2022 Volkswagen ID.4

　　

2022 Volkswagen ID.4 Review

byKurt NiebuhrSenior Vehicle Test Editor

　　Kurt Niebuhr has worked in the automotive industry since 2005. A automotive photographer by trade, Kurt is now one of zzdcar' high-performance test drivers. He's driven and photographed hundreds, if not thousands, of vehicles all over the world, so Kurt's library of automotive experiences would certainly make for a good book. When not dreaming about getting his racing license or trying to buy out-of-date film for his cameras, Kurt can usually be found cursing at his 1966 Mustang.

　　, rating written byKurt NiebuhrDirector, Vehicle Testing

　　Jonathan Elfalan has worked in the automotive industry since 2005. As a director of vehicle testing at zzdcar, Jonathan has tested and reviewed thousands of cars and written thousands of car-related articles over the course of his career. Jonathan got his start testing cars for Road & Track magazine as a newly minted mechanical engineer grad from University of California, Irvine, and has also contributed to Motor Trend and the Associated Press. He likes to say he learned to drive a manual transmission in a rear-wheel-drive mid-engine vehicle but often omits it was his family's 1991 Toyota Previa minivan.

　　Volkswagen debuted its ID.4 electric SUV just last year. In terms of size, it's a little bit smaller than the brand's Tiguan SUV. But thanks to the inherent design efficiencies of an EV, the ID.4 actually has a similarly spacious interior as the Tiguan and other small SUVs. It also boasts many of the same attributes, such as a roomy cargo area, available all-wheel drive and a raised seating position.

　　Continue reading zzdcar Expert Rating below

　　

Volkswagen ID.4 EV Insights

Trim:ID.4 Pro

　　Pro 4dr SUV (electric DD) - $41,230 MSRPAWD Pro 4dr SUV AWD (electric DD) - $44,910 MSRPPro S (Statement) 4dr SUV (electric DD) - $45,730 MSRPAWD Pro S (Statement) 4dr SUV AWD (electric DD) (Most Popular) - $49,410 MSRP

　　

Range

　　275 miles

　　EPA Estimated Range

　　EV batteries lose 1-2% of range per year. Est. range for this car is 234 miles after 8 years.Electric cars typically experience 1-2% of range loss per year with slightly faster degradation over the first 50,000 miles as the car settles into its long term state, according to Recurrent's study of 15,000 EVs.

　　Estimated range mapThis map is a visual representation of the possible one-way and round-trips by this vehicle (on a full charge) from the geometric center of Rutland, North Dakota. The depicted ranges are based on the estimated new vehicle range value provided by the EPA, rounded down to miles for one-way and miles for round-trip. Actual range will vary depending on the condition of this vehicle’s battery pack, how you drive, driving conditions and other factors.Map display generated using: © openrouteservice.org by HeiGIT | Map data © Recurrent contributors | Recurrent

　　from 58067

　　

EV Battery Warranty

　　8 yrs or 100,000 milesThe federal government requires that EV batteries be warrantied for a minimum of eight years or 100,000 miles. The EV battery warranty includes replacement if your battery capacity drops below a certain percentage of the original capacity.

　　

Charging at Home

　　7.5 hours

　　Total Charging Time (240V outlet)

　　SAE ComboStandard port for most electric models. Supports Level 1, Level 2, and DC Fast charging.

　　Plug Type

　　

EV Tax Credits & Rebates

　　$400

　　Available Rebates. Restrictions apply.

　　Utility EV Charger Offer

　　$400

　　Restrictions: Otter Tail Power offers EV owners a rebate of up to $400 towards the installation of a Level 2 charging station. To qualify for this rebate, the customer and/or charging station must meet the following requirements: Receive electricity from Otter Tail Power.

　　To learn more, visit Recurrent

　　Complimentary Charging Offer

　　Restrictions: This program is a charging agreement between Volkswagen of America and Electrify America. Customers who purchase a new ID.4 will receive 3 years of complimentary 30 minutes of DC fast charging (CCS) or 60 minutes of Level 2 charging on the Electrify America network. Complimentary charging expires 3 years from the date of vehicle purchase. Offer is non-transferable. See your participating dealer for details.

　　

Cost to Drive

　　$67/mo

　　ID.4

　　vs

　　$183/mo

　　SUV Avg.

　　Monthly estimates based on costs in North Dakota

　　

Am I Ready for an EV?

