VW ID. ROOMZZ three-row electric SUV teases autonomous nap-time

The latest member of VW's electric car family, the ID. ROOMZZ, has broken cover, a beefy zero-emissions three-row SUV that's set to spawn a production version. Joining cars like the VW ID. city hatchback and the ID. BUZZ Microbus, it's another example of Volkswagen's flexible MEB platform.

That's the architecture on which the VW Group has bet its electric fortunes. It's designed to accommodate a variety of vehicle sizes and configurations, whether front, rear, or all-wheel drive, and with a range of battery packs of varying sizes.

In the case of the oddly-named ID. ROOMZZ, we're looking at one of the biggest cars on MEB that VW has shown us so far. Indeed, the company is describing it as "a monolith" and intentionally so: it's meant to look like it was hewn from a single block. As you'd expect, then, it has some serious presence.

It's roughly sixteen feet long, and with the wheels pushed out to the corners – and the fact that the MEB platform puts the drivetrain under the floor – most of that space goes into the cabin. Inside, VW is pushing a multifunctional space which can be configured in different ways. That's partly because it envisages the ID. ROOMZZ as offering Level 4 autonomous driving.

In that mode, for example, the front seats can be rotated inward by 25-degrees for easier conversation. In ID. Pilot Relax mode, meanwhile, each seat can be reclined into a bed.

The dashboard is really a "floating" glass panel, integrated into the steering wheel. They retract when the SUV is driving itself. Either way, there's an 82 kWh battery which should deliver 280 miles on the WLTP cycle, or 295 miles on the NEDC cycle. 150 kW DC fast charging support means an 80-percent top-up in around 30 minutes.

All-wheel drive – or electric 4MOTION as VW is calling it – means two electric motors, one for each axle. That adds up to 225 kW, or 302 horsepower. 0-62 mph comes in an estimated 6.6 seconds, with an electronically-limited top speed of 112 mph.

It's also an opportunity for VW to experiment with some atypical materials. The seat covers use a new AppleSkin fabric, made from renewable raw materials, while new wood veneers are used in the glowing door panels. An active filter for the HVAC system stops polluted outside air from making it into the cabin.

Like many of VW's other ID. concepts, the ID. ROOMZZ has a production future ahead of it. The series car will initially be launched in China, VW says; it's unclear when – or if – it'll spread to other markets. US availability seems like it would be a sensible idea, though, given the appetite for three-row SUVs.