Volkswagen presented this week the new Volkswagen ID.3 GTI, the first car to carry the rear-wheel drive sports acronym in five decades of history. The electric hatch delivers 326 hp and 55,6 kgfm, with numbers that also make it the most powerful production GTI ever made by the brand.
The change had no sporting appeal: the ID.3 has always had the engine on the rear axle, since its debut in 2019, and the GTI version only inherited the arrangement. All GTIs since the 1976 Golf have had front-wheel drive, including the ID. Polo GTI, the brand’s first electric to use the acronym, presented in May this year, which keeps the front wheels as drives.
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The most powerful for a horse
The title of the most powerful GTI in history deserves an asterisk. That’s because Golf GTI Edition 50, launched in 2025 to mark the acronym’s half century, declares 325 hp. The advantage of the electric, therefore, is exactly 1 hp. And, despite the instantaneous torque and the standard launch control, the ID.3 GTI goes from 0 to 100 km/h in 5.6 seconds, against 5.3 seconds for the combustion Golf. The top speed is electronically limited to 200 km/h, and the scale shows about two tons.
Photo: Volkswagen | Disclosure
Same engine, another acronym
The ID.3 GTI replaces the ID.3 GTX Performance and reuses practically all of its mechanics: the same APP550 engine on the rear axle, the same 79 kWh net battery and the same declared range of up to 601 km in the WLTP cycle. The name change follows Volkswagen’s decision to retire the GTX label and concentrate the sports versions of the electric cars under the acronyms GTI and R.
In direct comparison, the new model gains a tenth in acceleration, thanks to the launch control that has become standard, and loses on recharging. The maximum power in direct current has dropped from 185 kW to 183 kW, and the journey from 10% to 80% of the battery has gone from about 26 to 29 minutes. DCC adaptive sports suspension and progressive steering are standard.
Prices have not yet been disclosed. The ID.3 GTX Performance was discontinued charging 52,295 euros in Germany, equivalent to about R$ 310 thousand at the current price. The ID.3 has never been sold in Brazil.
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