Volkswagen ID Crozz inches closer to production, still has bad name
Let's hope VW changes the name before it arrives at dealerships.
Volkswagen is slowly opening up about the process for launching its ID lineup of electric vehicles. Both the ID hatchback and ID Crozz crossover are slated to launch in 2020, with the ID Buzz van bringing up the rear in 2022. The ID Crozz will actually be the first to arrive in the US, and here at the Frankfurt Motor Show, VW will show off a new version of the Crozz that's ever so slightly closer to its production-ready form.
The changes are on the subtle side. The LED headlights have been tweaked to be "more representative of those in a production car," meaning they use shapes and materials that won't result in headlights that cost $12,000 to replace. There's a running light strip connecting the headlights, with a light-up VW logo smack dab in the middle. The rear and sides have slight adjustments to lower trim pieces, and it takes a real keen eye to point them out.
The inside remains largely the same. The front doors open like normal, but the rear doors slide backward, presenting the occupants with a huge entryway. Two rows of seats float on thin stanchions, with traditional adjustment switches where you'd expect them. The panoramic roof's shade can be activated by gesture control. There's an infotainment screen in the middle, and just like the other ID models, the steering wheel can fold into the dashboard when the car is driving itself.
Autonomous driving factors heavily into the design of every ID vehicle, even though full-on autonomy likely won't be available when the vehicle launches in 2020. Voice commands can shift it between autonomous and manned driving modes. They go one step further than that -- you can ask the car to open the trunk or all the doors, and it'll respond in kind. Light strips inside the car give occupants an idea of what mode the car is in.
When the driver is in charge, he or she will receive navigation directions through an augmented-reality head-up display. Directions will appear to be 20 to 50 feet away, so the driver won't need to keep checking the infotainment screen.
The ID Crozz's specs seem pretty production-ready, too. VW claims a power output of about 300 horsepower, with a top speed of about 112 mph. Its range is an estimated 310 miles on the Euro-spec NEDC cycle -- EPA estimates for EVs trend lower than NEDC, so expect that number to lower a bit when it comes to the US.
Like all the other ID models, the ID Crozz will be built atop Volkswagen's brand new MEB platform. Built specifically for electric cars, MEB allows cars with either two-wheel or all-wheel drive, and since the battery is built into the floor, it gives every ID model a nice, flat interior that should make it feel pretty darn spacious.
What you see here may very well change over the next three years, but the latest version of the ID Crozz gives us our best look yet at the first ID EV to grace our shores.
