We received the possibility to drive the brand new 2024 ID.4 and located a powerful quantity of adjustments from final mannequin 12 months – not less than on the 82kWh model.
The 2024 ID.4 is only a new mannequin 12 months, however with the quantity of adjustments that VW has made, it looks like a mid-cycle refresh. We don’t normally go to drive occasions for particular person mannequin 12 months enhancements, however after driving this one, it undoubtedly had sufficient adjustments to make the drive worthwhile.
That mentioned – all of those adjustments are ONLY on the larger battery 82kWh model. The 62kWh base mannequin ID.4 is strictly the identical as final 12 months’s mannequin, although has acquired a worth bump from final 12 months, which began 2023 at a worth of $37,495, then received a $1,500 worth hike mid-year, and has been bumped additional in 2024 as much as $39,735 earlier than vacation spot charges.
The VW ID.4 does at present qualify for the total $7,500 US federal EV tax credit score – the one automobile made by a international automaker to qualify, resulting from native manufacturing in Chattanooga, Tennessee – and the credit score is now out there upfront on the level of sale. This makes the 62kWh model fairly enticing at a ~$32k base worth after credit score.
However since we’re speaking concerning the 82kWh model, we should always speak about that base worth as a substitute. The 2024 with the adjustments we noticed begins at $44,875, which continues to be according to the entry worth of most of the different EVs out right this moment (Ioniq 5 $42k, Mannequin Y $44k, and so on.). And once more, the 82kWh ID.4 does additionally qualify for the total federal tax credit score, bringing the worth all the way down to ~$38k.
So, what are all these large adjustments?
A greater rear motor means extra energy and extra effectivity
Amongst different issues, the 82kWh ID.4 is extra highly effective and extra environment friendly, resulting from an improved rear motor. The entrance motor stays the identical, so RWD fashions will acquire extra enchancment than AWD fashions.
The RWD is now 282hp with 402 lb-ft of torque, whereas the AWD is 335hp with 99lb-ft within the entrance and 402lb-ft within the rear.
This brings RWD 0-60 instances to five.9 seconds, down from 7.7, and AWD 0-60 is at 4.9 seconds, down from 5.7.
However not solely does it have extra energy, it’s additionally extra environment friendly – a uncommon feat. Extra effectivity implies that the identical measurement battery can go farther, so the 2024 RWD ID.4 now has 291 miles of EPA-estimated vary, up from 275, and the AWD model has 263 miles, up from 255.
As for the drive expertise of the ID.4, we drove the brand new RWD model on a foggy and chilly day on the Angeles Crest Freeway and it felt completely… acceptable. The ID.4 is targeted on being extra of an everyman’s automobile, not a sportscar. So it delivered a cushty drive, with the facility required for comfy driving duties.
It dealt with properly on the twisty street we took it on, although the tires did appear to be working arduous. Like most EVs, the ID.4 exhibited little or no physique roll round corners resulting from a low middle of gravity from the battery situated low within the car.
Energy was as a lot as a traditional driver would wish, and energy supply is {smooth} slightly than punchy. I do are inclined to desire a extra punchy energy supply, and actually dislike when automakers construct a delay into throttle response, however the ID.4 doesn’t really feel laggy (in contrast to the Blazer EV or Fisker Ocean that I’ve pushed not too long ago).
Like different VW Group EVs (together with Audi, Porsche and so on.), the ID.4 isn’t actually able to one-pedal driving, not less than to not the diploma of EVs with stronger regen like Tesla, Leaf and Bolt.
Placing the automobile in “B” mode does allow some quantity of regenerative braking, which we had been capable of get to decelerate the automobile all the way down to 5mph even whereas taking place a hill. Nonetheless, the regen was nonetheless fairly mild, and I discovered myself reaching for the brake pedal when getting into flowing canyon corners, whereas in different EVs I might merely let off the accelerator to get the braking I needed.
I stay satisfied that VW wants to extend regenerative braking power on its EVs – and in speaking to VW representatives on the occasion, it feels like they’ve been listening to the identical elsewhere and will lastly be contemplating doing so.
I wouldn’t take into account both of those points significantly galling (properly, possibly the regen one, as a result of I’ve been one-pedal driving for 15 years now), however they’re points that might simply be fastened by permitting prospects to pick out completely different drive modes based mostly on their preferences.
