press a button on the steering wheel to activate it, which pauses the music.
Us it is not listening like other voice systems and only turns on when activated.
Buttons are old school, soon to be a thing of the past, you have to move with the times otherwise we would still be riding around on horses.
The problem with buttons is that they only do one action, thus you can't add new features or move them or change their size or position.
Can you fit a medium-size road bike in the ID.3 without having to take the wheels off
VW does not think it is the best EV. VW says they still are aiming to eventually be as good as Tesla.
I enjoyed this video and would consider purchasing an ID3 in the future. Am I correct that this was filmed in and around Storrington in Sussex? If not, it has a great lookalike.
Not bad but the display sticked on the steering wheel is disappointing
I think it’s really useful since it means that you’ll always be able to see the dashboard, whichever your preferred position of the steering wheel.
Interesting, Engineeres are proud of this, since this is a challenge to fulfill crash tests...and it is always in your view regardless how you move the wheel for your best sitting position.
Compared to this stubid small steering wheel from Peugeot. Sight is often cutted or you have the wheel on your knees...
I Want a car that I would be happy to be in ...I want the feel good factor when I touch the panels ....
Nice looking car but not very special looking. It's also quite costly to go electric. Even to lease it's pricey. £470 per month with a £2814 deposit according to the VW website. Perhaps it's more cost effective and environmentally friendly to run your existing car for many years??
That's generally true. Unless you're driving a very inefficient ICE car, its better to run it until it can't anymore than to keep replacing it every few years as the environmental impact of making a new car is considerable. That being said, aside from the initial impact from manufacture, it will be a lot better for the environment (especially for low-to-the-ground levels of pollutants) than an ICE car.
Also depends how much you're driving as if you do a lot of miles in shorter trips then the money saved via charging from home vs petrol will make a bigger difference than fi you only do 4000-5000 miles a year.
@@BritishTeaLover Yes, indeed. You summed it all up nicely. :-)
If the total cost of purchase and running costs over 4 years is for example £50k.
Would you rather spend £30k on the ICE car and £20k on running costs or £45k on the EV car and £5k on running costs.
As a car is a depreciating asset and arguably running costs have no real material value, I think most people would choose to spend the money on a depreciating asset that will retain some value at the end.
So, for example, if say both cars retained 50% value, then the ICE car would be worth £15k and the EV car would be worth £22.5k, thus the EV owner would be £7.5k better off
@timemachine_194 Fascinating. You guys have given this much thought. As time goes on the purchase cost should reduce and the case for EV will likely be even more compelling. Depreciation seems to be quite high on used examples on sale in NI like the Nissan Leaf (£9,000 for 2015) and Renault Zoe (2016 for £7,000), so buying one second hand could significantly shift the balance towards EVs.
@timemachine_194 That is amazing. As Northern Ireland is a small country the average commute is only 40-80kms, so a used EV car, even with a slightly reduced range, should do the job. :-)
Great review, but no comparison to the Honda E or Mini? Or even Corsa? I guess this does best them prob fairly easily, I'd still fork out a bit more and get a Tesla
Not the same class
You say the best, but I don't see why it's better than Tesla 3/ Y. Again, don't want to argue, just want to understand your position
Tesla supercharger network is the deal breaker
For the odd longer journey it isn’t to me, why would it be?
In my country there is no Tesla Superchargers, but the govern offer a grant in 11 000€ for purchasing a new electric car. Tesla isn't on list.
VW id3 at 26 000€.
Best deal.
Vw the criticism is clear the interiors of the Id range need revisiting before other id ranges appear- fix the buttons and add proper window switches, separate heating controls and a reposition of light switches
THe ID3 is a first gen electric car from VW - with many problems eg the screen freezes (other reviews) ... the best time to buy it is when it is a second gen - they will have ironed out all the problems by then. Until then I will keep my £35k in my pocket.
Tried to test drive one in Bradford (UK)...it was broken !
The car or Bradford?
@@peterpan6821 hahaha, both I think !
Why do you constantly mention the Tesla model 3. Why can’t you evaluate it for what it is.
