Car review – VolksWagen ID.4 77 kWh
Electric & proud of it
The ID.4 is the flagship of VW’s electric line-up (for now). It shares its technology with the Skoda Enyaq iV, but still plays in a different register.
Futuristic but not otherworldly
Compared to its competitors, the ID.4 has a futuristic but not otherworldly design. If anything, it shows that it is electric. Thanks to its specific electric architecture, it offers a lot of interior space and a large boot: it can take 543 litres.
The dashboard of the ID.4 seems to have been carried over from the ID.3, with all its advantages and disadvantages. It is sleek in design and enhances the feeling of space. The visual and tactile quality of the materials is acceptable, but only just so for a Volkswagen. It has to acknowledge the Enyaq iV's superiority in this respect, which seems a bit strange from a market perspective.
Proactive recuperation
That doesn't make the ID.4 any less usable on a daily basis. On average, we consumed 17.9 kWh/100 km, which corresponds to a range of over 400 km. According to the WLTP, the ID.4 77 kWh should be able to reach 520 km.
These convincing real-life and certification figures are partly due to the clever energy recuperation. The ID.4 always brakes proactively on the electric motor when, for example, you approach a roundabout or a bend and release the accelerator, without almost coming to a standstill.
In other words, it makes a good estimation of the desired residual speed by slowing down just enough. If you still want to brake more, you can of course use the brake pedal, or move the selector lever on the steering column to B (for Brake).
False alarm
Less convincing are the driver assistance systems. We have experienced it before on board of recent VW products: you are driving and suddenly you get an urgent audible and visual request to brake without any reason whatsoever.
Also, our ID.4 regularly reminded us to drive in the middle of the lane, while we were already doing so, with the "intelligent" cruise control nicely set to 120 km/h. You would almost switch off the systems, which can’t be the intention.
In line with the market
The version with 77 kWh of battery cells costs at least €46,160 including VAT. For that amount, you get the rather meagre Pro Life. More interesting is the Pro Business, which in exchange for around four thousand euros enriches the equipment with LED matrix headlights, dark tinted windows, microfibre for the seats, split folding rear seats, Pre-Crash Basic and a reversing camera, among other things.
We would also opt for the heat pump (€ 1,395), which can significantly increase the driving range. As for the charging options: with a wallbox or public charge point of 11 kW, you can charge the battery from empty to fully charged in seven and a half hours. At a DC fast charger produces at least 125 kW you only need 38 minutes to get from 5 to 80 percent. That is in line with the market.