Volkswagen ID.4

Hot on the heels of the ID.3, Volkswagen has launched its second new electric car, the ID.4. It’s Volkswagen’s first fully-electric SUV and first global electric vehicle – and as we found, it’s darn good.

Like the ID.3 it is based on the brand’s new modular electric drive matrix (MEB) and its entry into the compact SUV market gives Volkswagen a head start in a sector that sees sales still increasing.

The ID.4 comes in five trims. First there’s Life, Family, Max and Pro Performance specification. These are fitted with a 77 kWh battery and 204 PS motor. Then there’s a Pure model, fitted with the smaller 52kWh battery, offering power outputs of either 148 PS or 170 PS. All of these are rear wheel drive.

There are also two all-wheel drive models, the GTX and GTX Max. These are the inaugural models of the new all-electric ‘GTX’ performance line and the first ID. models to feature dual-motor all-wheel drive. Both are fitted with the same 77 kWh battery as the Pro Performance models in the ID.4 line-up. To give an idea of battery range, the GTX and GTX Max can travel up to 301 and 291 miles respectively (WLTP, combined) on a single charge.

Unlike the ID.3 which looks very much like a Volkswagen, the ID.4 looks generically like a lot of traditional SUVs, so think Vauxhall Grandland X, Nissan Qashqai and KIA Sportage.

The front features narrow, sweeping front lights and a large windscreen. Mirroring the latest Audi EV trend, the rear light cluster spreads right across the back of the car. The VW badge is prominently located centre front and rear with the ID.4 logo located on the centre rear.

The interior is almost identical to the one found on the ID.3. So factor in a centrally mounted 10” infotainment touchscreen, a 5.3” dash panel display, a flat bottomed steering wheel and a gear lever on the right end of the centre console that you twist to select from Drive, Reverse or Neutral.

The colour-way on our First Edition model was different, featuring a white steering wheel with white trim around the touchscreen and electric window switches. Light grey and gloss black adorn the remainder of the cabin. The seats are finished in grey, with a pink/orange/ brown like coloured trim. Build quality is pretty good, although there are some cheaper, harder plastics located lower down.

The interior offers at least as much room as you’ll find in a Volkswagen Tiguan. Front seat passengers are spoiled for space, with even an armrest each. In the rear, there’s room for three adults to sit comfortably side by side. Cabin storage is generous, so you get four large door pockets, two central cup holders, some clever central storage between the front seats, where the twin USB’s are located. The glove box though is tiny.

Rear passengers get plenty of head and legroom and two USBs and their own heating vents. And if there’s only two in the back, an armrest folds down, inside of which there are cupholders.

Luggage capacity with the rear seats upright is a more than generous 543 litres, which increases to 1,575 litres with the rear seats folded. The boot is flat and rectangular, so it’s easy to slide stuff in and out of it. There’s a hidden storage space under the boot floor, where the two charging cables can be stored out of sight.

Many of the advanced features found on the ID.3 are shared with the ID.4, namely ID.Light (the intelligent strip of light below the windscreen that communicates with the driver), the central airbag that prevents front seat occupants colliding in a side-impact or rollover and Car2X, a system that allows the car to wirelessly exchange information about local hazards with other vehicles and the traffic infrastructure.

Our test car, the First Edition, comes very well equipped. You get an electronic parking brake, a Driver Alert system with fatigue detection, ESC (Electronic Stability Control Programme) including traction control, 2-Zone ‘Air Care Climatronic’ air con, with keyless entry and starting system.

Infotainment and tech is not bad either, with driver profile selection and personalisation, phone connectivity and contacts. Also on offer is a heated, leather-trimmed multifunction steering wheel with rake adjustment, front and rear parking sensors, Adaptive Cruise Control, a Front Assist radar sensor controlled distance monitoring system and Lane Assist.

Volkswagen’s Discover Pro Navigation system with 10” colour touchscreen and touch-sensitive functionality, dominates the centre of the dash.

You get preloaded European navigation data, branded points of interest, a 2D or 3D map view, speed limit display and car information display at the touch of a button. It also allows for the simultaneous pairing of two compatible mobile devices and SMS functionality. There’s also a DAB digital radio receiver, with six speakers and Bluetooth telephone and audio connections.

