Volkswagen ID Cross concept driven: first taste of crucial EV

The Volkswagen ID Cross will arrive next year as the second of Wolfsburg’s new wave of affordable compact EVs – and we’ve got hands-on with an early version of the electric crossover.

Unlike the ID 3, ID 4 and ID 5 EVs, which all share a very similar form language and silhouette, the ID Cross and its ID Polo sibling will get more distinct visual identities from both each other and other VW Group EVs on the same platform.

ID Cross exterior designer Thorben Kochs told Autocar that “the idea was to create something super stable and clean”, adding: “We call it pure positive; we want to be the nice guys, you know?”

Inside, VW has returned to physical controls in response to customer feedback, with traditional door handles, four separate window switches, climate control buttons on the dash and proper buttons on the steering wheel.

The materials inside our test car were very novel and high-quality, but they will be toned down for production.

“What will come is new, softer, high-value materials. We don’t want to have it all in plastic: that’s something we’ve learnt,” said Kochs.

In practicality terms, the ID Cross takes full advantage of having its motor at the front, with a deep well in the boot.

Given our car was more of a self-propelled concept car than a representative prototype, it didn’t tell us anything about how the ID Cross will drive, but it did suggest a driving position that feels comfortable and less awkward than that in the rival Peugeot e-2008.

However, we weren’t convinced by the square steering wheel. Kochs said that because the corners are all on the same radius from the centre, it will be intuitive to drive, but there’s no obvious advantage over a round wheel.