ON THE ROAD – IAN LYNAS ON A VERY SPECIAL EV FROM VOLKSWAGEN

Today most car manufacturers have at least one electric vehicle (EV) in their line up while many have several with new cars entering the market almost on a daily basis. For sure, buyers have a very wide choice and when I speak to them, the one thing that is priority is range; I would certainly join them in that respect. More and more are seeing the benefit of fitting a home wall charger and enjoying lower rates of electricity at off peak times. Of course there will be the odd occasion when you have to charge away from base.

German carmaker Volkswagen offer a good range of EVs and they have recently announced a special model which will see a mere 1,980 examples worldwide. The exclusive model is the ID. 3 GTX Fire & Ice. Quite a long name for a car for sure. A very limited special edition, so how does it differ from the rest of the popular ID.3 range? Volkswagen has teamed up with Bogner. Where did you hear that name before? This company, based in Munich is a fashion house which mainly specialises in high tech ski wear and Volkswagen feel that this sports brand is the perfect match for their ID. 3 GTX Fire & Ice, which pays tribute to the 1990s Golf Mk 2, a car which has earned cult status with Volkswagen fans.

Last year in Locarno in Switzerland a show car version of this special ID. 3 was on display; now it goes in to production. You will not fail to recognise the newcomer with its striking ultra violet metallic paint finish which was specially developed for this car. There is a geometric F+1 pattern on the C-pillar, plus numerous interior details. Other highlights include twenty inch Locarno wheels with a diamond turned surface, very eye catching, red roof strips in an anodised paint finish, puddle lights in the door mirrors and the original Fire & Ice logo from the 1990s and the latest LED taillights are tinted exclusively for this special edition model.

Looking at the all-important performance, the same as the ID. 3 GTX. Power courtesy of a 326 PS 240kW motor that can generate a maximum torque of 545 Nm, this means rest to 100kph (62mph) in a mere 5.7 seconds; yes EVs are renowned for rapid acceleration up to 100kph (62mph). At the top end, 200kph (124mph) which is electronically limited and in any event you would have to visit a race circuit to explore this performance element of this car. The GTX-specific chassis set-up, which is equipped with uprated stabilisers and sport DCC adaptive chassis control, is also tuned to the drive system’s high performance. Power is supplied by a 79 kWh (net) lithium-ion battery, which can be topped up at DC fast-charging stations with up to 185 kW, enough to take the battery from 10 to 80 per cent in about 26 minutes and the combined WLTP range is 590km (367 miles). So if you desire to get your driving hands on this VW you had better be quick.

Ian Lynas