Volkswagen has officially unveiled the ID.3 GTI, but beneath the familiar red accents and tartan seats is a much bigger change than simply replacing petrol with electricity. Here are some details you might have missed.
It is rear wheel drive. The ID.3 GTI sends its 240 kW (326 PS) and 545 Nm exclusively to the rear axle, making it the first rear wheel drive Volkswagen in GTI history. It reaches 100 km/h in 5.6 seconds with Launch Control, while top speed is limited to 200 km/h.
It is the most powerful production GTI ever. Volkswagen says the 326 PS output makes the ID.3 GTI the most powerful GTI ever built in series production.
There is an actual GTI button. An illuminated button at the bottom of the steering wheel activates the dedicated GTI mode, sharpening the car’s driving characteristics and enabling Launch Control.
It even has an engine like soundtrack. Volkswagen has developed an electronic sports sound that responds to factors including speed, accelerator position and torque. In Sport mode, the more pronounced sports sound operates up to 50 km/h.
Range hasn’t been sacrificed. Volkswagen forecasts up to 601 km of WLTP range from the 79 kWh net battery. DC charging at up to 183 kW should take around 29 minutes from 10 to 80 percent. Both figures remain preliminary.
Those wheels have a story. The standard 20 inch wheels are called Wörthersee, a reference to the legendary GTI gathering in Austria.
And yes, the classic details remain: Tornado Red, the red GTI grille stripe, black honeycomb elements, red stitching and the Superclark tartan pattern, a modern interpretation of the original Golf GTI’s interior design.
The ID.3 GTI is currently a near production concept and is not yet available to buy. Pre sales are scheduled to begin at the start of 2027, with the market launch planned for spring 2027.
