As you may have noticed in the news, Volkswagen is in trouble. Word out of Germany is that to stay competitive against Chinese brands—and to weather the storms of tariffs and supply chain costs—the VW Group might sell off brands like Lamborghini and Ducati, close down several factories, and slash its lineup to only the most popular, profitable models. This comes after cutting Bugatti loose earlier this year.
So, it’s an interesting time to meet this: the new Volkswagen ID. Cross. We drove the concept version last year, but now it’s a real-life production car. And it looks...well, pretty much the same.
The wheels have shrunk from 21-inch rims, and as predicted, the interior ambience has darkened from ‘sunny beach holiday’ to ‘gray Tuesday in the city.’ But that interior continues VW’s re-found common sense approach. Look! Proper buttons on the steering wheel and in the center console, so we’re not complaining.
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The ID. Angry is essentially the new ID. Polo in a chunkier, taller suit of armor. That means it’s a five-door, five-seat box tugged along by a single motor powering the front wheels. The base battery size—37kWh—offers up 114hp or 133hp motors. Upgrade to a 52kWh battery (which sends range from an estimated 315km to around 435km), and it’s more powerful than a Mk5 Golf GTI, with 208hp.
And determined to get faltering enthusiasm for its EVs back on side, Volkwagen has waved the magic wand of packaging over the ID. Pissed Off. So there’s a 25-liter well under the stubby hood to stop the charging cable from flopping about in the cargo area like an angry python. The cargo area itself is a massive 475-liter chasm. That’s a lot in a small car. And to illustrate the versatility of the deep well in the rear where a gas-fed crossover would hang an exhaust, VW says this is the ideal space to stow a crate of beers. Cheers!
Prices are set to start at under £25,000 (around P2.1 million), to give the ID. Raging a fighting chance of sticking it to rivals like the Kia EV2 and the BYD Atto 2.
And Volkswagen needs a winner. Its combustion car range is ripe for a haircut when it comes to bloated crossovers: the forgettable Taigo and um, Tor...Tay...no no, don’t tell us...T-Cross! Yes, the T-Cross and others are content to sit back and let the T-Roc do the heavy sales lifting. But on the EV side, there can be no dead weights, only surefire money printers.
We’ve had an in-person preview of the ID. Furious, and the signs are smelling good. Do signs smell? Anyway, it looks more stout and mature than previous ID. designs; it’s genuinely spacious for adults in the backseat, should you need that, and there’s a sense that Volkswagen not only rediscovered its button mojo, but also found the keys to the cupboard where it had locked away its solid trim materials.
Will that be enough to right the Volkswagen ship, following the reveal of the ID. Polo, the Polo GTI, and the much-improved ID.3? The fightback has well and truly begun.
More photos of the 2027 Volkswagen ID. Cross:
NOTE: This story first appeared on TopGear.com. Minor edits have been made.
