What is the towing capacity of the VW ID7 Tourer GTX?
Buying advice
Towcar of the month: Volkswagen ID.7 Tourer GTX 4Motion
Not too long ago, the thought of coupling an all-electric car and a caravan was met with derision. Then, a few years ago, we started to see a handful of viable electric towcars come onto the market. Now, with prices dropping and range and practicality rising, there is a choice of several viable zero-emission cars that can comfortably tow a small caravan.
It is not plain sailing just yet, though, and you have to be certain this is the right choice for you. Recharging locations, towing capacity and range are still factors. Is the range enough for your needs and can you recharge at your destination? If not, are you comfortable manoeuvring your combination (or unhitching) so you can use a public charging point? And, critically, can the electric car tow your tourer?
Daniel Attwood Head of Content
Daniel Attwood Head of Content
How much can it tow?
Despite weighing a hefty 2.3 tonnes, this new ID.7 – VW’s first all-electric estate car – can tow a caravan weighing a maximum of 1.4 tonnes. To put this in perspective, that means some 58 new caravans are suitable for this car, the majority of which are two-berth models.
So, it will suit a touring couple or, more likely, an active working couple who own a caravan such as a Swift Basecamp and want the practicality of an estate for their gear and the eco-credentials of a zero-emissions car.
For such a couple, this towcar begins to make serious sense, especially if – as is most likely – it is acquired through a company car or salary sacrifice scheme where the tax benefits of an electric car are greatest.
What it’s like to tow
To find out what is it like as a towcar, we headed to Lowdhams in Nottinghamshire, where we matched this VW to a two-berth Swift Sprite Exclusive Compact, which weighed just 1,109kg – well under the car’s towing capacity.
The towbar (£1,050) remains hidden until a button in the boot is depressed, at which point it swings out and just needs a manual twist to lock into position. Then, thanks to the 360-degree helicopter view on the massive central screen, it is a simple manoeuvre to gently reverse and hitch up.
Mirrors on and lights checked, it was the moment of truth – how much of the car’s battery reserves would be consumed now we had a 1.2-tonne caravan hitched up? At the start of the multi-road test (single and dual-carriageways with multiple stop/starts, as well as cruising and hard and soft acceleration), the car told us we had 65% and 192 miles in the ‘tank’. After an hour, it said we had 53% and 146 miles in reserve.
That’s very impressive and we estimate that on a mild, sunny day – so no lights, no heating and no wipers in use – we could easily tow in excess of 200 miles on a full charge and still have plenty in reserve to unhitch and drive to a charge point if needed. If heading to a reserved pitch with hook-up or a charge point on the campsite and driving gently in ‘eco’ model, we’d be confident aiming for 250 miles in a single drive, or from the NEC in Birmingham to St Austell in Cornwall.
On the road, it performed faultlessly. That massive amount of power (340PS and 545Nm) that’s constantly available and delivered to all four wheels takes all the stress away from towing. Merging with high-speed traffic, overtaking and pulling away are a joy and VW has done what it does so well with the interior to make it not only a practical load lugger (with the rear seats down it can easily take two bikes and luggage) but also quiet, relaxing and a genuinely pleasant place to be.
The car that will tempt you to switch to electric
This could just be the car that tempts caravanning couples to switch to an electric car.
Its range is impressive when towing, its space and comfort levels are exemplary and its price is competitive against a comparable high-end diesel estate.
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