322bhp VW ID3 GTX Performance Costs Golf R Money

The fastest version of Volkswagen’s inaugural crack at an electric hot hatch starts at £46,225

27 Aug 2024

The Volkswagen ID3 GTX is a big moment for Volkswagen – it can be viewed as a sort of trial run for the form a future electric Golf GTI might take. In the here and now, though, it exists alongside hot Golfs with petrol power, and in range-topping Performance form, early adopters will need to pay similar money to an optioned-up Golf R.

The GTX Performance gets a single motor sending 322bhp to the rear wheels, driven by a new 79kWh battery. That means it’s good for 62mph in 5.6 seconds, a figure that leaves it slap-bang in the middle between the recently-updated R and GTI versions of the Golf in terms of acceleration. Top speed, meanwhile, is a high-for-an-EV 124mph. It sits above a non-Performance GTX, which gets 282bhp and a 111mph top end.

The new battery can be charged from 10 to 80 per cent in a forecast 26 minutes, and the quoted range is 369 miles.

Volkswagen ID3 GTX Performance - interior

As per usual for VW hot hatches, exterior changes are relatively subtle: the GTX gets new model-specific front and rear bumpers and side skirts, and standard 20-inch alloys. Inside, there are new sports seats, GTX-specific dashboard trim and lots of red stitching, because sportiness.

While pricing hasn’t been confirmed for the lower-powered GTX, the Performance starts at £46,225. That’s a considerably higher entry point than any hot Golf – the most expensive version of the Mk8.5 is the R estate, which starts at £44,685.

VW board member Kai Grünitz calls the GTX Performance an “electric counterpart” to the Golf GTI Clubsport, pricing of which kicks off at £41,655. We are, however, promised “the same fascinating lightness” under acceleration.

Perhaps the biggest point of comparison for the GTX Performance isn’t a Golf, though, but its identically-specced Spanish relative, the Cupra Born VZ. That car starts at £44,625 – would you spend nearly £2,000 more for a VW badge?

The first full sentence spoken by an infant Mike was a review of the ride quality of a Volvo 850. It was “Daddy’s car goes bumpy-bump on a bumpy road,” so would probably need proofreading a bit, but it was a start.