　　EV ownership works best if you can charge (240V) at home or at work This typically means a 240V home installation, but you could also have a similar setup at your office or other places your car is already parked for several hours each day. Don't expect a regular household outlet (120V) to suffice unless you've got a plug-in hybrid, in which case overnight charging at home is feasible.

　　If you can’t charge at home, charging at a charging station could take at least 10x longer than at a gas station With public charging infrastructure still in its infancy, the user experience can be maddeningly inconsistent. Tesla owners tend to rave about the reliability and speed of the company's proprietary Supercharger stations, but rival DC fast options have thus far been plagued by technical issues and overcrowding. It's an evolving landscape and our best advice is to do your research on the available options for the EV you want to buy.

　　Adding a 240V home charging system could cost up to $1,600 or more If your existing electrical service can handle the additional demands of EV charging, you may be able to add Level 2 charging at home for less than a grand, including installation. But your costs will multiply if you need to upgrade your electrical panel or add a dedicated circuit.

　　There are a few changes for the ID.4. First up is a slight boost to the ID.4's maximum range on a full charge. The EPA estimates the 2022 model will go 2-20 miles farther than last year, depending on the trim level. Our test team has yet to run a 2022 ID.4 through our real-world EV range test, but the car's updates should only add to the car's competitive distance. For example, we tested a 2021 ID.4 Pro with all-wheel drive and it went 272 miles on a full charge. That's similar to the results we've gotten from other all-electric small SUVs with AWD.

　　The ID.4 is also capable of slightly higher DC fast-charging speeds than before, which means you should be able to spend less time at one of these rapid chargers — assuming you're connected to one of the appropriate power output. Finally, VW says it has simplified the charging procedure at Electrify America stations. This is welcome news as we've previously found the process to be oddly cumbersome considering that VW owns Electrify America.

　　More and more electric SUVs are coming to the market. The Tesla Model Y is essentially a household name at this point, and Ford's Mustang Mach-E is sporty enough to warrant its iconic badge. Other compelling options are the new Hyundai Ioniq 5, Kia EV6 and upcoming Nissan Ariya. Read our test team's Expert Rating below to help you decide if this electric VW is best for you.

　　

What's it like to live with?

We snagged a 2021 Volkswagen ID.4 for our long-term review fleet for a year and 20,000 miles of rigorous testing. We're driving Volkswagen's all-new electric vehicle all over town to find out what we like, what we don't like, and what might be deal-breakers in the one of the latest electric SUVs to hit the road. Recurrent

　　zzdcar Expert Rating

　　Our VerdictThe zzdcar Vehicle Testing Team evaluates a fresh batch of vehicles every week, pairing objective assessments at our test track with real-world driving on city streets, freeways and winding roads. The data we gather results in our Expert Ratings. They’re based on 30-plus scores that cover every aspect of the automotive experience.

　　Good

　　7.9

　　out of 10

　　zzdcar TESTED

　　Rated for you by America's best test team.

　　

Performance

7.5/10

　　How does the ID.4 drive? The rear-wheel-drive ID.4 splits the difference between your average mainstream EV and your average compact SUV. It's quick by SUV standards, needing only 7.7 seconds to sprint from 0 to 60 mph in our testing. Just know that other EVs are quicker still, such as the Hyundai Kona Electric (6.6 seconds) and Tesla Model Y Long Range (4.8 seconds). For a bit more fun, get the all-wheel-drive ID.4. Its dual-motor setup generates a lot more power than the standard model. It's still no electric Golf GTI, but it feels livelier than the base model.

　　Braking performance for the ID.4 is excellent in panic-stop situations. But the brake pedal requires a little too much finesse to smoothly stop in more casual scenarios. Also, we're disappointed that the ID.4 lacks full one-pedal driving capability. Lifting off the accelerator initiates regenerative braking, but you still have to put your foot on the brake pedal for a complete stop.

　　

Comfort

7.5/10

　　How comfortable is the ID.4? This is a comfortable EV. Most notably, the climate control system does a great job of keeping the cabin at a consistent temperature even in the Eco setting. There are even some fun temperature presets to choose from based on how you're feeling. It's also decently quiet. You'll hear some outside and road noise when driving, but the ID.4 proved to be just as quiet in our sound measurements as other top EVs.

　　The seats are cushy but could use a little more thigh support for drivers with long legs. We'd happily trade the seat massage function for a ventilated seat option, which isn't offered. Ride comfort is OK, but the ID.4's rather soft suspension tuning means you'll feel some pronounced up-and-down body motions when driving over bumps.

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