BMW ended manufacturing of the i3 in 2022 after making about 250,000 vehicles over 9 years. A direct substitute shouldn’t be deliberate however an entry-level electrical automobile on the Neue Klasse platform is rumored to reach because the i1 in 2028. Within the meantime, Volkswagen is launching its very first electrical sizzling hatch – the ID.3 GTX.

The ID.3 is a much bigger automobile than the i3 was, and now it’s packing extra energy than ever earlier than. Nonetheless a rear-wheel-drive EV with a single motor, the GTX will get 282 hp and 402 lb-ft (545 Nm). That’s already much more than what the defunct i3s had (181 hp and 199 lb-ft / 270 Nm), however VW additionally has a stronger GTX Efficiency model. It lifts output to 322 hp and the identical 402 lb-ft (545 Nm) torque as the usual GTX.

After all, it’s not truthful to match the i3s with the ID.3 GTX for the reason that former is already seven years previous. EV know-how has massively progressed since then. Take for instance BMW’s personal iX1 and iX2 fashions, which have 201 hp in single-motor guise (eDrive20) and 308 hp for the dual-motor mannequin (xDrive30). It could be nice to have a small hatchback with these two powertrains, however there are not any indicators it might occur anytime quickly.

VW says the ID.3 GTX does 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 6.0 seconds, or in 5.6 seconds for the Efficiency variant. The latter additionally has the next prime pace (200 km/h or 124 mph as a substitute of 180 km/h or 111 mph). Stepping as much as the beefier variant will get you wider tires (235 vs 215) for the 20-inch wheels. Each GTXs have a 79-kWh battery with sufficient juice for 600 kilometers (373 miles) of vary. The i3s had a a lot smaller 37.9-kWh pack whereas the iX1 and iX2 share a 64.7-kWh battery.

In 2024, there nonetheless aren’t that many electrical sizzling hatches on sale. We will’t consider others other than the Abarth 500e and the MG4 XPower however MINI will add a JCW model of the Electrical 3-Door hatchback late this yr. As well as, an Alpine A290 is due within the months to return as a high-performance model of the reborn Renault 5.

Supply: Volkswagen