EV Review: 2022 Volkswagen ID.4

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Eventually, VW’s ID line of vehicles will include various models, all built on a new electric-only architecture that’s designed to house an array of future product. I recently spent 1,300 kilometres driving the first of these: the ID.4.

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This all-electric crossover is VW’s first mass-market EV, and it’s aimed at the crossover shoppers who account for the majority of new vehicle sales in Canada lately. The ID platform will eventually underpin numerous models, but at the moment, the ID.4 exists as an all-electric alternative to vehicles like the Subaru Forester, Honda CR-V, and Ford Escape.

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The ID.4 will be available with AWD, and AWD-equipped models boast a 2,700 lb. towing capacity and a standard hitch mount, too.

On a full charge, you’re clear for 400 kilometres of range at room temperature. In extreme winter conditions, I’d expect to knock about 80-120 kilometres from that figure at 25 below with the heat cranked.

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The average Canadian drives less than 50 kilometres a day, and like all EVs, it can be easily recharged from em pty in your driveway overnight if required. Busy families may wish to consider a Level 2 charger for the fastest at-home recharging; others will do just fine on Level 1, plugging the ID.4 into a standard outlet while it’s parked.

Level 1 charging adds about 4 kilometres per hour to the battery. Level 2 charging makes it about 40 kilometres per hour. On a public fast-charger, I was able to add 1 00 kilometres of range to the battery on multiple occasions during a typical road-trip washroom and coffee stop.

That’s provided the charging infrastructure is working. In my Northern Ontario locale, charging infrastructure is growing rapidly. Still, I encountered multiple broken and non-functional fast chargers along my drive route, including an Esso Level 3 fast charger near Parry Sound that I rely on regularly, but was out of order for at least 11 days.

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Though rarely an issue in real life, out-of-order chargers can complicate travel plans in more remote locales, so be sure to have a backup plan and always travel with more charge than you need, just in case.

My tester runs the ID.4’s standard-issue powertrain, with a single rear-mounted motor and rear-wheel drive. This makes it the first rear-drive VW in decades, and the configuration  is good for 200 horsepower. Shoppers opting for the AWD-equipped model get an additional electric motor up front that propels the front wheels, and horsepower climbs to 300.

With its striking shape and futuristic design details, the ID.4 clearly communicates a crossover body and closer inspection reveals plenty of space, a completely flat rear floor, and easy entry and exit at each outboard seat, with little more than a slight shift sideways to get in or out.

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Rear seat legroom is adult-friendly, though headroom will tighten quickly for taller occupants in the rear. The cargo area is open and square, with handy under-floor storage compartments, and a flat load floor with relatively low jump-in height for the average family dog. Some EV’s have an additional storage space under the hood, but not the ID.4. Beneath its bonnet you’ll find various fluid tanks, cooling system components and the like — but no frunk.

If you’re toying with the idea of an electric crossover for your and yours, this one’s sized and laid out pretty nicely for the job, and I don’t think the average shopper will find any issues with space or cargo capacity. In all, the ID.4 offers a headroom advantage over models like the RAV4 and CR-V, though shoppers concerned with maximum rear-seat legroom and cargo space for their dollar may want to look elsewhere. Extra points for the stretched-to-the-edges panoramic sunroof really opens up the cabin visually. The roof panel is fixed, but a motorized sunshade can be opened or closed with a quick swipe over its high-tech control pad.

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Performance

With this rear-drive, 200-horsepower configuration, the ID.4 performs most impressively at lower speeds. In around-town driving, city commuting and the like, the throttle is snappy and the ID.4 can quickly gobble up the space between traffic lights without making a peep.

At higher speeds, where highway passing and merging are required, throttle response falls off. Driving enthusiasts are advised to opt for the 300-horsepower AWD model, though if you’re not looking for AWD and you’re not a highway speed demon, the standard setup will do you just fine.

