Less lunacy this time around.
Remember the ID Crozz concept from April? German powerhouse Volkswagen has, since showing off the original Crozz concept at the Shanghai auto show some 5-months ago, further refined the project and is now showing off the crossover in a more production-ready form. Debuting at the Frankfurt motor show, the ‘Crozz II’ is more of a preview of the production car we can expect in a couple of years rather than an outright concept, and we must admit, it looks rather good.
Packing a range of up to 500km, the Crozz II will go on sale alongside the ID hatch come 2020, and will be joined by the ID Buzz microbus a coupe of years after that. The three cars will share the same modular electric platform, which sees the fitment of batteries into the floor for an unbelievably-low centre of gravity. While that has remained unchanged, what has changed is the styling of the Crozz, with its second iteration looking markedly different than the car that spawned it.
It might just be the red paint finish, but it appears that the Crozz has become a more aggressive machine, with a more sculpted body riding on sharper 21-inch alloys. The face has been tweaked too, with new LED headlights that appear more fluidic and organic. More than just aesthetic, the Crozz II has received some tech updates over the original concept car too, giving it even more futuristic tech than the car that it succeeds.
A highly-tuned voice command system means that vocal prompts can now control various functions of the Crozz, including the opening and closing of doors and the activation/deactivation of the ID Pilot autonomous-driving functionality. All you have to say is “Hello, ID” and say your request, and the car will do as you wish.
Inside, the Crozz sees four individual seats, accessed by a pair of front-hinged doors at the… front, with cantilevered rear doors for better access. Space-wise, the Crozz is said to feature the same amount of cabin room as the newly-minted Tiguan Allspace 7-seater SUV. That space is achieved by intelligent packaging, such as flat floor-mounted batteries, wheels shoved into the furthest corners of the car (along with the related suspension and propulsion mechanics), as well as a flexible seating arrangement. Volkswagen claims “premium class dimensions” for the rear half of the cabin, as well as enough space to “take your bike away with you for the weekend without having to mount a cycle rack.”
In the centre of the dash lives a 10.2-inch tablet-style display, with a configurable home screen allowing for personalisation via four different function tiles, be it ‘Messages,’ ‘Navigation,’ ‘Media,’ or ‘Telephone.’ A second 5.8-inch active info display sits ahead of the driver, which works together via an augmented-reality heads-up display, with the two readouts able to provide driver-relevant information swiftly and accurately.
As this is a car of the future, you won’t find a rear-view mirror. Instead, the German company have creatively come up with something called ‘e-Mirror’ that takes the data from three separate cameras to be found at the rear and the front fenders. A monitor in place of a regular rear-view mirror then displays the images from the three cameras, and essentially allows the Crozz to be as visually-dramatic as it pleases without compromising the usability of the crossover as a car.
The Crozz features an all-wheel drive powertrain, with some 225kW available from a pair of electric motors that are connected via an ‘electric driveshaft.’ Power comes from “high-performance batteries” under the floor, which help propel the Crozz to its claimed top speed of 180km/h. Charging is fast too, with 80% charge achievable in about 30-mins if hooked up to a 150kW direct-current fast-charger.
Volkswagen claims that thanks to this design, the Crozz II has “handling properties on the same level as a Golf GTI,” which is certainly no small claim. The Crozz, the ID hatch, and the Buzz represent the first generation of Volkswagen’s electric offensive, with 1-million VW-badged EVs on the road targeted by 2025. The Crozz is expected to play “a key role” in hitting those numbers, and we’re happy to see this car continue its evolution as it makes its way into production.
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