Volkswagen ID Polo Debuts With A 280-Mile Max Range, But Tamer Looks Than Its Charismatic Competition
Tiny electric city cars are having quite a renaissance at the moment (in Europe, at least) with the reintroduction of all-time greats like the Fiat Grande Panda, Renault Twingo, and now the Volkswagen Polo. We've seen teasers of the all-electric Volkswagen ID Polo, previewing its nice interior with physical buttons as well as a spunkier ID Polo GTI. Now on Wednesday the German automaker finally gave the ID Polo its official debut, and it looks exactly like you thought it would. It's a clean design, but it falls short of making an emotional appeal like its characterful French competition.
Beyond looks, though, the ID Polo's specs outshine other superminis. It has a maximum estimated range of around 280 miles on the optimistic WLTP range cycle, and its larger optional 52-kWh nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) battery can charge from 10% to 80% in 24 minutes in optimal conditions. Even the standard 37-kWh lithium-iron phosphate (LFP) battery has a maximum range of 204 miles, and it can charge from 10% to 80% charge in about 23 minutes.
The standard battery will send juice to a front-mounted electric motor with either 114 horsepower or 133 hp, while the larger optional battery gets a motor with 208 horsepower. Next year's zestier ID Polo GTI will have 233 horsepower, nearly as much as a Golf GTI. The new ID Polo is available to pre-order in Germany now, where it starts at €24,995 including VAT, or just under $30,000 at current exchange rates.
It's a typical Volkswagen inside, which is a good thing for you pragmatists
As tends to be the case with Volkswagen's little hatchbacks, its upright design facilitates a surprisingly spacious interior. The trunk holds 15.6 cubic feet of cargo with the rear seats up, and about 44 cubic feet of stuff with the rear seats folded flat. That's more than you get in the Twingo, but the Polo is about 10 inches longer than the Twingo overall (and about 10 inches shorter than a Golf). Regardless, the Polo is typically Volkswagen versatile, and will be a great choice for pragmatists.
The interior design is also classically Volkswagen, with an efficient, no-nonsense, arguably boring design. At least it brings back physical buttons on the steering wheel, as well as physical climate control toggles, and even four individual window buttons! Listen folks, the bar is low, so we have to celebrate the little wins like these.
The presence of buttons doesn't mean an absence of screens, though. The ID Polo has a 13-inch touchscreen infotainment display, and a 10-inch digital gauge cluster that can display a cheeky throwback gauge design.
Despite being small and affordable, the ID Polo has lots of tech goodies on offer
At first, the ID Polo will be offered in three trim levels: Trend, Life, and Style. As standard, all ID Polos come with blind-spot monitoring and lane-keeping assist, but shockingly, you have to step up to the Life trim to get a backup camera, as well as adaptive cruise control, parking sensors, and front cross-traffic assist. The Life trim also gets Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, wireless charging, voice control, and an adjustable cargo floor.
The top Style trim brings more luxurious features than you may expect on Volkswagen's cheapest EV, including LED matrix headlights, sport comfort seats, ambient lighting, seat heaters, and dual-zone auto climate control. Optional extras include a Harman Kardon stereo, a panoramic glass roof, and even a massage feature for the 12-way electronically adjustable front seats.
Okay, so here's the catch: The ID Polo is not slated to come to the United States. If this comes as a surprise to you, refer to all of the blogs we've posted explaining why Americans don't want tiny electric city cars. Ideally, though, some of the features on the ID Polo will make their way into other Volkswagen products we will get, like its physical buttons and affordable price. Until then, we'll be playing with the ID Polo configurator on Volkswagen Germany's website.