► Wolfsburg wants £58k for our car
► That’s a £8796 deposit
► And 48 payments of £721
I call it the how-much wince. It’s the simultaneous squinting of the eyes, the pursing of the lips and the sharp intake of breath that afflicts every enquirer when I tell them this ID. 5 costs just over £58,000.
Using figures from VW UK’s own configurator, based on an annual limit of 10,000 miles, you’d need a £8796 deposit, then 48 monthly payments of £721, followed by a £22,00 final payment to own this car.
In my book, those figures place the VW squarely in the automotive section called Outrageously Expensive Cars. Not that there’s anything wrong with expensive cars. Cost is relative, after all, and one owner’s Rolls-Royce Spectre is another’s Duster. But so too is value, and this is the VW’s very weak link in a not exactly robust chain of qualities and talents.
As a Volkswagen enthusiast, it hurts to write this. I’ve always admired the VW brand, and Beetles, Type 3s, Kombis and Golfs have played key roles in my automotive history.
The plain truth is the ID. 5 offers too little in exchange for too much money. It is a car of modest capabilities with an immodest price.
Logbook: VW ID. 5 Pro Performance Tech (month 6)
Price: £55,580 (£58,330 as tested)
Performance: 77kWh battery, e-motor, 201bhp, 8.4sec 0-62mph, 99mph
Efficiency: 3.9 miles per kWh (official) 3.0 per kWh (tested), 0g/km CO2
Range: 323 miles (official), 230 miles (tested)
Energy cost: 13.0p per mile
Miles this month: 791
Total: 5624