Update 6/3/24: This review has been updated with instrumented test results for the all-wheel drive Pro S.
The VW ID.4 just had a solid sales year in 2023, but choppy waters lie ahead. Volkswagen moved 37,789 ID.4s last year, an 84 percent increase from 2022 and enough to cover 11.5 percent of VW’s total U.S. sales. As production ramps up at the Chattanooga, Tennessee, plant that assembles U.S. ID.4s, demand for electric vehicles appears to be slowing across the board and the pool of competitors continues to grow. There are no waiting lists for the ID.4 as there were just 12 months ago, and the ID.4 may even be your cheapest leasing option in a VW showroom.
Fortunately, the 2024 model gets several important and useful upgrades that should increase buyer interest.
Powertrain upgrades
First and foremost, the small SUV gets more power. Thanks to a new rear motor called APP550 that uses a stator with more and larger square-section wires; a larger heat sink; and an improved oil and water cooling system, power for rear-wheel drive models with a 77.0 kWh battery jumps from 201 horsepower and 229 pound-feet of torque to 282 horses and 402 pound-feet.
The all-wheel drive model also gets this new rear motor, linked to the existing front motor of 107 hp and 99 Nm. Due to limitations in the power control electronics, this version doesn’t get as big a jump in power as the rear-drive model, but combined output still increases from 295 to 335 horsepower, while torque rises from 339 pound-feet to somewhere close. to 500 (VW has not released this combined figure). We recorded a 60 mph time of 5.4 seconds for the all-wheel-drive 2021 ID.4 we tested, and the 2024 model dropped that to 4.8 seconds.
While the net battery capacity remains unchanged at 77.0 kilowatt hours, the battery does benefit from a slight improvement in battery chemistry. And this new engine is not only more powerful, but also slightly more efficient. As a result, the EPA’s estimated range increases from 275 to 250 miles for the rear driver, while the all-wheel drive model has a more modest range of 250 to 260 miles. In our 75mph highway test, the Pro S AWD covered 240 miles, matching the distance of the 2021 model we previously tested.
The entry-level rear-drive model with a 58.0 kWh battery gets none of these powertrain changes – with power and torque of 201 ponies and 229 pound-feet respectively – and the range actually shrinks slightly from 200 to 200 miles. Of course, it’s worth noting that VW – and most EV manufacturers – recommend only charging to 80 percent to extend battery life, unless you’re going on a long trip. So give all these range predictions a 20 percent surplus for most real-world driving situations.
Much needed improvements to the infotainment
More impressive than these improvements are the upgrades to the infotainment system. As someone with a 2023 ID.4 in our family’s fleet, I would say that our car’s human-machine interface appears to be designed to maximize the number of control inputs needed to perform the simplest of tasks, while it is linked to a computer that appears to be the same. dumber than a typical politician.
The ’24 model gets essentially the same system VW tested last year during our first drive of the upcoming ID.7. With only a slightly larger LCD screen at 12.9 inches instead of 12.0 inches for 77.0 kWh models, the new version has a range of HVAC controls permanently displayed at the bottom of the screen. This means you can now activate the seat heating and air conditioning directly, instead of having to open menus. There are still touch sliders for fan speed and climate zones for driver and passenger, but at least these are now backlit and usable at night.
The menus themselves are simplified and easily customizable. At the top left of the main screen are five shortcuts you can select, making it easier to access your most used features. In addition, the computer that controls all this is significantly more powerful and has some AI capabilities, making the response to voice commands more accurate and much faster.
The steering wheel controls have also been revised for the better. There is now a button on the right spoke to activate the steering wheel heating. And the controls that switch from adaptive cruise control to normal cruise control now consist of a series of button presses instead of a push, slide and second press. And for better visibility, VW has moved the rotary switch from the right edge of the still small instrument panel to a fixed lever on the right side of the steering column.
Driving the new ID.4
We had a chance to test these upgrades during a quick drive in California in a top-of-the-line AWD Pro S model and again in Michigan when we instrumentally tested the same model. As you would expect, a 14 percent power increase is immediately noticeable. While acceleration decreases at higher speeds, in the dynamics of city traffic, the ID.4’s acceleration, combined with the immediate throttle response, makes you feel invincible.
Ride and handling remain very good in urban and suburban traffic. Combined with the quiet and buttery smooth drivetrain, the ID.4 feels very refined: we measured 67 decibels at 110 km/h. However, if you use the plentiful thrust to push the ID.4 Pro S AWD on a winding road, you start to notice both the machine’s 4888-pound weight and a lack of damping, which makes the car feel slightly wobbly. A sports car it is not, although the grip on the skidpad weighs a respectable 0.86 grams.
But the new infotainment system is a joyous breakthrough. While it still has wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, you no longer feel compelled to use these systems in self-defense against the car’s annoying native applications. In fact, the ID.4’s navigation system has some features that the phone apps can’t match, like the ability to program it to search for charging stations at a certain charge level, for those concerned about longer or shorter range. And you can program up to 10 charging stations on your route, and the system will tell you how many charging stations are open, but only at Electrify America charging stations.
Prices range from $41,160 for the essentially unchanged 58.0 kWh base model to $58,480 for the range-topping AWD Pro S Plus. That’s up about 5 percent from the start of the 2023 model year, and all versions of the ID.4 are eligible for the $7,500 federal tax credit – the only foreign EV to do so.
You also still get an Electrify America charging package, although not nearly as generous as the three years of free charging that came with previous models. Now you get 500 kilowatt hours of free charging (about 10 charges from 20 to 80 percent), followed by a discount of roughly 25 percent.
This package of real upgrades should keep the ID.4 competitive for a few more years – if the EV buyers are around. Now I have to figure out how to transplant the new screen and brain into our car.
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