And the ID.4 does have drive modes (ECO, consolation, sport, and “customized” the place you’ll be able to combine and match), however we felt little or no distinction between these modes. I wish to see them differentiate extra between the modes – choices for considerably heavier steering , punchier throttle, stronger regen, and so on.
The most important change I may discover is that these completely different modes do change the colour of the UI, so, I assume you’ll be able to decide your drive mode based mostly on whether or not you want pink, blue, or a-slightly-different-blue as your UI accent coloration.
Now that we’re speaking concerning the UI, the 2024 mannequin has a considerably improved consumer interface, which we had been fairly impressed with.
Massive UI adjustments vastly enhance consumer expertise
I’m a troublesome buyer on the subject of any form of digital consumer interface. I’ve mentioned many instances that the majority automotive UIs are horrible, aside from the EV startups. And most automakers appeared to have given up on making usable infotainment programs, as a substitute ceding that work to Apple or Google with CarPlay and Android Auto. The ID.4 does include each programs, and in the event you like these programs, you’ll be able to go forward and hold utilizing them.
However VW made fairly a couple of adjustments to its base consumer interface, and these are welcome. The display screen is now 12.9 inches as a substitute of 12 inches, although a lot of the new area is taken up by a persistent local weather management show, giving entry to fan velocity controls and cut up temperature controls for driver and passenger. It additionally permits operation of the ventilated seats, that are new for the 2024 mannequin.
Temperature and quantity controls are additionally out there with a bodily contact bar under the show. This contact bar is now illuminated within the 2024 mannequin, as within the earlier mannequin it was arduous to see at evening.
VW up to date its EV route planner for the 2024 mannequin, which may now embrace as much as 10 charging stops on a route, and takes under consideration each Electrify America stations and others (although no NACS but, however we anticipate that’s coming quickly™).
To make use of it, you simply enter a vacation spot and the automobile will plan your cost stops for you, telling you the place to cease, for the way lengthy, will routinely precondition the battery to optimize charging instances, and can replace reside to indicate you what number of free chargers there are on the cease (although that is in tiny font, in darkish gray on a light-weight gray background – extra visibility can be higher on this UI characteristic).
Whereas we didn’t get to check quick charging (which is as much as 175kW on the 2024 mannequin, up from 170kW earlier than), the route planning perform labored extraordinarily shortly, planning out an extended multi-stop route in solely a pair seconds – even faster than Tesla’s system does it.
And you may customise the settings, telling your automobile to make sure you don’t go beneath a sure proportion whereas driving or that you’ve not less than a specific amount of vary at your vacation spot (e.g. in the event you’re touring to a spot you gained’t have in a single day charging at). One UI display screen tells you an estimate of how briskly you’ll cost in the event you charged proper now, so whereas we don’t know the precise cost curve of the automobile simply but, you may get a way of it by taking a look at this display screen.
One other related charging-related change is that the ID.4 only in the near past (lastly) received plug & cost. This was rolled out to 2023 fashions on Electrify America stations simply final month, however the 2024 mannequin will be capable to use Plug & Cost on non-EA stations as properly. Plug & Cost is the identify of a characteristic that lets you simply plug right into a DC cost station and stroll away with out having to open any apps or swipe any playing cards or something – the same expertise to utilizing a Tesla Supercharger.
UI controls had been fairly responsive usually, partially resulting from up to date processing velocity and reminiscence for the infotainment system (although it’s nonetheless not buttery-smooth as you’ll anticipate from an iPad, which frankly is the bar that each one automakers ought to aspire to), although the structure of sub-menus was typically complicated and arduous to search out issues in. This may in all probability go away with some expertise, however we did skip over a couple of of the sub menus we had been searching for resulting from being named with generic-sounding headings like “fundamental capabilities.”
The software program enhancements on this automobile are notable, on condition that VW has had some issue with EV software program timelines prior to now. Its Cariad software program unit, created in 2020 to enhance EV software program points and ship over-the-air updates to autos (mainly, to make VW’s software program extra Tesla-like), has had issues getting up to the mark, to the purpose the place the unit’s difficulties reportedly had been a big contributor to former CEO Herbert Diess’ departure. In October, the corporate tapped some EV startup veterans to attempt to repair these issues.
