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The ID.4 is to become VW's "electric world car".
The massive model is primarily intended to pick up customers from the SUV corner.
Photo: Uli Sonntag / VW
The first impression:
SUV meets soap.
The ID.4 appears extremely smooth, making it comparatively progressive by VW standards.
But neither the two-tone paint, nor the silver clasp above the cabin, nor the strongly emphasized fenders or the slightly sloping rear can conceal the size of this colossus.
This is
what
the manufacturer says:
When VW brand boss Ralf Brandstätter talks about the ID.4, he is formulating global ambitions.
While the smaller brother ID.3 is a more European model - and therefore more of a supporting actor in the sales statistics - Wolfsburg is sure that the ID.4 is the best-selling model in China and the USA based on the MEB construction kit from the group will be.
The specifications were full to the brim.
The new model should meet all the requirements of everyday life.
It should convince as a long-distance car as well as a family vehicle or as a leisure vehicle for easy terrain.
In addition, the ID.4 should also put the Model Y in its place, which Tesla wants to build in the new Gigafactory in Grünheide, and which should also become a mass-produced electric model.
However, all of these requirements force the ID.4 into a well-known format: the car is an SUV and, in an effort to get all wishes under one roof, it has grown quite big again.
We noticed that:
big on the outside, even bigger on the inside - the lush space is the first thing that strikes you on the VW ID.4.
At 4.58 meters, it is ten centimeters longer than a Tiguan and has a wheelbase ten centimeters larger.
Because all the drive technology is also located in the floor of the car, there is much more space for the passengers, especially in the rear.
This means that the ID.4 also stands out from the slightly longer Tesla Model Y, not to mention the Polestar 2, which is more like a sedan, or the Mustang Mach-E from Ford.
The driver doesn't feel much of these dimensions.
Because the electric motor is mounted in the rear, the wheels can turn much more strongly than usual and the turning circle is correspondingly smaller.
That is why the ID.4 is as handy as a T-Roc and can be maneuvered without any problems.
That obviously also impressed Elon Musk: After his last trip through Berlin, he announced that Tesla needed an even more manageable car for Europe.
The fact that the passengers in the first row in the Tesla Model Y feel better is less due to the real space available than to the almost eerie emptiness in the cockpit of the US model.
Although there are only a few switches in the ID.4 and most of it is controlled via sensor fields or the touchscreen, the VW looks almost overloaded in comparison.
After all, the material impression is more elegant.
Overall, the ID.4 is more of a practical type.
The center console offers more storage space than some built-in wardrobes.
And with 543 to 1575 liters of cargo space, significantly more luggage fits under the electric tailgate than in the ID.3 and enough for long holidays.
In addition, there are roof racks and trailer hitch available on request - not a matter of course for electric cars.
Apart from the handiness and the quietness of the Stromer, the ID.4 feels comparatively conventional.
That applies to the operating system, which is similar to the new Golf except for the gear selector lever that is behind the steering wheel and is therefore unfortunately not exemplary.
And it applies to driving and braking behavior.
Because even with the maximum recuperation setting, it takes a lot of foresight to actually drive the ID.4 with one pedal.
This is convenient when you come from the combustion engine because you don't have to adjust.
But it's disappointing when you compare the ID.4 with original electrical brands like Tesla or Polestar.
With the larger of the two available batteries, the ID.4 has an everyday range of more than 400 kilometers and can be charged with up to 125 kW.
With a top speed of 160 km / h, the fast lane is also possible on stretches of the motorway.
Off paved roads, the car also gets along thanks to the higher ground clearance and the sturdy clad battery.
A variant with all-wheel drive will follow next year.
You have to know that:
The ID.4 will be built in Zwickau together with the ID.3.
The first copies should go on sale this year.
Initially, the car will only be available as a "First Edition" from 49,950 euros and up.
In the new year, the prices with simpler variants and weaker drive will fall to 36,950 euros.
That is still 7,000 euros more than an ID.3 costs, and almost 10,000 euros more for a Tiguan.
The Tesla Model Y (around 45,000 euros) is more expensive, however.
The ID.4 is available with four power levels of the electric motor installed on the rear axle, from 109 kW in the basic model to 150 kW in the preliminary top equipment (148 to 204 PS).
In addition, there are initially two batteries: one with 52 kWh, which should enable a range of up to 350 kilometers in the WLTP cycle, and one with 77 kWh and an operating range of around 520 kilometers.
Although there is already plenty of choice, VW has other variants up its sleeve.
An ID.4 GTX is planned, with a sporty finish, an additional 75 kW motor on the front axle and thus all-wheel drive and a clearance up to 180 km / h.
And in the second half of 2021 there will be a variant with a sloping rear under the ID.
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No "frunk": there is no additional luggage compartment under the front hood
Photo: Ingo Barenschee
The ID.4 makes use of the familiar construction kits for infotainment and assistants, but there are also a few special features: the intelligent ambient light that translates navigation instructions into color games, the head-up display with augmented reality, the flying turn-by-turn directions in projects the right streets, and the "animal-free leather", which is nothing more than a marketing term for plastic.
We won't forget that:
the look under the front hood.
Because there is only the air conditioning - and a portion of cable clutter.
What is not there is an additional luggage compartment, not even a storage option for the charging cable was thought of.
This is a missed opportunity.
Thomas Geiger is a freelance author and was supported by VW in his research. Reporting is independent of this.
Icon: The mirror
