Volkswagen ID.4 2023 review

To be clear here, we don’t have hard numbers yet on what the ID.4 will cost. It’s still a full year out from a predicted late 2023 launch window but Volkswagen has some aggressive targets which it hopes will make the switch to electric easy for its existing customers.

The brand's representatives tell us this means the ID.4 will start from roughly an equivalent price to a Tiguan R-Line, in the mid-$60,000 bracket.

This will put it in contention with cars like the popular Tesla Model 3 and Polestar 2 (from $65,500 and $63,900 respectively), while undercutting its more direct rival - the Tesla Model Y (which starts from $72,300).

VW representatives tell us the ID.4 will start from roughly an equivalent price to a Tiguan R-Line, in the mid-$60,000 bracket.

This already sits the ID.4 in a good place, as the mid-size SUV space is one poorly addressed by the current crop of electric vehicles in Australia, particularly in the mid-$60,000 price bracket.

We also don’t know yet what sort of grades will become available in Australia next year, but Volkswagen informs us the Pro Performance grade (one of two cars we were able to sample) is most indicative of the first examples which will arrive in Australia.

The Pro performance grade is roughly equivalent to R-Line versions of combustion cars when it comes to equipment, and the car we sampled included 19-inch alloy wheels, keyless entry with push-start ignition, a 12-inch ‘Discover Pro’ multimedia touchscreen (running the latest Volkswagen software complete with always-online connectivity and built-in navigation), as well as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity.

There's also a 5.3-inch instrument cluster (conveniently attached to the steering rack), ambient interior lighting, 12-way electrically adjustable front seats with heating, microfleece and synthetic leather seat trim, the more advanced ‘progressive steering’ tune, LED headlights, a panoramic sunroof, tri-zone climate, and the full active safety suite, which we’ll touch on later.

Another grade, the ‘Pure Performance’ was also available for testing, which Volkswagen said it had brought in to gauge interest from fleet operators more than private customers.

This version of the ID.4 was more European in its specification level, sporting smaller 18-inch alloys, manual-adjust seats, a smaller 10-inch multimedia screen, a manual tailgate, a cropped-down active safety offering, and a less powerful electric motor.

Interestingly, Volkswagen throws in both a standard wall-socket charging cable, as well as a public Type 2 charging cable which is often an optional extra.

The ID.4's seats feature microfleece and synthetic leather trim.

Perhaps one of the most important selling points of the ID.4 is that it’s a relatively traditional mid-size SUV.

There’s nothing electric which offers the same bodystyle at the suggested price point right now, and while that might change in the full year it might take VW to get the ID.4 to the market, it’s still one of the segments with the highest demand in Australia.

In terms of dimensions it is only a handful of millimetres smaller than the current Tiguan, placing it slightly above the Tesla Model Y and BYD Atto 3 in terms of overall size.

The interior space is open courtesy of a flat floor, a benefit of the ID.4’s electrified MEB platform. The result is a configurable storage bay which sits between the front occupants, with removable dividers letting you choose how to use the space.

Do you want one huge tray? A set of cupholders? A blend of both? It’s up to your imagination. In VW’s current combustion cars this area usually hosts the transmission shifter, handbrake and other controls, all of which have been shifted to the configurable driver’s steering column. The handbrake is automatic.

As a result of this low and open space, there is also no raised armrest section, necessitating the inclusion of armrests on the inside of the front seats.

The space is also very adjustable, with the added benefit of the digital instrument cluster on the steering column meaning no matter how high or low you set it, the entire screen is always visible.

The back seat is perhaps one of the ID.4’s most appealing attributes, offering massive space behind my own driving position.

Boot capacity of the ID.4 measures at 543-litres (VDA).

There’s leagues of room for my knees and soft trims in the doors for my elbows. The flat floor is most apparent here leaving plenty of room for loading objects or having room for three sets of feet.

