Volkswagen came blazing into the EV space with the sort of vigor of a person being chased by a bear, except that bear was Dieselgate. They had what seemed to be a winning platform with MEB, and their plans to re-birth the old Microbus as the ID.Buzz promised real excitement. But the ID.Buzz still isn’t for sale in America just yet (it is in Europe, though) and VW’s other EV offerings have been competent, but not really terribly exciting. Happily, it seems VW is getting the message, as they’ve just shown the first all-electric GTI: the ID.GTI. It looks like it hits all of the fundamental GTI traits, and even can do impressions of earlier GTIs. This is a good application for the unique abilities of an EV, so I’m curious and excited.
It’s also worth noting that even though this seems to be an electric Golf GTI, it’s probably better to think of it as a GTI variant of the ID platform. That’s because even though most of us associate GTI with the original Golf GTI model, the truth is that VW has applied the ethos of GTI-hood to a lot of models: Polo, Scirocco, and even the little Up!. They even played with the idea of a Passat GTI back in the day.
As you can see, there are traditional GTI cues all over the car, like in the honeycomb grille pattern and those wheels, which are designed to evoke the Pirelli rim from the Mark 1 Golf GTI and the Denver rim from the Golf GTI Mark 5.
So, what we’re looking at here is the ID.2all that we’re not actually getting in America but marinated in thick, spicy GTI sauce, and all that contains: speed, great handling, real driver engagment, and, I hope, plaid, lots of plaid. Since it’s an EV a golf-ball-type gearshift is probably not in the cards, but the effect has been applied to the center-stack screen control knob thing, it seems. VW showed the ID.GTI at IAA in Munich, but the interior images seem to be renders.
There seems to be a lot going on in these interior shots, but I’m skeptical about how much will really make it into production. Like, these illuminated pedals are cool:
…but is that really the sort of thing a production car, especially something that VW hopes will be it’s entry-level EV, is likely to have? I do like how the usual accelerator/play icon has been swapped with a “fast forward” set of double-arrows, too, for, you know, extra speed.
I couldn’t find details about that “POWER UP” button there in VW’s press release, but it seems like it could be a sort of push-to-pass, momentary power boost sort of thing, which should be possible with an EV drivetrain, at least in theory.
Oh, and that heart icon there seems to have a purpose as well:
“[the seats] inner surfaces naturally have a reinterpreted GTI plaid pattern, with fabric being called Jack-e instead of Jacky, the name used for the fabric in the Mark 6 Golf GTI. The driver’s seat backrest is additionally equipped with the GTI Heartbeat, a red pulse sensor. When the concept vehicle is locked using the remote control, this activates the anti-theft alarm: the GTI Heartbeat, which is visible from outside, signals to the driver that the vehicle is secure.”
Huh. Okay. This concept also plays around a lot with heads-up displays, for both driver and passenger, and I’m also a bit skeptical that’ll make it to production:
“The designers and engineers have also taken a new approach with the augmented reality head-up display. It projects a new data set onto the windshield, now for the passenger as well as the driver. This means the virtual and real worlds are merged for the ‘co-driver’ as well. In standard driving mode, information such as the speed or current range is projected in front of the driver and front passenger. In this basic configuration, the GTI Silver Drive white is used for the background lighting and displays. Activate the new GTI mode, and the background lighting and all displays switch to the GTI Red Turbo color.”
Oh, and like the regular ID.2all concept we reported about earlier, the digital instrument cluster will be able to emulate the look of GTI dashboards from decades past, which is pretty fun. I think that can definitely stay in for production, as its just bitmap files and software.
The whole point of the GTI has always been a way to have a car that’s both practical and fun, and according to VW’s press release, that still seems to be the goal:
“Thomas Schäfer, CEO of the Volkswagen brand, sums up the appeal of Volkswagen’s GTI cars: “The perfect combination of driving pleasure and everyday usability—that is what the GTI letters have meant for decades. With this concept, we are transporting the GTI DNA into the electric age. It remains sporty, iconic, technologically progressive and accessible, but now has a new interpretation for tomorrow’s world: electric, fully connected and extremely emotive. Here, driving pleasure and sustainability are a perfect match. This means GTI has a future for our brand and for the fans. Production has already been decided as part of our electrification plans. The ID. GTI Concept is a Volkswagen sports car for the electric age that is suitable for everyday driving: 100 percent electric, 100 percent emotion.”
