THE NEW VOLKSWAGEN ID.3 GTX IS BASICALLY AN EV VERSION OF THE CLUBSPORT. WE LIKE!
The all-new Volkswagen ID.3 GTX is the top-of-the-range option in the company’s ID.3 model line and the addition of the letters GTX means it’s a more performance-orientated offering. It also means performance hatchbacks from Volkswagen will never be the same. This model signifies that the transition from petrol-powered to electric-powered cars is almost complete and that means the Golf GTi and R as we know it are, well, dead. Luckily if performance is your thing and you’re loyal to the Volkswagen brand, the newly released ID.3 GTX Performance should do all the things a GTi can do. Here in SA, there doesn’t seem to be any interest in bringing the new electric lineup in, so far the only Volkswagen EVs I’ve spotted was a pair of electric Golfs that did some showing off at the annual Simola HillClimb. It’s a day/night difference in Europe, EVs are big business there and the model ranges of the ID.4 and ID.5 have proven popular and every 5th car sold is a GTX model. EV owners also want that little bit more it seems. Volkswagen has managed to transfer the driving dynamics to the ID.3 GTX and it will launch the rear-wheel drive EV in two variants. The range-topper is the ID.3 GTX Performance, and this is the one that we have the most interest in for obvious reasons. Kai Grünitz, Member of the Volkswagen Brand Board of Management responsible for Development, says: “With its spontaneous and superior power delivery, the new ID.3 GTX Performance is for me the electric counterpart to our sporty compact icon, the Golf GTI Clubsport. Of course, an electric drive and a turbocharged petrol engine each have their own unique character. Yet the ID.3 GTX Performance and the Golf GTI Clubsport share the same fascinating lightness when they accelerate.” Grünitz continues: “With the ID.3 GTX, Volkswagen is transferring the almost 50-year tradition of its compact GT models into the world of electric mobility. Driving pleasure is guaranteed.” So even from the horse’s mouth, the car is touted as a GTi rival.
The ID.3 GTX stands out from all other models thanks to its model-specific exterior design. This version features a GTX-specific front bumper with a new independent black air intake in a diamond-style design, and it has new daytime running lights on the left and right. The black elements of the body have a high-gloss finish to them, along with newly designed side sills and the new lower area of the rear end with an added diffuser. That spoiler on the top of the hatch is pure class, I want one in that style for my old Mk4 GTi. The ID.3 GTX rolls silently on new 20-inch Skagen alloy wheels as standard fitment, and they work just right on the compact EV. Inside the new car is also an array of new GTX-specific features that help differentiate the model from those lower on the model lineup. There’s a seat of sports seats featuring an ergonomic design available in fabric and leatherette. The high bolsters will keep you in your seat even on the most spirited of drives. There’s also red decorative stitching on the seats and the multifunction steering wheel, and the high-quality cockpit surface is also GTX-specific - much like what you find in a range-topping GTi. The interior would look right at home in a new Golf, so when the actual electric replacement for the GTi does eventually emerge, you know it will be much like the ID.3 GTX, but better. EVs aren’t known to be light, so to aid in the road manners, buyers can also choose the ID.3 GTX Performance option which has DCC adaptive chassis control added into the mix. While the full details of the electric motor powering the car haven’t been released yet, we do know that it sends power to the rear wheels only, but output is believed to be on par with the iconic ClubSport GTi at 240 kW with a typically high EV torque output of 545 kW. We’re keen to see how that translates into real-world driving and how the performance matches that of the outgoing petrol-powered hot hatches.
Take a look at the YouTube video from the reveal of the latest iteration of the popular Volkswagen ID.3 that's soon to be available in GTX guise. This means it has a bunch of cool things to make it a stand-out model on par with the likes of the sought-after ClubSport GTi. The GTi is never going to be the same, if there's ever a new one at all: ID.3 GTX & ID.7 GTX Tourer world premiere 🏁 | Volkswagen News
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