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What’s it like?
Volkswagen’s all-electric sub-brand kicked off with the Golf-sized ID.3 hatchback, but arguably it was this ID.4 SUV which was more important to establishing the line-up in consumers’ minds. It’s a midsized family machine like the company’s Tiguan, but with a selection of battery packs and electric-motor outputs, the ID.4 promised to be kinder on the environment than your typical SUV. Not only was the ID.4 a rival to a raft of varied competitors, such as the Teslas Model 3 and Y, the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and the Kia EV6, its underpinnings went on to be used in the Skoda Enyaq, Audi Q4 e-tron and the Cupra Tavascan.
Which model to go for?
Originally, the ID.4 came with 148-, 170- or 204hp electric motors, with a choice of either a 52kWh battery pack on the first of these, or a larger 77kWh item on the others. Electric range was therefore quoted as between 343- and 519km, and with a maximum charging rate of 125kW on DC on the bigger power pack, a 10-80 per cent top-up took considerably less than an hour.
There was also a sporty derivative called the GTX, which had 299hp from a twin-motor set-up which made it the only four-wheel-drive model in the ID.4’s range; all the rest were rear-driven. With a 0-100km/h time of 6.2 seconds, the GTX is brisk rather than outright rapid and its weight blunts the driver appeal (and the range, to about 470-485km), so in reality the 204hp longer-range model is probably a better bet unless you really like the styling and interior of the sporty flagship.
In late 2023, Volkswagen updated all the ID.4 models – and the related ID.5 Coupe – with more efficient yet more powerful electric motors. That saw one of the long-range rear-drive models, the Pro, capable of up to 550km to a single charge, despite now having 286hp, but the GTX was also boosted to 340hp and a range in excess of 500km.
Perhaps the best upgrade here, though, came to the ID.4’s much-maligned infotainment system. These 2023-on cars had a much better 12.9-inch central touchscreen and, crucially, backlit illumination for the volume and control sliders on the dashboard – something the pre-facelift cars inexplicably lacked.
Does anything go wrong?
Not with the drivetrain and battery pack so far, but the onboard electricals on the earlier Volkswagen ID.4s could be problematic – another reason those later facelifted versions are a better bet.
Volkswagen has issued four recalls for the ID.4 to date, which were for a defective screw connection on the seat backrest; the bolt connectors of the front seatbelt retractors; an incorrectly fitted luggage net in the boot; and a missing retainer tab on the roof module.