Nice set of improvements implemented. . .

By Gary S. Vasilash

It is not hard to imagine that at some point, as the issue of Dieselgate was still burbling like the surface of the La Brea Tar Pits, there was a meeting at Volkswagen HQ in Wolfsburg at which point someone smacked the surface of a conference room table and said, “Verdammt! We’re going to develop vehicles that are going to reestablish some green credentials for the company!”

So it set to work on its ID. line of vehicles. It introduced, in Germany, the ID.3, a small hatchback, in 2020. Because the company figured that Americans aren’t all that keen on small cars, its first in the new line of electric vehicles (there had been the e-Golf, but that was more of a novelty than a commercial product) for the U.S. was the ID.4, in 2021, a compact crossover.*

The ID.4 didn’t get much of a reception given that it was available with a maximum range of 260 miles, with most models south of that.

A Pivot

The company dedicated to that proposition of going green has improved the ID.4 for 2024 in many ways, including improving the range to a maximum 291 miles (for the ID.4 Pro, driven here, and the ID.4 Pro S), which is close enough to that 300-mile mark that seems to be what people are looking for.

(And although the starting MSRP for the ID.4 Standard is $39,735 and it, like the others in the ’24 lineup, is eligible for the $7,500 federal tax credit, a 206-mile range probably is not a good thing from a marketing standpoint—not that that is the least range in an EV out there (the MINI Cooper SE is rated at 114 miles), but if someone goes into the dealership and hears that 206-mile number, they may be a bit turned off, even though for a few grand more they can get a model with an 82-kWh battery rather than the entry 62-kWh and get a more reasonable range.)

Performance

What’s more, the ID.4 Pro is peppy: the rear-drive model (VW points out that just like the original Beetle, the motor is in the back) produces 282 hp.

All of which is to say the range and performance have both been improved, so those who were lukewarm for the earlier entry may want to give the ’24 ID.4 consideration.

(And while this doesn’t strike me as a vehicle that anyone is going to be doing performance driving in—more likely something to load up with soccer gear or Costco cargo, and it can do a good job at that: cargo volume is 30.3 cubic feet behind the second row and 64.2 cubic feet with the seats folded—it does feature a vehicle dynamics control system that debuted on the Mk 8 Golf GTI.) 

Driving

To drive the ID.4 one climbs into the driver’s seat while carrying the fob, then uses a stalk (similar to the automatic transmission gear selector of yore) to select forward or reverse by turning it. No key rotation or button push.

There is an option labeled “B.” This is for “Brake.” But what it does is increase the amount of regenerative braking automatically applied so that there is more otherwise-wasted energy put back into the battery. It doesn’t provide what’s known as “one-pedal driving,” meaning that when lifting on the accelerator the vehicle doesn’t come to a full stop. Apparently VW wanted a bit of normalcy for those who are used to driving vehicles with what is still by far the dominant form of propulsion.

Useful

Another thing addressed in the new model is the interface.

In the Pro (and other models) there is a 12.9-inch touchscreen interface configured for ready access to apps without layers of confusion. Along the top of the screen are icons for things like music, navigation, and battery; at the bottom there are HVAC settings. This means that regardless of what’s going on in the center of the screen, items that are regularly used are a finger touch away. Just below the display are illuminated touch sliders that can be used to adjust temperature although there is the ability to set the temp using the infotainment screen.

American-Made

An interesting thing about the ID.4 is that Volkswagen manufactures it in its plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee. It ranks #3 in the Cars.com 2024 American-Made Index. This not only means that it is the only non-Tesla in the Top 10, but Teslas aside, you have to scroll down the list to #56 to get to another Cars.com American-Made electric vehicle: the Ford F-150 Lightning. Yes, VW at #3, Ford at #56. Imagine.

All in all, the 2024 VW ID.4 is something that ought to be on the list of those who are considering a move to an EV.

(Why didn’t I simply say “on the list of those who are considering a new crossover”? Simple. In terms of size and capacity, the ID.4 is fairly close to the VW Tiguan, which has a starting MSRP of $28,880. And the VW Atlas, the largest SUV on offer, has a starting MSRP of $37,995. Yes, the $7,500 tax credit for the ID.4 makes it effectively less expensive than the Atlas, but the Atlas is still more substantive. You have to want to move to an EV.)

*VW has made a decided shift from cars to crossovers in the U.S. market, which has been improving its fortunes here. However, I’d argue that the company should have brought the ID.3 to the U.S. market. “But people don’t buy small cars,” you say. That is partially true, but you can still buy a Civic or an Elantra and others. What’s more, consider this: when VW brought the Beetle to the U.S. in 1949 it sold. . .two. But through the 1950s, when Americans otherwise weren’t buying small cars, to say nothing of small cars that looked like the Beetle, the vehicle managed to defy expectations. In a big way. And while on the subject of small cars, when GM was boasting about the number of EVs sold in 2023, the only vehicle that really made a difference to those numbers was the Bolt EV/EUV, which had sales of 62,045. As for the rest there were Silverado EV, 461; Hummer EV 3,244; Blazer EV, 482; Lyriq, 9,154. Yes, small cars can matter and I’d submit that VW could have done that with the ID.3.