Volkswagen is getting ready to give its successful ID.3 electric hatchback its mid-lifecycle refresh, but the facelift will bring a lot more than just a nip and tuck, according to a new report. Apparently, with next year’s refresh, VW will also introduce the much anticipated ID.3 GTX dual-motor, all-wheel drive performance version.
We don’t know exactly when, but it could be as early as next year. The ID.3 was introduced in 2019 so it would already be a four year old model at this point, making it plausible that we will see it in 2023.
AutoExpress quotes VW spokesperson Martin Hube who at the launch of the ID.5 (pictured below) in Austria was asked specifically about the ID.3 GTX. He said
Of course the project is progressing. [For the] ID.3 facelift…we will get some very interesting details and of course, we are convinced that customer’s expectations for a bit more power, for all-wheel drive is there, and [the] customer’s wish is what we have to fulfil.
Volkswagen did previously confirm it had given the ID.3 GTX the green light, but it never announced when the model would be added to the range. This still isn’t a confirmation it’s coming in 2023, but it is what older reports (both about the facelift and the GTX variant) also seem to indicate.
The ID.3 has already been updated once, in late 2021 when it was given a bigger 12-inch infotainment screen, improved fabrics, Alcantara trim in the top versions and even backlighting for the volume slider, making it easier to use at night.
We don’t know how VW will change the ID.3’s look, but it will probably concentrate mostly on the fascias, it will get new wheel designs, interior trim options. With major updates like this they also apply improvements that could have only come after years of leaving the vehicle in owners’ hands.
The facelift may also bring changes to the powertrain and battery pack options. The top ID.3 GTX version will be the first ID.3 with all-wheel drive, courtesy of a dual-motor setup from the larger ID.4 and ID.5 crossovers. The GTX variants of these have 299 horsepower and 339 pound-feet (460 Nm) of torque, sprinting to 62 mph (100 km/h) in 6.2 seconds; the lighter ID.3 GTX with the same powertrain will probably dip below the six-second mark.
