We think that the Volkswagen ID.5 GTX is built for someone who wants a car which looks kind-of like everything, and nothing at the same time
Singapore – The Volkswagen ID.5 GTX is one of those cars which is hard to put a finger on. It’s a four-door coupe, an SUV, a fastback and just maybe all of the above. But there is one thing I know for sure. This thing is quite fast, and it is also quite practical.
Well, this is the future, so they say… Whoever they are. But on a more serious note. Volkswagen has been putting in good effort to have a range of electric vehicles, which largely mirror their ICE offerings by size.
The ID.5 is the mildly-wilder sister car to the Tiguan-sized ID.4 SUV, but with that sloped rear, the former does have a more stylish silhouette. While this will do little or nothing to improve the car’s functionality, I can already think of one massive advantage this has over its SUV sibling. That angled rear windshield will easily stay out of the way, when you reverse-park the car into a lot in a staggered-floor multi-story carpark.
With the GTX badge, you add another $20k to the price tag, but with the extra money, you have yourself larger-blacked 21-inch wheels, a black-out roofline and ‘GTX’ badging on the doors. More importantly, the GTX car also receives AWD, albeit more front-biased in delivery. There is also 54-more horsepower, therefore it is also faster off the line. The battery is also quicker to charge from between 10 to 80-percent; since it accepts a higher 175kW DC versus the regular ID.5’s 135kW.
On the inside, the ID.5 GTX boasts supportive bi-colour sports seats. In keeping with the green theme, many of the interior plastics are made from recycled materials. I’m not too much of a fan of how the centre console’s storage is arranged, since it can look rather messy over time, with the addition of items.
Sitting proud on the dashboard is a 12.9-inch captive touchscreen, backed by the fourth-generation Modular Infotainment System (MIB4), which supports voice control. It is intuitive, but you will need a bit of playing around before getting used to it. Both Apple and Android devices are supported wirelessly, and there is a wireless mobile phone charging pad at the base of the centre console. Unlike its Skoda Enyaq cousin, the ID.5 does lack physical buttons for easier access to more visited functions.
While I do have some minor gripes, I have to say that the ID.5’s interior is very practical. It seats four comfortably. It has tri-zone climate control, which reduces its output at the rear, once it detects that there are no occupants there. Its 549-litre boot (6 litres more than the ID.4), is actually quite generous. For scale, its boot is 14-litres more than the Sportback version of the Audi Q4, though it is 21-litres smaller than the Skoda Enyaq Coupe.
A Mixed Bag
You will need a bit of time getting used to the GTX’s throttle response. It feels eager to scoot even with a light touch. I notice that you are not able to directly adjust the regenerative braking here. The default in ‘Comfort’ driving mode is pretty much zero. But while I do prefer driving an EV this way, where you simply “rollerskate” down the road once off the throttle, not all who drive an electric vehicle might want this.
With ‘Sport’ mode selected, the coupe-suv feels even more eager to perform. With its AWD system putting drive to the wheels, the electric VW wastes very little in-terms of finding grip and getting off-the-line. It is properly quick, being able to clock 100km/h in 5.4 seconds. Compared to driving in ‘Comfort’ the regenerative braking kicks in once you are off the accelerator. The steering too feels more weighted, which is a plus, especially if you do want to punch this Coupe-SUV around some turns.
But while the ID.5 GTX does handle decently well, you would not expect it to be anything close to a Golf GTI. With a kerb weight of over 2.2 tonnes, it does noticeably lean into corners. Turn-in over an uneven patch, and it starts to show its heft, as the front-end begins struggling to find purchase.
Like its closely related Audi and Skoda cousins, the ID.5 GTX is equipped with drum brakes at the rear, which is a rather strange decision from Volkswagen; even more since you would expect more stopping power, especially given its performance-leaning badge. This I feel is quite a letdown, since the brake pedal feels spongy, and if you are braking from a higher speed, you will need noticeably more runway to stop the car.
But with all that said, when driven more sanely, the ID.5 GTX definitely does offer a noticeably more entertaining drive, as compared to its vanilla sibling. But that is it. It feels more like a brisk grand tourer, than a hot-hatch wannabe. So if you were to approach it from the former angle, it will provide you with quite a bit of driving satisfaction.
But in truth, the regular ID.5 is good enough.
Text & Photos: Clifford Chow
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Stylish | Spongy brakes |
| Heaps of fun off-the-line | Weak on stopping power |
| Lacks buttons |
| Drivetrain | Full Electric |
| Layout | Dual Motor, All-Wheel Drive |
| Motor power / torque | 335hp / 545Nm |
| Battery capacity | 77kWh |
| Efficiency | 21.2kWh/100km |
| Electric Range | 533km |
| 0-100km/h | 5.4 seconds |
| Top Speed | 180km/h |
| VES Band | A1 |
| Dealer | Volkswagen Singapore |
| Price | S$243,400 with COE and VES |
| Verdict | Stylish and practical too. While it is more exciting than the regular ID.5, there is no real need for the GTX variant |
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