So, it looks like this thing is destined to be actually produced, which is good news.
Like all the other GTIs, this is a front-wheel drive machine, complete with a front axle differential lock, computer controlled by a system called the Vehicle Dynamics Manager, which is similar to what is used in current combustion GTIs.
Speaking of dynamics, VW doesn’t have power or torque or range numbers, but we do know the specs on the ID.2all, which are quite decent: 223 horsepower, 0-62 speeds in under seven seconds, and an estimated range of 280 miles. I would expect a GTI variant to have better numbers for everything, except perhaps range.
VW is pretty generous with other specs, specifically dimensions:
| ID. GTI Concept | |
| Length | 161.6 in |
| Width | 72.4 in |
| Height | 59.0 in |
| Wheelbase | 102.4 in |
| Storage volume | 17.3-47.0 cu ft |
| Wheels | 245/35 R20 |
It’s a roomy little hatchback, exactly as it should be. It’s also one of the most effective small hatchback designs at hiding the fact it has four doors; if I didn’t know there was a rear door back there, I don’t think I’d have guessed.
The stance is wide and athletic, and that sort-of-zig-zag C-pillar body panel feels very familiar and has sort of become a GTI/Golf design trademark. I like it. This isn’t too showy, but it does have a lot of presence and appeal.
The taillight design is now a full-width heckblende-type deal, with the lighting elements under a smoked cover to make them, you know, sinister.
Really, though, the big party trick of the ID.GTI seems to be the fact it can do impressions. As VW describes it:
This is possible because the set-up of the electric drive motor and its system can be varied almost infinitely. This permits realization of a wide range of different GTI profiles. Using a newly developed GTI Experience Control on the center console, the driver can choose which characteristics the ID. GTI Concept’s powertrain should have. For the first time, it is possible to adjust the drive system, running gear, steering, sound, and even the simulated shift points in the style of one of the historic GTI models—such as the original 1976 Golf GTI, the first 16-valve Golf GTI Mark 2 from 1986 or the 2001 Golf GTI Mark 4 ‘25 years of GTI’. This makes the ID. GTI Concept a highly dynamic time machine.
An electric motor has a lot of flexibility in how the power coming from it can be doled out, and if that means adjusting output or torque, or setting artificial shift points so it feels like a hot hatch from the 1980s, you can do it. Here at Autopian HQ, we’ve been talking about this very idea for years, so it’s exciting to see an automaker finally really talking about it. David has a huge article about just this concept like halfway finished, even.
If VW actually gets this to market, it’ll hit a couple big things VW needs to hit: an entry-level EV, and an actually fun EV. I hope they pull it off.
Overall a good looking car. Ditch the wheels, scrape off the 80s style vinyl graphics and get fix that fake diffuser/rear bumper and they’d really have something.
As for the replicating the feel of an o rt iginal GTI, good luck making a 4000 lb electric car feel like a 1700lb gas car. And even if you could, WHY? Make the electric interesting, don’t put sunglasses and a baseball hat on it and pretend it’s something it’s not.
The outside looks amazing. The inside is a nightmare. TWO pop up screens. Lots of bright red lights, no buttons really.
VW ain’t coming back with releases like this.
I guess we’re just going to ignore what the I in GTI means?
I think this looks great. I loved my 2012 Golf TDI 2 door, until of course the Dieselgate “fixes” made the car awful to drive. It really did a number on the APR Stage 1 tune. Car would actually stutter nuder acceleration, it would constantly turn on the DPF regen, etc.
It’s a shame because I really wanted a Touareg TDI next.
VW bought back my Golf, and my best friend’s Touareg TDI.
Hey VW, AC/DC would like to have a word with you … ” I couldn’t find details about that “POWER UP” button there in VW’s press release, but it seems like it could be a sort of push-to-pass, momentary power boost sort of thing, which should be possible with an EV drivetrain, at least in theory.”
