Hi all... i did a test drive for 3 days in a id.7 Launch edition. I know fronts are discs and rears are drum - but I was very unimpressed with the softness and foot pressure needed to get a 'decent' stopping experience... I really had to push hard with long pedal travel - every other car I have had are much more sharp, predictable and effective...(even Tourans and Golfs)
Maybe it was the demo car (only 3 months old), but want to check your experience please - my id.7 is due soon
id.7 Brakes - Soft and spongy?
This is completely normal for all of the MEB platform based cars (VW ID series, Skoda Enyaq, Cupra Born etc). But also to some extent in all EVs.
When you press the brake pedal, initially it doesn’t use the friction brakes, it uses the motor to generate power - hence creating a big load that slows the car (and charges the battery). Only if you press harder does it start to engage the friction brakes - as this is wasting energy as heat rather than usefully charging the battery.
You get used to it - and after 6 years of driving EVs, I find the brakes on petrol VWs to be too sharp with no variability
When you press the brake pedal, initially it doesn’t use the friction brakes, it uses the motor to generate power - hence creating a big load that slows the car (and charges the battery). Only if you press harder does it start to engage the friction brakes - as this is wasting energy as heat rather than usefully charging the battery.
You get used to it - and after 6 years of driving EVs, I find the brakes on petrol VWs to be too sharp with no variability
2021 Enyaq iV 80 Sportline, Energy Blue, Assisted Drive Plus, Infotainment Plus, Convenience Plus, Comfort Seat Plus, Heat Pump.
On order: ID.7 Tourer GTX, Heat pump, Sunroof, Kings Red.
On order: ID.7 Tourer GTX, Heat pump, Sunroof, Kings Red.
I had the same thought when on the test drive and my id7 is the same. I did ask the dealer but they weren't entirely sure and their answer wasn't convincing. I now drive all the time in "B" mode and hardly ever touch the brakes, until you want to come to a complete stop of course. It's pretty good at slowing the car down and of course regens the battery. I agree with RichR, you'll get used to it as with all things.
This is why the MEB cars have drums at the back - the rear brakes really don’t do much at all on an EV. I know of Enyaq taxi drivers who have done over 200,000 miles with little brake wear. VW don’t expect the rear brakes to need any attention in the average lifetime of the car.
Especially if you get the hang of Eco Assist, where you let the car manage the regeneration level you approach junctions, you don’t need to brake as much as in a petrol car, and the slowing down adds a little bit of range.
2021 Enyaq iV 80 Sportline, Energy Blue, Assisted Drive Plus, Infotainment Plus, Convenience Plus, Comfort Seat Plus, Heat Pump.
On order: ID.7 Tourer GTX, Heat pump, Sunroof, Kings Red.
On order: ID.7 Tourer GTX, Heat pump, Sunroof, Kings Red.
When you actually need the brakes in an emergency they work very well. I was driving down a clear lane 3 of the motorway at 70mph and another car drove off the slip road at about 50 and swerved across all the other lanes right into my path. The other lanes all had vehicles in them so I had nowhere to go. I braked hard and couldn't believe how good the brakes were and how stable the car was in an emergency deceleration situation. I avoided a collision by a couple of meters. We were all badly shaken but the car handled it reassuringly well. If I'd been in my old A5 or Passat I don't think they would have shaved the speed off anywhere near as well.
ID.7 Match Pro Tourer delivered September 2024
