Why the 2026 Tesla Model Y and BYD Sealion 7-rivalling Volkswagen ID.Tiguan could be make or break for the German brand's electric car efforts

CarsGuide puts every effort into ensuring the accuracy of the information it publishes. Double-check the details that matter to you before buying. Learn more about how we fact check . Laura is a senior journalist at CarsGuide and a best-selling Australian author who has spent almost twenty years covering cars for Top Gear, Wheels and Motor. Having spent three months living with a Volkswagen ID.5 this year and knowing that it's reportedly set to be discontinued, I can now tell you what I really think of this electric mid-sized SUV. Well, I always tell you what I really think and you can read my long-term review of the ID.5 where I call out where it missed the mark. But it still bothers me that Volkswagen dropped the ball so badly with its first electric car (alongside the ID.4) for Australia. If you don't know the ID.5 is an SUV about the size of a Volkswagen Tiguan and it's the coupe-ish version its ID.4 twin. At about $63,000 it's the same price as a mid-range Tiguan, too. The problem is, it's not a Tiguan. Fortunately it appears Volkswagen has realised this and the ID.5 looks set to eventually be axed and the ID.4 will be replaced by a new model called the ID.Tiguan. Volkswagen would be hoping that the overhaul addresses the ID.4 and 5's issues. With Chinese car companies gaining so much ground Volkswagen can't afford to get it wrong. 2026 Volkswagen ID.5 2026 Volkswagen ID.5 2026 Volkswagen ID.5 2026 Volkswagen ID.5 2026 Volkswagen ID.5 2026 Volkswagen ID.5 Next up Major overhaul slated for 2025 Tesla Model Y rival Jack Quick · 25 Jun 2025 Really the issues with the ID.5 and ID.4 are to do with practicality and utility which are two of the pillars on which Volkswagen has built its reputation. The ID.4 and ID.5 have poor practicality and utility compared to other mid-sized electric SUVs and there's absolutely no excuse. We rate cars based on whether they are fit for purpose and neither of those models are fit for purpose as a family SUV. Passenger space isn't great, cabin storage is almost non-existent, the boot size isn't large enough and there's no front boot. Subscribe to our newsletter Stay up to date with the CarsGuide weekly newsletter By subscribing you agree to our Privacy Policy. It boggles my mind that a car with a 2.8m wheelbase (the Tiguan's is 2.7m) and with no bulky combustion engine, transmission or driveshaft eating into the passenger cell could have such poor cabin space and storage. Again, this is coming from a family car perspective. If you don't require that much space or utility, it's a lovely EV to drive. Volkswagen Group's Head of Design Klaus Zyciora oversaw the ID.4 and ID.5. He'd been with Volkswagen for 35 years and worked on everything from the Mk IV Golf onwards, including the Tiguan. There are videos of Zyciora walking us through the design of the ID.4 and ID.5 and, like a detective trying to put the pieces of a crime together, I've watched them to discover the motive behind this automotive misdemeanour. 2026 Volkswagen ID.5 2026 Volkswagen ID.5 2026 Volkswagen ID.5 2026 Volkswagen ID.5 2026 Volkswagen ID.5 2026 Volkswagen ID.5 2026 Volkswagen ID.5 I do like the exterior design of the ID.4 and ID.5 with its curvy and muscular lines, and the interior is also visually pleasing in a minimalist way, but the car is a perfect example of form over function. Well it's not Zyciora's problem any more. He's now Vice President and Global Head of Design for Chinese carmaker Changan. Zycior was replaced by Michael Mauer in 2023 as Volkswagen Group's new design boss. Mauer arrived having designed every Porsche since 2004 inside and out, and while that also includes the polarising 2007 Cayenne facelift, he also penned the beautiful 991 911, 918 Spyder, Macan and Taycan. 2025 Volkswagen Tiguan 2025 Volkswagen Tiguan With Zycior gone, Mauer would have been part of the clean-up team to fix the ID.4 and ID.5 before handing over the reins to the Group's current design chief Andreas Mindt in 2026. By the time Mindt arrived in March this year the ID.Tiguan had been snapped cold weather testing in Germany a month before. Will the new ID.Tiguan come with all the practicality and utility problems fixed? It will be based on the MEB+ platform which is an evolution of what underpins the ID.4 and ID.5, so hopefully. It's likely the ID.Tiguan will be revealed this year and go on sale in 2027. When will it come to Australia? Well, it took the ID.4 and ID.5 five years to reach us after they launched in Europe but I doubt we will be waiting that long this time. But when it does arrive you can bet I'll be checking to see if VW dropped the ball again or if they got it right.