And another small bodily adjustments had been made, like a slight relocation of the PRND degree for higher visibility, and shifting the hazard button downward barely, as a result of beforehand it was simple to by accident press it when reaching for the touchscreen (as identified by Electrek‘s very personal Michelle Lewis, who owns an ID.4 herself).
A ChatGPT-enabled voice assistant in your ID.4
One characteristic that we discovered to be fairly cool was the brand new ChatGPT-enabled voice assistant perform. VW says it’s the “first quantity producer to make this revolutionary expertise a normal characteristic in autos from the compact section upwards,” although we’ve seen a beta of one thing comparable from Mercedes.
That is an extension of VW’s “IDA” (get it? it seems to be like “ID.4”) voice assistant, who may be referred to as up by urgent a steering wheel button or saying “hey IDA.” It permits management over a powerful set of car capabilities, which you’ll see a partial checklist of by digging by the IDA menus. All of that is theoretically accessible by pure language search, so that you don’t need to say particular catchphrases, however you’ll be able to simply discuss to your automobile and she or he’ll work out what you’re searching for.
In apply, although we didn’t use it extensively, it did fairly properly at understanding our that means, although it wasn’t 100% correct. There have been undoubtedly instances that we needed to restate or rephrase our inquiries to get reply out of the voice assistant, however that’s one thing we’ve all sadly come to anticipate out of all these programs. When it comes to voice recognition it was fast and fairly correct, and the wide selection of issues that it could actually do was higher than different voice assistant programs we’ve seen in automobiles.
However possibly the best facet of the IDA system is that you simply don’t need to name it IDA. You possibly can in truth name it something you need, by altering the “wake phrase” in software program. Behold!
(to VW: I’m sorry, your voice assistant is definitely fairly good and didn’t deserve the abusive identify, I’m only a baby)
Truthfully, this can be a characteristic that I simply love. It’s such a easy factor to have the ability to change the wake phrase, but it surely makes a lot sense, particularly in an automotive context.
On the one hand it permits dumb jokes like mine above, however then again it’s a real enchancment (e.g. if somebody in your house is known as Ciri, or in the event you ever discuss “seriously” about something, it may be complicated to have an Apple machine round), and it dovetails fairly properly with the already-existing societal development of individuals naming their automobiles. Now you’ll be able to really identify your automobile one thing, and it’ll reply to that identify!
If nothing else, it’s an excellent crowd pleaser, and it labored inside moments the primary time we tried it. Any VW supplier who needs to promote a automobile, simply sit the shopper down inside and present them a demo of this one characteristic and also you’ll absolutely shock and delight them.
Conclusion and availability
Regardless of the tendency of VW Group EVs to make some “protected” decisions (like no one-pedal driving), in step with their considerably conventional stance so far as automakers go, I discovered myself saying “oh, that’s cool” plenty of instances throughout our fast couple hours with the automobile, principally associated to the varied UI enhancements made. They appear to have executed a strong job right here.
In reality, there’s so many adjustments that I even requested VW if it will be acceptable to name this a mid-cycle refresh, significantly on condition that the automobile is ~3 years outdated now. They mentioned no, as a result of normally these contain some form of change to the outside sheet steel of the car (the one exterior adjustments are wheels – 20in on the AWD entry degree, and 21in on the AWD/RWD S Plus trim), however that the 2024 is certainly a “robust” mannequin 12 months replace.
And, as soon as once more, all of those adjustments are solely on the costlier 82kWh model, not the bottom mannequin 62kWh model. This can be a bit disappointing, as a result of VW did tout the 62kWh’s enticing entry worth in its presentation to us, although all the new options are gated behind a $5,140 improve to a bigger battery which many shoppers simply don’t want.
However, possibly these adjustments will migrate down the mannequin vary when the true mid-cycle refresh comes, maybe in one other 12 months or two. We are able to hope, anyway.
Regardless, large upgrades right here. Should you had been contemplating getting an ID.4 already, you may be even happier on the worth proposition as soon as the 2024s hit dealerships, which occurs in March.
Should you’d like, you should use our hyperlinks to contact your native sellers concerning the 2024 VW ID.4, and get your self in line for after they’re delivered on this coming month.
