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Volkswagen has revealed that it plans to offer a sporty GTX version of all IDs, including its new ID electric van. buzz. An initiative that raises some questions.
In a press release, Volkswagen confirmed that the GTX offer would be declined at “all ID models, from ID.3 to ID. Buzz”. Compared to other trim levels, the battery capacity of the electric combi will probably not change and will remain at 77 kWh. However, as for the other GTX versions of the manufacturer using the MEB platform, the owner will be entitled to a double engine, one on each axle, developing a total of 299 hp for 460 Nm of torque, and a four-wheel drive.
By thus prioritizing performance over autonomy, Volkswagen intends to appeal to families in a hurry, or in any case drivers who wish to energize their driving. Whether in terms of streamlining the industrial chain, an ID. Buzz GTX really makes sense. On the Skoda Enyaq Coupé RS, equipped with the same modular MEB platform, the same battery (77 kWh) and the same traction chain (300 hp for 460 Nm of torque) we noted a combined autonomy of 370 km (20 .8kWh/100km). A performance that unfortunately leaves little hope of a long-term trip.
In addition, with its 2255 kg, and despite a sports chassis with lower ground clearance (-15 mm at the front and -10 mm at the rear) coupled with controlled suspensions, the Skoda RS conducted at a good pace had very quickly shown its limits on the roads of Tuscany. Impossible for the chassis to counter the laws of physics and to contain body and roll movements. A GTX version of the ID. Buzz, potentially even heavier and sporting a mini-bus profile, leaves one wondering.
the ID.4, the initiator of the GTX movement
Thus, if the GTX versions of the IDs are supposed to be the electric counterpart of the legendary GTI label, history will remind the manufacturer that what made the success of such a line – inaugurated, ironically, with the Volkswagen 1600 GTi – was simply the installation of a relatively powerful engine in a compact and light body. By declining his ID. Buzz in GTX, the manufacturer may simply be announcing the arrival of a sporty-looking finishing level, as found in Renault’s RS Line, Mercedes’ AMG Line and Volkswagen’s R Line.
Enthusiasts should nevertheless be patient: Martin Hube, the brand’s spokesperson, confirmed that an ID.3 GTX version, the manufacturer’s electric compact, would arrive in 2023.