For a company that did more than any other to create the whole hot hatch movement back in the 1970s and ’80s, VW has been very slow off the mark when it comes to giving its ID.3 some GTI-style pep.
The recently-facelifted ID.3 has a couple of different battery options, but every version has a single motor driving the rear wheels and there’s not much difference in performance between them: zero to 62 mph (100 kmh) in 7.4 seconds for the car with the small power pack and 7.9 seconds for the longer-legged, but heavier car.
VW did show the ID.X Concept back in spring of 2021, giving us an idea of what an ID.3 GTX might look like, and what we might expect to find under the skin, and since then we’ve caught prototypes testing in Europe’s mountains during the warm summer months. Now that winter has set in the test team is giving the battery another stern weather-related workout, before the car debuts next spring.
Related: 2024 VW ID.3 EV Debuts With Sportier Styling, Classier Cabin
It’s interesting that this prototype has the older style of ID.3 hood with the large black panel at the base of the windshield, suggesting it’s an old test car that pre-dates the release of the facelifted ID.3 earlier this year. We can also make out the XXL honeycomb mesh grille at the base of the bumper, which is one of the ways the hot hatch will stand out from lesser versions of the EV.
Under the hood we’re expecting to find the same dual-motor, all-wheel drive setup currently fitted to the recently-upgraded ID.4 GTX and ID.5 GTX. Those cars now kick out 335 hp (339 PS / 250 kW), up from the 295 hp (299 PS / 220 kW) offered by last year’s models, and should mean the fastest ID.3 could break into the high 4-second zero to 62 mph range. VW quoted 5.3 seconds for the 295 hp ID.X Concept in 2021.
The prototype also appears to be wearing wheels from its combustion cousin, VW’s Mk8 Golf GTI, which might be significant. The automaker admitted that it was planning to phase out the GTX badge it resurrected for use on its quicker electric cars, though that might not happen until after this car is launched. And looking further ahead, CEO Tomas Schäfer has gone on record saying that the entire ID naming strategy could be ditched by the early 2030s because almost every car will be electric by then so there will be no need for an EV badge.
VW has already prepped us for the idea of an electric car wearing the GTI badge by showing the ID.2 GTI, but might the ID.3 end up being the car that gets to use the iconic nameplate first?
