Thought ID3 were showing better residual than average - customer sees MEB platform wrapped in golf like clothes, a practical hatch ,
with the luxury of a dealership network too, unlike the chinese contenders.
the design is not so anonymous, not up there with the i3, or ipace, but above average.
vw sorting out the pricing and economics with their own motor+control electronics and giga-castings - following the tesla lead.
hopefully they can hurry up and re-package the id7 in its it's skoda octavia persona.
e: vw inherited dcc too and dynamic dampers is a good edge too, for heavier ev ride/handling
There was a sweet spot with the ID.3, back in 2021, post grants, they dropped RRP's, had dealer and VW finance contributions and low rate finance.. Not to mention they had more variants, so the 'Max' (as we got) had everything thrown in, DCC, pan roof, travel assist, massage seats, etc.. this meant residuals based on those prices aren't too bad..
As you say, the platform is actually quite respectable, the efficiency is good, and despite the woeful interior materials, I have to say, I wanted to hate it, but like you see in many reviews, when you drive it, it just feels a step up in refinement in all aspects.. ours with DCC is exceptional on rough surfaces at low speed and the drivetrain is smooth , in the end it just won me over as a small family car and with the price being right at the time, thought it was a great 'first' proper BEV to go alongside my M3.
But you are right, for obvious reasons, there are people that just see VW as an entry level German brand and are this mid-tier aspirational offering that on paper makes no sense what-so-ever.. I really don't like most of their offerings and prefer their sister company offerings, the Kodiaq to me was a way nicer place to be than the overpriced Tiguan, and the Cupra Born is much nicer inside than an ID.3.. Not that it matters, people shy away from MG/BYD etc because they are Chinese and don't have the right reputation (yet)..
I'm just transferring the reg off our ID.3 Max and will probably sell it, even if I throw it at Cazoo, It will have depreciated £13k in 2.5 years and actually hasn't been too bad financially, the amortised monthly cost has been £360 and we have some equity in the car still.. I could keep it and have two BEVs, but I really want a convertible or just something different as a second occasional car.