What a shame it looks fucking awful. It’s this Star Wars sequels Stormtrooper design that is so popular across everything now. And the abundance of lights and screens is just fucking goofy. Icons on pedals? “Heartbeat” lights? Please. Just give me a car that does what a car is supposed to do and doesn’t include all the gimmicks. I don’t want it to be a smartphone. I want it to be a car.
I like it…but as others have said, I’m not sold on the whole “faking” of ICE characteristics. And I hate the interior. So many of us work in front of a computer monitor all day. When we aren’t working, we look at our phones. And when we are at home, we watch TV. My car is one escape from that (okay, it has one small lcd screen in the dash that basically tells me what song is playing and displays my backup camera. If I could turn it off without turning off the stereo I would. Thanks VW.) The idea of getting in my car and having to look at more fucking screens isn’t something I look forward to. And there’s nothing that says EVs have to be that way, although I guess a lot of the general public probably wants it because “shiny and futuristic!” I could tolerate a central screen if the instruments weren’t displayed on one too, but it’s starting to look like that’s the way of the future, especially as it becomes cheaper to just install screens instead of moving gauges and dials.
Idk. I’m modding a Sportwagen and if Mercedes’ 300k+ mile Sportwagen(s) are any indication of longevity, I’ve got a lot more miles to cover in mine before I think about replacement.
Also, edited to add that I think the styling on this thing is fucking fantastic. If VW fires everyone that has designed their interiors as of late, it will be a hit.
so agree on the screens, it is a subtle but really enjoyable part of driving my ’83 533i project car-0 screens just gauges and some really simple period HVAC and trip computer controls (granted it currently has no stereo lol) really bummed that this is the route the auto industry has gone-also the utter lack of taste and good design for most of the digital stuff adds insult to injury.
Cool story, VW. Will it have capacitive touch buttons?
Capacitive brake pedal.
Will it light up the dash with all sorts of warning lights to give you that VW experience ?
Given VW’s decades-long track record of electrical issues inside the car, my first thought when I saw the concept was lolno.
I for one love the idea of configuring your EV to behave like a 1976 GTI. Put your foot to the floor and row through all 4 gears as your grind your way to 60mph in a shade under 9 seconds!
Let’s be honest, there’s a huge chunk of the performance in modern cars (EVs especially) that is absolutely pointless for real world applications. Unless you’re on the track, you’ve no business doing more than about 85mph, and playing with the ‘rocket launch mode’ acceleration button to pull away from the first stoplight on a street with stoplights at the end of every block is just a reckless way of burning through that 300+ mile range that everyone argues is essential for an EV to be a viable purchase.
I like the idea of a silly, but still fun, small-ish and (we can dream) affordable EV that has enough performance to get by, but isn’t trying to set any drag race or land speed records. Give it sharp steering, and handling that can make me giggle without sending me into the neighbors’ hedge, and I am a happy man.
This is the kind of Plaid mode I want.
While I agree 100% that EVs are too fast-a lot of what makes something like an original GTi fun is that it didn’t feel slow because that 9 sec 0-60 run was plenty for the chassis to handle, plus you were furiously rowing through the ultra short gears with that twin cam engine roaring. On a modern chassis tuned to handle well over 200 hp with modern sound deadening and chassis isolation 0-60 in 9 seconds where you’re not shifting is just going to feel slow imo…would love to be proven wrong and I think the idea is interesting, but I’m a little skeptical.
I believe the Chevy Bolt is for you, then.
When I test-drove one I was very surprised by how slow it was for an EV, after having driven Teslas and an electric Hyundai. My VW Sportwagen diesel is faster.
This is a good looking car, more Twingo and R5 to me than GTI. But why can’t they just make this without all the stupid tech and non sense.
Take the best car you had from 10yrs ago, rip out engine, tranny, etc… EV it…. don’t change anything else…. $30k EV that will sell like hot cakes…. Are the manufacturers really as stupid as they show us?
But will they sell it over here?
Now we just need an ID.Bug that can simulate a car making 36 hp with basically no heat.
Just wait until you have 10 miles of range left, the car will act like that on its own.
I wonder what kind of range you’d get if you put it in limp mode the whole time.
