Volkswagen is finally entering the electric sedan segment with the ID.3 GTX. Essentially a sister model to the Cupra Born VZ, the sporty EV is available in two flavors. There’s a base GTX and a spicy GTX Performance with the most powerful electric motor VW has ever developed.
Stick with the regular ID.3 GTX and you get an electric motor on the rear axle with 282 horsepower and 402 pound-feet of torque. Upgrade to the Performance model and VW will increase power to 322 hp while torque remains the same. As expected, these higher power figures match those of the Cupra Born VZ perfectly.
The rear-wheel-drive hot hatch takes six seconds to reach 62 miles per hour from a stop for the standard GTX, or 5.6 seconds if you upgrade to the GTX Performance. Top speed is electronically capped at 111 mph and 124 mph, respectively. VW says the more powerful of the two models is an electric companion to the front-wheel drive Golf GTI Clubsport.
Both GTXs share a lithium-ion battery with a usable energy capacity of 79 kilowatt hours. It supports DC charging at 175 kilowatts, in which case the battery will be replenished from 10 to 80 percent in about 26 minutes. With a fully charged battery, the ID.3 GTX models should travel 600 km on the combined WLTP cycle. The battery is mounted in the floor in the middle of the vehicle for better weight distribution.
As with the ID.4 GTX and ID.5 GTX, VW made the ID.3 GTX more exciting with a redesigned front bumper with a larger air intake and diamond-shaped pattern, flanked by LEDs boomerang serving as daytime running lights. At the rear, the performance model gets a diffuser with a gloss black finish to match the dark mirror caps, rocker panels and window frame. Plus, new 20-inch wheels with 215-section tires on the GTX and wider 235-section tires on the GTX Performance.
The interior receives numerous red accents. There are sporty, power-adjustable front seats with integrated headrests, GTX badging and fabric made from recycled materials. All ID.3s will get a new 12.9-inch infotainment system and a separate drive mode selector lever on the steering column. Better late than never, the volume and climate control touch sliders are finally illuminated, much like on the recently launched Golf Mk8.5.
The ID.3 GTX isn’t coming to America, as far as we know. But in Europe, it essentially competes in a two-man segment alongside the Cupra Born VZ. The most direct rival we can think of is the MG4 XPower, but that model has two engines, all-wheel drive, and a healthy 429 horsepower. There are smaller EVs worth mentioning, like the Abarth 500e and the upcoming Alpine A290. Before the end of the year, we’ll also see a John Cooper Works (JCW) version of the new 3-door electric Mini Cooper.
Looking to the future, VW has already suggested that the electric-only ninth-generation Golf will replace the ID.3 since there is no room for both in the range. If this happens, the GTX will become the GTI since the German brand intends to keep the three famous letters. It even filed a new logo with the “I” (which means injection) replaced by a lightning bolt.
