Volkswagen ID 7 long-term test: report 4

The car Volkswagen ID 7 Pro Match Run by Stuart Milne, digital editor

Why it’s here SUVs are flavour of the month, but can a low-slung, sleek hatchback be the ideal family car?

Needs to be spacious, comfortable and brimming with the tech expected of a long-distance executive cruiser

Mileage 9082 Price £51,550 Target Price £51,550 Price as tested £56,080 Official range 383 miles Test range 315 miles

24 September 2024 – A breath of (not-so) fresh air

The Road to Hell was Chris Rea’s biggest-selling single in the UK, and famously was written about his endless frustrations with the M25 motorway. Of course, the London Orbital doesn't have a monopoly on endless, grinding traffic, but it is one of the UK’s busiest roads – and as any regular user will tell you, one of the most miserable. And given the size of my commute, I'm intimately acquainted.

It was whilst trying to get some fresh air during stop-start shenanigans that I first noticed something rather odd about the Volkswagen ID 7’s window switches. Namely that there’s only two of them – despite having four electric windows. The front windows work as you’d expect, but to operate the rears you need to press another button to switch the controls from front to back, then press the regular rocker switch.

It means you need to press twice as many buttons to control the rear windows as you would ordinarily. And it requires just that little more concentration to do. Given the rows of flickering brake lights on the M25, I’d rather be concentrating elsewhere. Possible rationales for this design choice still elude me; answers on a postcard.

On these journeys, I find Google Maps, accessed via the ID 7’s standard-fit Apple Carplay connectivity, an absolute godsend. The live traffic and rerouting saves me hours each week, and a never-ending stream of podcasts through Amazon Music keeps me sane. As far as I’m concerned, it’s a must-have.

Annoyingly though, my phone will often disconnect without provocation and refuses to reconnect until the car is switched off and back on again. I’ve also seen Google Maps fail to recognise that I’m moving – and in which direction I’m heading – so I’ve had to switch back to VW’s own navigation system, which doesn't offer the same level of easy-to-access connectivity.

This is clearly an Apple problem, rather than a VW one, but I can’t help wondering if it’s down to the way the third-party tech has been integrated into the the brand’s infotainment system.

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