Because the Model 3 was the car all the Germans tore down before making their own and VW CEO Hebert Diess revealed that after having Elon Musk test drive the ID.3, he himself test-drove the Tesla Model Y, which he says is the “reference” car for the German automaker.
Those "3" wishes arent coming to life really
VW ID 3 positives doesn't cost the earth a penny in fairness running costs which is a good thing.
You keep comparing a car you buy for 28k to a tesla that starts at 40k!
Hi ,I'm not sure whether to have a id3 or a A250e mercedes hybrid ?through a salary sacrifice scheme?i only do approx 20 mile round trip to work
20 mile round trip: I’d go fully electric in such a case, provided you have a place to plug in.
@@CaroAbebe I live in countryside 7mile from town ,so A roads for 4mile then town roads ?i live in a detached bungalow so charging should be fine 🙂
Brilliant car but why couldn't they just give it normal buttons/ switches in the interior...
Been driving VWs for more than 10 years.
Would like to stay with them but I need an estate suitable for rural settings.
Any suggestions?
Wait for the id4, or skoda enyaque , i got the id3 and it is absolutely fantastic
There will always be an EV that is new with new features and look. It's like phones. You wish for the newer that offer what you don't have so much of today. At the end when you buy it, it's old-fashioned already.
Buy what you need, what you can afford and learn to deal with its limitations and issues. New cars will have issues, all of them. Then they get better and better as the time goes.
Tesla killer
Not with that cheap interior
They must of went on holiday for a long......time when they designed that interior, looks like an 8 grand car. Also which muppet had the great idea to get rid of buttons, then make it so clunky that by the time you figure it out you will be rear ending the car in front and all this for an eye watering 32k minimum....hmmmm no thanks!
Go and look inside one yourself and test drive it - you will change your opinion!
@@edstratton perhaps Ed, but that’s not my point. It’s the fact they are charging 34k for something that is no where near the quality of a 34k non electric car which is far more complex
@@mell3109 Point taken, but I don't think it's about VW making more money by using cheaper materials. It's about trying to keep the purchase price down into a zone where enough people will think it's just about affordable, when it costs billions to design and mass produce a new electric car completely from scratch.
@@edstratton hi Ed, I just don’t get the pricing. If they tool up for a new car then they dont load up the price for early adopters. The new BMW is roughly the same price as the last one. I don’t see the complexity in an electric car. A motor or 2 and a battery pack. As these are no longer low volume cars the pricing need to reflect the overall product. @ these price points it is not a car that the vast majority of people will be able to afford (which is slightly off topic from my original comment) but to me at this price point we have gotten used to a high standard in cabin quality, scratch plastics are now only ever seen in sub 20k cars etc. As an example Tesla build quality is shocking. If any company had brought a petrol engine to the market with interiors or build quality like this the motoring press would crush them for it. For some reason it’s all rose tinted glasses but I wonder what the motoring press are up to, they should be all over this. Price - not acceptable, quality - not acceptable etc. Look on line to Audi Enron and the guy who has a horrible time, it is shocking
I saw one yesterday.
Where are you from?
ID 3 looks better than Tesla ok its only my personal taste.
Centre console is awful, and way too high up and intrusive for my liking. Much prefer the look of the leaf
Why the cheap plasticky interior??
Go and sit in one and evaluate the interior for yourself - I think it looks and feels just great.
Accountants run VW, made to hit a price point, rather than be the best it can be.
@@edstratton looks on par with a Dacia
@timemachine_194 Other EVs at the same price point and similar range do not have inferior interiors such as Hyundai, Kai, BMW, DS, MG, Nissan, Peugeot, Vauxhaul & Renault amount others.
Never buying a VW after all lying to consumers on fuel consumption figures...end electric cars in colder climate won't get me far lol
Then all the Norwegians driving EVs must be delusional, they sure seem to think that electric cars get them wherever they want in a really cold climate.
Hmm...means you should not buy any car, since there is no vendor which did not cheat the software of diesel engines. VW is just the only one which got really fined for it.