Volkswagen ID.3 GTX Performance, price and specification revealed

Volkswagen has revealed that its first electric hot hatch – the ID.3 GTX Performance – will cost from £46,255 when it goes on sale from 29 August.

The Germanic cousin to the Cupra Born VZ is the latest GTX model to hit the market, after the recently launched ID.7 and ID Buzz GTX models and the pre-existing ID.4 and ID.5 GTX. It is the first time the ID.3 family hatchback has had an equivalent to performance-focused versions of the Golf such as the GTI and R.

It replaces the regular 201bhp rear-mounted motor with a more potent unit that produces 321bhp. While the power hike is significant, the increase in torque is even more substantial, rising 173lb ft to 402lb ft.

That’s enough to get the ID.3 GTX from 0-62mph in 5.7 seconds, and VW has upped the car’s top speed from 99mph to 124mph. While the top speeds are the same, the Born VZ claims a 0.1-second advantage in the traffic light showdown.

The ID.3’s steering and chassis have also been tweaked to offer a more hot hatch experience. The car sits lower than the Pro and Pro S models on retuned sports suspension with adaptive dampers. Via the dynamic chassis control these dampers can be adjusted in line with the car’s three different driving modes or tweaked further via a Golf Clubsport-style slider.

The GTX also gets an upgraded battery offering 79kWh of capacity, which VW says returns a range of up to 369 miles. Like other GTX models, it can be recharged at up to 185kW for a 10-80% top-up in 26 minutes.

Visually, the ID.3 GTX is identifiable thanks to a GTX-specific front bumper, complete with a new black air intake with diamond motif and new ‘arrowhead’ daytime running lights. The high-gloss black finish continues around the car and there are new sills, a rear diffuser and black 20-inch alloy wheels.

Inside, there are faux-leather and fabric ‘ergoActive’ sports seats with red stitching, a GTX-specific dashboard surface and a GTX-branded steering wheel. All GTX models also get a Harman Kardon sound system and augmented-reality head-up display as standard.

“The ID.3 GTX Performance is, for me, the electric counterpart to the Golf GTI Clubsport,” said VW’s technical development boss Kai Grünitz.

“Of course, an electric drive and a turbocharged petrol engine each have their own unique character. Yet the ID.3 GTX Performance and the Golf GTI Clubsport share the same fascinating lightness when they accelerate.”