It’s a VW, it’ll put itself in limp mode frequently.
based on my e-Golf, with 125 miles range if put it in eco+, which drops its to about 60HP and a top speed of 53mph I can got 192 miles, probably break 200 mile with proper regen usage.
I cannot fathom why they didn’t go with this styling from the get-go instead of whatever the Mk8 and ID range is.. or the awful new Passat. This seems like the obvious evolution of the Mk7 Golf/Mk6 Polo design. Mk8 is whatever, if a bit.. overdone, but the ID.range and the B9 Passat are somehow simultaneously inoffensively anonymous and offensively ugly. As soon as they showed off the ID.2all, I was sad and hopeful. Sad we’ll still be stuck having to look at the ID.4 (and probably the next tiguan) for ~10 years, but hopeful they’ll turn it around and be good looking again.
On another note, am I the only one who’s notifications are nerfed? the number on my bell keeps climbing, but clicking it does fuck all. Mobile and desktop. Been like that since day 2.
edit: I really enjoy that the interior render shows the gas and brake pedal as fast fwd and stop vs play and pause on the regular ID. cars. That’s the fun Easter egg shit we like. Don’t really care about the shifting gimmick, it’ll be disable-able, either thru the UI or VAGCOM.
I feel like it’s been years since I’ve seen a new car for sale that I really wanted, and today alone there are three (this eGTI, the Mercedes Cla, and the eMini) that I really like. Maybe I’m just in a good mood after the long holiday weekend or maybe these concepts will turn into overpriced nonsense once they hit showrooms, but I have reason to be optimistic.
you’re still drunk.
Why in the name of god and all that is holy are we still trying to make performance EVs sound and feel like gas cars? It’s absolutely absurd. No one wants simulated shifts, pumped in audio, or a fake exhaust. The entire point of EVs is they don’t need any of that shit. You can just mash the go pedal and be flying in complete silence. That’s cool!
I’m just so angered by this shit, and my wounds from the Ioniq 5 N are still fresh. Who the fuck is asking for this? What self respecting enthusiast sees these features and is like OH HELL YEAH I WANT MY EV TO FAKE SHIFT? I mean dear god…you might as well just make the thing autonomous, put a fake shifter on the ground that changes the fake engine sounds, and project a video game onto the windshield so the braindead “driver” can pretend they’re in Fast 22 or whatever while they’re being taken to their destination.
I was actually excited for this because it addresses the worst part of the gas GTI-its reliability. All it needs to be an electric hot hatch that incinerates its front tires on command. It’s not like the GTI driving experience is even THAT special. If you’ve never driven a performance oriented car then it’s mind blowing, but once you have it really isn’t. It’s just a fun daily that’s meant to be enjoyed on public roads at 7/10ths while offering superb practicality.
It’s not that hard of an assignment and yet, as they always do, VW’s engineers came up with a litany of overly complicated solutions to problems that don’t exist. If they just made a FWD EV hatch with none of the gimmicks that had roughly the same power to weight ratio of a regular GTI for around the same price they’d sell every single one. But instead they came up with this dumbass thing that I’m sure they’ll be charging Golf R money for before their dealerships slap an additional $10,000 on top.
I just want a simple, lightweight (within reason) performance oriented EV that just does the regular EV stuff and has 300 real world miles of range. It’s not even a big ask, and yet what manufacturers are giving us is rolling video games instead. I’m beginning to think I’m going to be holding onto my Kona N for 10+ years the way things are going these days…
They could have saved a lot of money and complexity just by offering the option of clothespinning a playing card between the spokes of the wheels.
At least the fixed the one thing I have always hated in car interiors: not being able to see the pedals.
To answer the top question – because they realize the EV experience is stale. It lacks so much of the mechanical bits, interactions, sounds, and feel that make an ICE engine unique, fun and have personality. The GTI is not about straight up speed, nothing in this segment is. It’s about the actual driving experience, which is fun. It’s the problem of running looking at this like an engineer – yes EVs are faster with instant always available torque – the numbers are always going to be better in that regard, but the numbers don’t tell the actual story or actual experience.
