In the case of the Passat, that means you have 108bhp at your disposal – adequate, but not exactly a near-£50,000 experience. Meanwhile, the Passat’s electric counterpart, the ID 7 Tourer, has more than double, at 282bhp.
I’m as partial as anyone to a flat six and a manual gearbox, but I’ve no love lost for a thrashy four-cylinder with an automatic – that’s just a means to an end.
With more power that’s smooth and silent to boot, as well as a more entertaining rear-drive chassis, the ID 7 is a better driving experience all round.
Ah, “but the range and the charging infrastructure”, you say. In our road test, we found the ID 7 will do a real 277 miles on the motorway, after which it will charge back up to 80% in less than half an hour.
The UK rapid-charging network has come on leaps and bounds in the last few years, largely thanks to Gridserve, and I find it extremely rare that rapid chargers at a motorway services are either not working or fully occupied.
They are expensive, but if you do most of your charging at home, the occasional rapid charge is not going to make the difference.
And if you are the rare person that regularly does over 300 miles a day, I reckon you should buy the mild hybrid, or even better: something with a diesel engine.