The third climate zone and direction of the air flow can be adjusted via a nearly floor-mounted touch panel between the front seats.

Boot space comes in at 543-litres (VDA) which is massive for a car of this size, and while there’s no spare under the floor (just an inflator kit), there is an under floor area for your charging cables.

Unlike some electric vehicles, though, there is no storage under the ID.4’s bonnet, with the space occupied by cooling equipment for the battery pack, and in the case of the Performance Pro, the heat pump.

The ID.4 is familiar, yet new from behind the wheel. Existing Volkswagen owners will be familiar with the steering tune, which is light but accurate in the more basic and ‘progressive’ forms we were able to test on our UK-spec preview cars.

The same can be said for the switchgear, and even the ride is similar to something like a Tiguan.

That last one is perhaps the most important, because the balanced, supple ride quality (at least what we were able to test on our limited drive) is what will set this car apart from something like Tesla’s popular Model Y.

Unlike the Model Y, the ID.4 feels as though its dampers are tuned well, while feeling as though it has more control and balance than more affordable EVs like the electric MG ZS.

The ID.4 is familiar, yet new from behind the wheel.

In this way, it hides the weight of its batteries well unless really pushed, and its rear-drive dynamics add to a superior feel in the corners compared to front-drive rivals.

One area where it can’t compete with the Tesla is raw performance. The electric motors in both test cars we sampled felt very modest in comparison to cars like the Tesla Model Y, and Volvo XC40 Recharge, more comparable to the motors which exist in more mainstream offerings like the Hyundai Kona electric or Kia Niro.

The end result is an SUV which is balanced but tame and predictable, certainly ready for mainstream consumption, but not the kind of EV which aims to impress with performance. What it does best is stray on the right side of ‘premium’ when it comes to the ride and steering.

The ID.4 hides the weight of its batteries well, unless really pushed.

As an EV the ID4 is as smooth as its rivals when it comes to acceleration, and offers only two regenerative braking modes.

There is a mild mode, which primarily uses blended braking to mix the regen and friction brakes, or a strong mode which arrests the car as you let off the accelerator.

It’s not quite strong enough to be considered a ‘single pedal’ driving mode, but strong enough for the car to at least feel quite efficient.

As this was a short test in a controlled environment, we’re keen to bring you more detailed observations closer to the ID.4’s launch, particularly in locally-specified cars.

Again, we’re not exactly sure which spec of the ID.4 will arrive in Australia, but the UK-specified examples we were able to drive each had their own powertrain.

The more basic Pure Performance grade has an electric motor mounted on the rear axle producing 125kW/310Nm. This is powered by a 55kWh lithium-ion battery pack, providing a claimed 345km driving range on the WLTP cycle.

The Pure Performance grade produces 125kW/310Nm.

The higher-spec Pro Performance grade, said to be most representative of the initial cars to arrive in Australia, has a more powerful rear-mounted electric motor, with outputs totalling 150kW/310Nm.

This version is backed by a larger 82kWh battery pack, with a driving range rated at 522km on the WLTP cycle.

It is important to note there are higher performance GTX versions available overseas (which the brand tells us will arrive at a later date in Australia), as well as the Pro 4Motion all-wheel drive variant which launched earlier this year.

The Pro Performance grade produces 150kW/310Nm.

Specifications are yet to be finalised for the ID.4 but the two grades we tested had different sets of active safety gear. All cars get freeway speed auto emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection, as well as the full adaptive safety suite, but only the Pro Performance scores adaptive lane guidance, rear auto braking, blind spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert.

These items will definitely be missed if they’re not added to the Pure grade prior to its launch in Australia.

The ID.4 is yet to be rated by ANCAP.

Airbag coverage totals seven, with the standard dual front, side, and curtain, as well as the centre airbag between the front occupants usually required for a maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating.

The ID.4 is yet to be rated by ANCAP, but it achieved a maximum five star rating to the EuroNCAP standard in 2021.