VOLKSWAGEN ID 7 GTX

Hot version of talented saloon EV is intended to be not just rapid but also engaging

- JAMES ATTWOOD

When the GTX badge was launched by Volkswagen in 2021, it was tipped as an electric equivalent of - and eventual successor to- the GTI line. But it has suffered by comparison: adding power and straight-line speed is easy on EVs and doesn't make for an everyday performance hero. Three years later, with new management in Wolfsburg committed to GTI, it's GTX that's set to eventually be phased out.

Some irony, then, that this new ID 7 GTX showcases exactly what the badge could stand for: a compelling take on what a warmedup VW EV can be, with a distinct nod towards grand tourers and a different feel to GTI cars.

It helps that the ID 7 is the best resolved of all of VW's EVs. It's a refined, understated and well-rounded saloon - a better base to work from than the ID 4 and ID 5 SUVs. And in the years since the GTX versions of those arrived, VW's engineers have clearly learned a lot.