Our Verdict On The New VW ID4

Posted on: 24/05/21

With the release of the ID.4 Volkswagen have claimed a responsibility for their share of global CO2 emissions. That might not appear to be a revolutionary statement in 2021, but in every aspect of this vehicle’s carbon footprint VW have gone the extra step. Of course the ID.4 is a different beast to the ID.3 hatchback, and as a crossover family SUV the radical changes are pretty much what you would expect, but as a game-changer in the EV market, it is probably fair to say the ID.3 made more of an impact.

Green responsibility

VW made a strong claim that the ID.4 would be CO2 neutral from beginning to end, and that boldness appears to have borne fruit. We are told that VW used green electricity to ensure the production process used zero emissions, and that was also reflected in the delivery of vehicles to their sales outlets.

Then of course there are the green credentials of the car’s performance, and where unavoidable emissions are produced throughout this lifecycle, VW have ensured they are offset by a raft of certified climate protection projects.

Different trims

This new crossover SUV is expected to be a worldwide best seller, and it is easy to see why VW have such confidence. Like the ID.3 this is rear-drive only, and there are also higher performance twin-motor versions to come. But for now you can choose from three First Edition trims: Life, Family and Max.

Performance

No doubt about it, the ID.4 is a heavy car, and as a family SUV that comes as no surprise. And with a 0-62mph in 8.5 seconds, this is more of a cruiser than a truly dynamic drive. But then a family car doesn’t need to show off on the road. At the same time it is responsive, controllable and smooth, and is a particularly quiet ride in terms of wind and tyre noise, making this a tranquil and thoroughly enjoyable experience.

In-car tech

We are promised software updates every two months, and the e-mobility app certainly offers a driving enhancement, enabling you to record a driving profile to learn more about your driving characteristics, what energy consumption and CO2 exhaustion you have created and you also get a cost breakdown of each individual trip. It makes EV driving a learning experience, but in effect, may actually be telling you that your driving techniques are not suitable to EVs.

All the internal controls are touchscreen, with no switches, even including the handbrake, with everything set up in menu settings which can be quite hard to navigate. The touchscreen menu design is not very intuitive and slightly clumsy, in that you need to be quite dextrous and scrolling through the menus, and actually selecting something deliberately and not by accident, takes some getting used to. But the key information like battery % remaining is displayed prominently, and it’s up to you to find whatever else you might need.

Internally, the build and design is spacious and comfortable. The ID.4 is 30cm longer than the ID.3, giving you the legroom and boot space you would want in a family SUV. There is also storage aplenty and a number of useful USB ports, making the internal design very user-friendly, albeit for everyone except maybe the driver.

Motoring costs

The ID.3 was slightly more efficient in terms of cost per range, but with a 310 mile possibility on a full charge, this gives you plenty of motorway distance and also flexibility for everyday coming and going. The spec mentions you can get 199 miles from a rapid thirty minute charge, which is certainly enough to make this a very practical SUV. The app showing charging locations is also very useful.

A three year warranty, or 60,000 miles, is complemented by an eight-year battery warranty, or 100,000 miles.

Our verdict

You certainly need to judge the ID.4 differently to the ID.3 and that is intentional. As a crossover SUV, the ID.4 gets your family from A to B comfortably and cost-effectively, and ultimately they will really enjoy the experience too.

There are a number of car leasing deals available on the ID.4 with Pink Car Leasing, so contact our experts today and we can discuss an EV leasing deal to suit your budget and before you know it, the new VW crossover SUV could be putting your family firmly in the zero emissions driving seat.

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