Now, I am none too in favor of fake engine sounds, fake shifts and the like, but at the end of the day they know that an EV engine and drivetrain really isn’t going to feel different from any other. The experience is what’s sacrificed here, and I don’t think there is really a way around that, sadly. It’s gimmicks trying to make up for the loss of actual engaging sensory experience.
Everything you said is correct, and given that these are the early days of EVs I think we all knew there’d be some weird experimentation out of necessity. I remain cautiously optimistic that eventually there will be affordable EVs that are engaging to drive and have character, but it’s abundantly clear that we aren’t there yet.
That being said I’d rather they spend all the money that’s currently being incinerated on making them into rolling video game consoles into finding ways to make them lighter…because that would go a long way when it comes to feel and engagement. There were a couple of Teslas at the track day I was at this weekend and they were absolute disasters…sliding all over the place, body roll out the wazoo, unstable, etc.
Don’t get me wrong-they were the fastest things anyone had out on the back straight but once the twisty bits hit it was downright unsettling seeing one in close proximity because you could never quite tell which way it would go, and good fucking look keeping one of those things on a line.
Give me something I can throw around that doesn’t have a bunch of fake nonsense and maybe we can talk. I’m far from anti EV, I just look at stuff like this and the new Ioniq 5 N and get irrationally angry. If I wanted a simulation I’d just play Forza or something…
So how was the Kona N on track? I’m slowly convincing myself that a RWD chassis isn’t a must-have for a track car.
SHOCKINGLY good. I kept getting bumped up into faster groupings and multiple guys running 5.0 Mustangs came over to ask me what I was driving…and some dude who was there spectating walked up, took a picture of it, and said it was “the hidden gem” of the day. In the straights it wasn’t necessarily anything special but in the twisty bits it’s a force to be reckoned with.
I figured it was a decent enough track car since it’s an N at all, but I wasn’t prepared for how high the limits are even with performance all seasons on it. I only got up to about 8/10ths and it still had more to give. Car and Driver’s Lightning Lap confirmed this as well, the Kona N they had was lapping at a torrid pace for its class.
If you specifically want a track car I think the Veloster N is probably the best of the 3 and can be had in stick…but if you need to pull double duty and actually use it frequently the Kona is a lot more usable so long as you can get past the rough ride.
I’m with you on all of this. Teslas handle great, on flat ground. The same can be said for 2-ton “sports cars” and supercars. Put them on an incline, and that mass works against them, no matter how much power they have or how big the brakes/tires are or how fancy the suspension. That mass inhibits maneuverability as well, and there is no getting around F = m*A.
I would be happy to have an inexpensive EV with 250 horsepower, of around 2,500 lbs, with a small 30 kWh battery. That’s all you need. To get decent range on the highway(where long range is actually needed), streamline the crap out of it without prioritizing aesthetics/plastic cladding/oversized wheels/oversized grilles/corporate brand identity over aero efficiency. Give us a slippery bastard with a Cd in the 0.1X range, and being a small car, a Miata-like frontal area. Who cares if it only has 120-150 miles range in the city, since it will have 200+ miles range on the highway when you drive it normally, and the pack would still be enough for a few laps around the racetrack on track days between charges. The power to weight ratio of such a machine would be sufficient to play with Hellcats, Corvettes, and other expensive toys on the straights, out-corner them, but could be produced at a Miata price point.
VW needs to make an all-electric XL1 with a higher production volume, less exotic build materials, a relatively small battery, and an emphasis on horsepower. They can definitely do it.
It’s just another thing in the long line of “hey no actions or decisions actually have consequences or downsides ever!” promises, when we can all see it before our very eyes. I totally agree on the lightness factor, that’d be a big improvement to both performance feel AND not destroying the roads!
I don’t think EVs are ready for prime time, and I believe that PHEVs are a smarter move to get a more efficient and environmentally sound fleet, but EVs are going to make for good luxury cars, not sports cars. But that said we’ve sacrificed sports cars to being fat, excessively expensive “performance SUVs” anyway since, of course, nothing has any actual downsides and nothing means anything
As a life-long motorsports enthusiast (and participant as a kart racer when I was a kid), I could never get into the whole “exhaust noise = ‘fun'”.
