Just over two years ago, Volkswagen dipped its toe into the electric hot hatchback segment with the ID.3 GTX. That car is no more, but its successor is now here, with the new ID.3 GTI, recently revealed by the German manufacturer.
This is not the first EV to carry the GTI suffix. The ID. Polo GTI has also carried the name, but this new model is a little bit more eye-catching. And if you aren’t a fan of electric power, something might prevent you from caring about that.
That is because this is the most powerful GTI car that Volkswagen has ever produced. That’s right, it has even more horsepower than the Golf GTI Edition 50, even if it is literally 1hp more than its combustion-powered sibling. That isn’t something VW will be worried too much about, however.
The new hot hatchback can launch from 0- 62 mph in less than six seconds, and it has a pretty solid top speed as well. It also marks the first time that the German manufacturer has put the GTI badge on a rear-wheel-drive car. Front-wheel drive is usually the norm when it comes to the GTI range.
How Powerful Is the New Volkswagen ID.3 GTI?
Under the hood is where the magic happens with the new German EV. The car rides on the Volkswagen MEB platform, with a rear-mounted motor and a lithium-ion battery with 79 kWh of energy. The ID.3 GTI produces 322hp and 402lb-ft of torque, with a 0- 62 mph time of just 5.6 seconds and a top speed of 124mph. You won’t break any records with that speed, but it’s more than enough for daily driving.
What is perhaps more impressive than the power figures is the range that this car can get. According to Volkswagen, the ID.3 GTI has enough battery capacity for 373 miles of range on a single charge in the WLTP cycle. It takes around 29 minutes to charge it on DC at 183 kW from 10 to 80 percent. The 373 miles of range is six miles more than its predecessor, the ID.3 GTX.
VW has carried over the styling updates that they introduced on the standard and facelifted ID.3. This new version goes by the name of ID.3 Neo, with a more aggressive front end, and the GTI has the signature red accents to boost that aggression. There are some gorgeous glossy black accents across the car, and the vertical LED daytime running lights can’t be found on the base model.
The Interior of the ID.3 GTX has been heavily reworked
Inside, Volkswagen has worked on the cabin and interior as well. There are more physical controls than on the GTX that it replaces, a welcome addition for those sick of touchscreen controls. We even have proper buttons on the steering wheel, making the car feel somewhat old-school. If that wasn’t enough, there are also proper rear-window switches and a volume knob for the ultimate physical control. They are small additions, but ones the ID.3 should have had to begin with.
Gone is the 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster too. Instead, Volkswagen has replaced it with a bigger 12.9-inch infotainment screen. Thanks to the new conventional controls on the center console, the hugely disliked touch slider below the touchscreen is now gone. A new GTI mode has also been added. This brings everything up to the max, unlocks launch control, and even adds a fake engine sound. The ID.3 GTI is expected to go on sale in Europe in Spring 2027.