Volkswagen ID.5 review - Interior & comfort
"The ID.5 looks modern inside but several aspects frustrate"
Because it shares the majority of its interior parts with the ID.4, you’ll either love the Volkswagen ID.5’s interior or it’ll drive you mad. Some of the trim is noticeably nicer than the ID.4’s, reflecting the higher price of the ID.5. A mid-life update thankfully fixed some – but not all – of the issues we had with the ID.5, such as adding backlighting to some of the temperature and volume controls which were previously hard to see at night.
A major issue with the ID.5 is that its cheaper sibling, the Skoda Enyaq Coupe, feels more premium, even though it’s meant to be the budget option. There are other bugbears, such as the daft window switches that have a touch-sensitive panel to switch the controls from front to rear - the Skoda doesn’t have these and is better for it. We found the touch panels on the steering wheel to be easy to knock accidentally, too.
Volkswagen ID.5 dashboard
Volkswagen’s electric ID. models come with a small display ahead of the driver and a large 12.9-inch touchscreen that sticks out of the otherwise minimalist dashboard. The touchscreen is quick to respond and has crisp graphics, although too many commonly used functions are accessed within submenus.
Having all the tiles in the same colour means you need to take a second to work out which one you need, at least until the position of the widgets becomes familiar. It’ll be easy enough to live with eventually, but something like a Volkswagen Tiguan is immediately intuitive.
Below the screen are the much-maligned climate control sliders. They’re useful for a quick swipe to make the temperature cooler or warmer, but no good if you want to choose a precise setting because you’ll be concentrating on getting the sliders to behave rather than on the road ahead.
Volkswagen’s latest software update package is fitted as standard, which promises to have fixed all the previous bugs and glitches with the software. The voice command system picks up on general conversation too frequently and interrupts you, which can be both annoying and distracting.
When the ID. models were revealed, they tended to come with brightly coloured trim - such as orange dashboard pads and a white steering wheel. However, UK buyers may be disappointed by the interior trim available; all standard models come with an incredibly drab black and grey interior with just the odd bit of chrome here and there. It’d be acceptable in a supermini, but it certainly doesn’t feel like a £45,000 car. At the time of writing, you can’t even add funky colours on the options list.
Equipment
As of April 2024, the ID.5’s trim structure has been heavily simplified, with just one Match option available, though it’s well equipped. It features 19-inch alloy wheels, electrically folding wing mirrors, LED rear lights and matrix LED headlights, rear privacy glass, a sat nav, wireless phone charging, ambient interior lighting, heated front seats, a heated faux-leather steering wheel and a reversing camera with front and rear-mounted sensors and an automatic parking assistance system.
Go for the hot GTX model and Volkswagen also throws in slightly sportier exterior elements, GTX badges all around, larger 20-inch alloys and a panoramic glass roof among other additions.
Options
A heat pump costs £1,050 for Match models (included on the GTX) and we’d recommend specifying this to mitigate the negative effect of cold weather on the battery’s range somewhat, and you’ll be paying £190 for a cable that lets you charge from a normal plug socket. Accessories include floor mats, bike carriers and boot liners.