App-Connect also features; this combines the functionality of Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and MirrorLink, allowing mirroring of smartphone display on the infotainment touchscreen, connected wirelessly. ID.4 also gets ID.Light and We Connect, which provides continuous interaction between driver and vehicle. For example, this includes ‘eCall’, which allows emergency SOS calls and comes with an automated breakdown notification.

Our test car was the ID.4 1st Edition Pro Performance, fitted with the 77 kWh battery with 204 PS of power. Maximum torque is 310Nm, top speed 99mph and 0-62mph takes just 8.5 seconds. Claimed WLTP range is 310 miles, with consumption at 3.45 miles per kWh.

Using a standard 7.2kW home charger, it will take 11 hours to fully charge the battery from zero. We recommend Rolec; http://www. rolecserv.com/home-charging . ID.4s come with a 3 32-amp / 7.2kW charging cable and a three-year mobility guarantee in case of car breakdown

But ID.4 can also be fast charged, either via a 125 kW DC (direct current)or 11 kW AC (alternating current). Using the former means charging to 80 per cent capacity in just 25 minutes.

On the road the ID.4 is not as much fun to drive as its smaller sibling, the ID.3, but with that 77kWh battery it’s 330kg heavier, so no big surprise. But the 201bhp electric motor offers 150kW or 204PS and 310Nm of torque, and propels the ID.4 quite quickly in a straight line. However, on country roads it’s a little more cumbersome than the ID.3. It’s best enjoyed dawdling in traffic or cruising along a motorway, with both tasks undertaken in supreme quiet and relaxing comfort.

To enhance battery range, you can select a regenerative brake mode. In Drive you simply twist and push the gear lever to select the B function. Unlike some EVs the strength of the regen on ID.4 is not that high. The caveat is that this also makes the ID.4 better to drive than some of its competitors.

As far as driving modes go, you can select from Eco, the best for saving battery range and limiting you to a top speed of 80mph; Comfort, Sport or Individual.

An 85-mile motorway journey at typical speed saw us use up 100 miles of range. In town, the B regenerative braking kicks in and you’ll likely see at least a 1:1 ratio of miles travelled to range used. While range anxiety accompanies any electric vehicle purchase, the large 77kWh battery fitted to the ID.4 will offer you a comfortable 250-mile range without you having to work too hard to achieve this. Just watch out in winter or with several passengers and luggage on board; the range will likely fall by around 20 per cent.

We estimate that if in a calendar year you travelled 12,000 miles and charged your ID.4 regularly from your home wall box, rather than away from home, the cost to ‘fuel’ your ID.4 would be about £500-£600. This can be achieved by utilising a combination of home electricity tariffs, currently about 13p per kWh and plugging in at night, when there are cheaper 5p a kWh tariffs offered by the likes of Octopus Energy’s Go.

In comparison, travelling the same distance in 12 months in a petrol or diesel SUV, would see you pay between £2,000 and £2,500 at the petrol pumps.

Zero emissions means you’ll pay only 1% BIK. Even the new plug-in Volkswagen Tiguan eHybrid comes with a BIK from 11%.

While the government’s drive to get us into an EV takes no account of whether you’re a fleet or retail customer, we believe that currently, for company car drivers, the pros of running an ID.4 are impossible to ignore. Charging regularly at home and at night on a cheaper tariff will save on your fuel bill and there’s the BIK tax savings too.

Volkswagen is also ahead of the game in offering an EV SUV fitted with the 77kWh battery, giving customers a real world 250-mile driving range. Currently only the smaller VW D.3, KIA e-Niro and Hyundai Kona EV are comparable on range, although by mid-2022, that will have changed as new EVs find their way to market.

The ID.4 is heavy so it’s not as fun to drive as a petrol Tiguan. For a car that retails at £40,110, some of the plastic used on the fixtures and fittings was a little disappointing. It’s not as attractive to look at as a Volkswagen Tiguan. There’s no OLEV grant for any model that costs over £35,000.

While the ID.3 impressed us when we drove it, the ID.4, thanks to its larger size and in our test car’s case, its larger battery, is arguably even more impressive. It’s a proper family five-seater, offering loads of practical space. It also comes equipped with on-trend tech and is fitted with the latest safety features.

Furthermore, the BIK benefits are immense at the moment, so if you’re a company car driver who needs a large family car and can live with a 250-mile electric range, now would be a very good time to consider the ID.4

Currently, a Jack Nicholson, ‘as good as it gets’. Ticks lots of boxes as far as company car driving costs are concerned

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