Cast your mind back to 2019, when Frankfurt still had a motor show and the buzz at VW centred on a new model billed as delivering the “third chapter” in VW’s brand-defining cars. It follows in the tread marks of the Beetle and Golf: the ID.3 was meant to be their spiritual electric successor.
VW was adamant the Golf would remain in production, but as we moved to EVs en masse, the ID.3 was clearly meant to eclipse it.
For multiple reasons, that never happened. The Golf remains the second most popular model in VW’s line-up in Ireland, after the Tiguan. Last year they sold four times as many Golfs as ID.3s. It’s the same story so far this year.
And it’s not just because the ID.3 is electric. VW is selling three times as many ID.4s as ID.3s this year.
It seems the price walk to the larger EV makes it too tempting to move up the range. The Germans were probably hoping a minor facelift and an update to the ID.3 last year could revive its fortunes. Alas, the sales figures aren’t showing any upswing.
Enter the GTX version, trading on the brand’s heritage of creating hot hatches that stretch back to the mid-1970s.
There have already been GTX variants offered on other models, largely based around aesthetic styling touches rather than outright performance.
Added features on this GTX include sport shock absorption, 20-inch alloys and some GTX detailing across the car. Performance Plus adds DCC shocks, plus what VW refers to as “progressive steering” and “adaptive chassis control”. You also get a rear-view camera, sports seats and a Harman Kardon sound system.
The GTX gets the biggest battery in the ID.3 range, which starts with a 52kWh and goes up to this 79kWh pack.
It claims an official range of 595km, but we found in reality it was closer to 500km, which is still quite impressive and certainly enough to leave most owners only charging up twice a week.
We were averaging 16.2kWh/100km, which is within the official consumption range. That’s despite quite a lot of motorway driving during the week.
On a trip to Cork, we needed only one stop at a fast-charger; in just over 30 minutes – the time it took to grab a coffee and sandwich, plus read a few emails – the GTX’s battery pack was back up at 80 per cent. This VW can take a DC charge up to 185kW, but even when it was tapering off – as it came close to 96 per cent fully charged – it was still claiming to add 5km per minute on the 150kW ESB charger.
So it has commendable range, but what about performance? That’s where the GTX comes a little unstuck.
Weighing in at nearly 2½ tonnes, we had our doubts about its ability. Yet a 0-100km/h time of 5.7 seconds showed great promise. And we know that the VW Group can create sharp electric cars, albeit under the Cupra badge, it’s affordable Audi sports brand based in Barcelona.
At the heart of the GTX is the 326hp electric motor powering the rear wheels. This is the same motor that drives the impressive ID.7, and it’s a punchier power source than the motor used in the ID.3 Pro, offering good pep when you plant the accelerator.
What’s admirable is the way it delivers its power: not the hooligan surge you get from some unrefined performance rivals from new Chinese brands. It’s smooth, manageable and ever-so-slightly restrained – unless you opt for Sport driving mode, in which case that lunging and lurching acceleration is to the fore – and your passengers are reaching for the sick bags.
Another admirable trait is the suspension set-up. Retuned springs and dampers give it a sportier, more agile feel than the rather numb ID.3 to which we’ve become accustomed. This combined with more direct steering feel, makes the GTX the best driving variant of this hatchback to be built by VW to date.
And with power coming through the rear wheels, you avoid the cursed torque steer that ruins the control of many fast EVs.
The suspension nicely balances power delivery with comfortable dynamics, so your spine doesn’t get jolted with every pothole, but neither do you lean into every bend. It’s a relatively fast car that’s easy to drive.
The key word here is relatively, for there is a high-performance car that offers far more of the thrills and excitement evoked by the term hot hatch – only it’s built in Korea. As with many market segments these days, an Asian brand has stolen Europe’s thunder. The Hyundai Ioniq 5 N is now the benchmark for how EVs can evolve the hot hatch format for the new age.
At the Hyundai’s heart is a software set-up delivering a simulated transmission and hypnotic acoustic soundtrack that encapsulates the addictive essence of hot hatches. The GTX just can’t match it.
True, there’s a gulf in price difference between these cars, but it would have been great if the GTX could embrace a little more of that passion and a little less of the point-and-click format of a regular EV.
And then there is also a car that just shades this VW in terms of driving fun at a similar price: its close cousin, the Cupra Born VZ.
The good news is that work is also well under way in Wolfsburg to create a fully electric Golf GTi, with VW chief executive Thomas Schafer promising it will be “a monster car”, while an electric Golf R is also on the cards.
For now the GTX offers an impressive balance of performance and range, combined with all the practicality of a large hatchback. It’s also well-priced. I just wish it had a touch more thrill and passion. For that we’ll probably have to wait for the electric Golf GTi, which leaves us wondering about the point of this GTX, a variant of a model that has failed to live up to the initial hype.
Lowdown: Volkswagen ID.3 GTX Performance Plus
Power A 326hp (240kW) electric motor with single speed auto delivering a maximum torque of 560Nm and garnering power from a 79kWh net battery pack
0-100km/h 5.7 seconds
Energy consumption 16.5 kWh/100km (WLTP)
Range 595km (WLTP)
Price €41,258 as tested. GTX Performance Plus starts at €39,025 (after subsidies) ID.3 range starts at €31,780
Our rating 3/5.
Verdict Not the electric GTi some might expect – but good value all the same
