The Volkswagen ID.7 is getting serious, coming with a new badge to place it at the top of the range: GTX. But what does the three-letter suffix mean? Think of GTX in the same way as the other hot GT variants; GTE for hybrids, GTI for petrols, GTD for diesels, and now GTX for fully electric cars.

The ID.7 GTX is available as a saloon-style hatch and a Tourer - otherwise known as an estate to you and I. I hear you rejoicing as it’s not all that often we get a ‘hot’ estate these days. The Tourer offers up a 605 or 1714 litre load bay depending on whether the rear seats are raised or lowered. The hatch has a respectable 532 or 1586 litre load capacity, again depending on how you have the seats. Personally, I think the tourer is the better looking of the two body styles, so the extra space is a nice bonus.

The two electric motors are powered by an 86 kWh battery, which is currently the biggest to be found in a Volkswagen. This will provide a range of around 380 miles and allow it to charge at up to 200 kW with a DC rapid charger, meaning that 26 minutes is all you need to set aside to recharge from 10 to 80 percent. Charging isn’t the only area where the ID.7 GTX performs strongly; 0-62 mph takes 5.4 seconds and the limited top speed is 112 mph. The twin-motor powertrain packs 335 bhp and 413 lb-ft (600 Nm) of torque, similar performance to the ID BUZZ GTX. 

To go with the added performance, the styling has been updated. Up front is a new bumper with a honeycomb grill and arrow-shaped running lights. VW have made use of black elements around the exterior of the ID.7 GTX to help add to the focussed appearance. The model also benefits from a new set of 20” wheels as standard, with a set of 21” rims available as an option. One exterior feature that I don’t like is the illuminated badges that can be found at the front and back of the car. Personally I think they don’t look half as nice as traditional badges. One option available for the GTX that I do like is the panoramic sunroof with smart glass. This dispenses with the roller blind and allows you to make the glass either transparent or opaque electronically, similar to the Audi e-tron GT facelift.

The performance-oriented style can still be found in the interior. This has been carried through with the use of red stitching through the interior and my personal favourite feature, red perforated GTX lettering in the backrests. Through the interior of the GTX, there are multiple red touches that separate the cabin from the rest of the ID.7 models. 

The interior is packed with tech as standard. Some of the spec highlights include the augmented reality head-up display, wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, keyless entry and the IDA voice assistant. This uses natural language which allows you to control multiple functions - like the climate control - by saying what you see, well in this example feel? Instead of giving precise precise temperature instructions, you can just say “I’m too warm” and the car will know what you would like it to do.

The ID.7 GTX is set to go on sale in the UK soon, with an increase over the current £51,550 starting price of the rear-wheel drive model expected. We should see the first examples hitting our roads towards the end of 2024. While the stats of the ID.7 GTX may not set your trousers on fire, it does leave me thinking they purposely left some room for potentially something even more exciting and more powerful in the future - maybe an ID.7 R could be in the works...