The ID.4 is a fantastic around-town runabout. Like other new electrics, it’s easy-breezy when it comes to getting in and getting moving. Just pocket the key and doors unlock automatically as you approach, the car turns on when your bum hits the seat, and you just buckle up, shift into gear with a twist of the cluster-mounted shifter-dial, and set off. There’s no need to touch a key, or a start button.

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Exiting is the reverse: drivers engage PARK with a button press, unbuckle, and exit the car. The ID.4 powers itself down once your bum exits your seat, and doors lock as you walk away.  This removes multiple steps from a day of running around, and makes lif e a little less tedious if you’ve got your arms or pockets full. Combined with very easy cabin entry and exit, and a small turning circle, most shoppers will find the ID.4 makes easy work of a day of running around.

On the highway, the feel is solid and relaxed. Noise levels are kept nicely in check, and there’s no need to raise your voice for a conversation at highway speed, provided you’re on a smooth pavement surface.

Add in the un-cluttered cabin design, and minimal instrument display mounted down low on the dash, and you’ve got a driving environment that makes it easy to focus on the road ahead while you enjoy the scenery without too many buttons and controls in your face.

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The cutting-edge new MEB architecture beneath the ID.4 is so solid and strong that it feels more substantial on the road than the machine’s size leads on. On rough surfaces, that rigid structure helps dramatically mitigate unwanted sounds that result when vehicle body structures flex in response to bumps, noisily pumping air through the cabin. 

Though the ID.4 felt tougher and quieter than expected on rough backroads, certain specific surfaces do bring more suspension noise and feedback from the vehicle than I like. I’d advise test-driving shoppers to hit a rough road on their test-drive, to confirm that ride quality and noise levels here meets their needs.

On steering, I appreciated the heavy and quick dialled-in feel, but wished for more meaningful feedback to back up the sporty attitude. Brake pedal feel is somewhat numb and vague — par for the course with electric cars — though I noted no issues with performance. 

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That wasn’t the case for some of the on-board controls. Though some techy touch-pads and interfaces drive up the futuristic appeal of the ID.4, some were a source of frustration and confusion.  For instance, steering-wheel mounted controls are relegated to textured touch-pads, not individual switches and buttons. This feels less precise, and requires more glancing down from the road to confirm you’re pressing the right area on the pad.

Further, the power window controls are confusing. The ID.4 has four power windows controlled by two physical switches. A touch-sensitive, non-tactile pad is used to toggle the two physical switches between operating the front and rear windows. The touch-pad can be temperamental too, and I left the ID.4 wishing for four simple window switches, like every other car on the road.

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Thankfully, the  slick central infotainment interface is easy to navigate after a few minutes, and the wireless Android Auto performed flawlessly on my watch. Just place your phone on the wireless recharging pad, close the console lid, and it hooks up with ease — no plugging in required.

Aside from a few irritating controls, much of the ID.4 driving experience is extremely approachable and convenient. Owners of recent VW products will feel right at home with the design, driving feel, and many of the interfaces. It’s an easy machine to look at, an easy machine to drive, and in most ways, I figure, an easy machine to like.

Prepare to make new friends, too. I took the ID.4 to the small and relatively remote town of Killarney Ontario, a popular weekend road-trip destination. At both the provincial park located there, and at the nearby waterfront for some famous Herbert Fisheries Fish and Chips, numerous small crowds gathered to check out the car, including one family in a VW camper van (also a rear-engine, rear-drive setup) who wondered when they could get one.

The ID.4 will have a soft launch, arriving at dealers in select provinces first, when it goes on sale in Canada later this year. Pre-rebate pricing is set at $44,995 for a 200-horsepower rear-drive model, and $49,995 for a 300-horsepower, AWD-equipped model. In late 2022, the ID.4 will enter production at VW’s Chattanooga Assembly Plant, which is currently being set up to accommodate it. According to VW, this plant will supply all Canadian demand and expand availability of the ID.4.