Yes, I can appreciate a good exhaust note (I’ve owned a bunch of italian cars that sounded great), but it’s never something I’m after. For example I’ve never put a louder exhaust on any motorbike, and even considered the lower db level as a plus when choosing a bike. Why would I want the po-po to know I’m coming three blocks over, so they can ready the speed gun and buckle their seatbelt??
I also think the EV whine is cool and kinda tie-fighter-y, there’s really no need to overlap some fake exhaust noises over it.
As for your track experience with Tesla drivers, it might just be that day/track you went to had some ‘first track day’ drivers, I go to track days about two dozen times per year and I’ve seen some experienced Tesla drivers (with Michelin Cup2’s) that were faster than Porsche GT3’s. I’ve also seen a Viper ACR track-prepped driven slow as hell before going off track on his first hot lap, so the driver does matter LOL
They should just glue a See n’ Say to the dash and be done with it. “the GTI says ‘vroom, vroom.’”
assuming a concept car doesn’t have reliability issues, especially these days… Well that’s a bold statement imo. And I make a lot of bold statements.
No thanks. As I said earlier, when I can write the check, I’ll buy a REAL GTI or offshoot. One that sounds like you’re winding up a high-revving gas engine and shifting real gears, because you are. I’m pretty certain I will be able to buy one, insure it, and buy quite a few tanks of petrol for the list on the Golf-Like Buzz-Bomb.
Also: it will be free of all the doo-dads, gimmicks and trick feature the programmers have thrown into this one. Lighter, too.
Very interesting, and honestly probably more tempting to me than the new Mini. Best of all, is it’s not getting bigger! 161″ length is similar in size to the 1995 GTI! And noticeably smaller than the current model at it’s 170. Height is up a bit, but of course it is with batteries. If they get the pricing competitive, I will likely be very interested.
Comparing it to some of the competition, the EX30 is 167x72x61, or very similar, but slightly longer/taller while also being RWD. This will probably be more fun, but both are very tempting right now. Will be looking at both once they are actually in showrooms.
As long as I can turn this crap off… fine whatever. But just like simulated shifts on a cvt or trash fake engine noise, just stop.
Stop trying to market objectively worse experiences as positives so you don’t have to find yourself in a situation where you have to make an experience shittier to be standing out.
They’re trying to market those objectively worse experiences to try to mask the fact that the whole thing really is an objectively worse driving experience
I’m still not sold on fake shifting and engine sounds. It just comes off as corny. The soundaktor they cram into everything is bad enough, this is on another level.
There are some renders of the plaid on the seats out there and it was a very minimalistic pattern. Electric VW owners can have little a plaid, as a treat.
This is the automotive equivalent of those creepy Japanese sex dolls from the uncanny valley. Sure, everything sorta looks right and it can do all the right stuff, even say some appropriate things, but it’s a soulless relationship and, in the end, an empty ride. Or so I’ve heard.
I will trade my e-Golf in on this IF AND ONLY IF there are 4 separate window buttons on the driver side door.
Sorry I jumped the gun on myself. 20in wheels on this is a No-Go for me. I want 18s with sidewall.
Wheels and tires can be replaced, ya know.
The interior rendering shows 4 buttons on the door.
VW did a bit of a mea culpa about the id. interiors right now, so hopefully they have learned. MK7 golf/GTI interior is damn near perfect so I would love to see something similar to that.
What do you need four buttons for when you don’t even get proper rear door handles?
Proper front door handles only are fine by me.
I think this is a 100% home run. I even like the gimmicks. Now can they sell it for under $35,000?
LOL
*edit-laughing at your price hopes*
VW has lost the plot. I bet this thing will weigh as much as an Atlas.
I’ll hold most my comments until I see a real one on the road, but does the hood/front bumper seem a little too tall?
I know it’s all fake, but that coupled with what looks to be tall windows makes this feel more like a slammed Tiguan than anything else. That side view of the rear quarter looks like a nice evolution, some maybe the real ones will follow that more.
They did the black rocker trim to help mask the car’s size and make it appear shorter in height. Very popular thing that’s been done on crossovers for a bit now. That means this absolutely is taller than any VW hatchback prior, and likely by 3-4 inches.