Adventure on four wheels: Three men test the VW ID.3 in Naples!

Adventure on four wheels: Three men test the VW ID.3 in Naples!

What do you do when a cult film from 1991 starring Wolfgang Stumph and Marie Gruber needs a remake? Exactly, you do what was shown in the comedy “Go Trabi Go” and you do it in two ways: with an old Trabant and now also with a modern electric vehicle. For the new road trip by three young men from Großröhrsdorf - Jim Schwarz, Timo Binge and Tommy-Lee Drechsler - the focus is not only on freedom on four wheels, but also on testing electric vehicles.

In 2024, the three friends made an adventurous journey from Germany to Naples in a classic Trabant, which covered the 4,000 kilometer route without any major breakdowns. Now, almost 35 years after the first part, they have announced that they are starting a new tour. This time it goes with that VW ID.3 GTX, and electric! Volkswagen is providing the three hobby adventurers with this state-of-the-art electric vehicle to test the long-distance suitability and charging infrastructure of electric cars. The plan is to cover a distance of 2,000 kilometers in 7 to 9 days.

A voyage into the unknown

The tour starts on July 18th. The men, none of whom are from the ride, took on the challenge with an unconventional approach: they spend the night in a tent, because there is no option for this in the ID.3 itself. As was the case back then, a literary element has also become established in travel planning; Inspired by the character Udo Struutz from “Go Trabi Go”, they consider taking Goethe’s “Italian Journey” with them as travel reading material. VW communications manager Christian Sommer always sends good wishes to the brave travelers.

But what is behind the ID.3? At first glance, you might think that this is the new star in the electric car world. The VW ID.3 has a range of up to 600 kilometers with a battery size of 79 kWh. With just 10 minutes of charging time, you can get a range of 205 kilometers. In one Endurance test However, according to the ADAC, the ID.3 also showed its dark side. While the vehicle performs decently and has a good range, there were some technical weaknesses in handling.

A look at the technical details

The VW ID.3 is VW's first fully electric model and the pioneer in the manufacturer's electric car world. With over 100,000 kilometers of endurance testing, the vehicle confirmed a stable battery condition of 93%. It also offers an average consumption that can vary greatly depending on the weather. According to the ADAC, the vehicle recorded a consumption of 13 kWh/100 km in mild temperatures, which can quickly increase to up to 30 kWh/100 km in winter. With a price of 48,550 euros as a new car, the ID.3 is traded as an electric counterpart to the VW Golf.

If you look at the interior, it quickly becomes clear that more attractive materials have been used here than in the predecessor. The interior lining offers a noticeable improvement in the quality of living and the background noise in city traffic also proves to be pleasant. From chip There is positive feedback on the seating arrangement and the space, which conveys a higher standard - even if the rear passengers have a little less space.

The countdown is on to the tour, and curiosity about Jim, Timo and Tommy-Lee's experiences is growing. Perhaps the journey will not only be an exciting adventure, but also a further step into the future of electric mobility.