ACCESS DENIED
Volkswagen is counting on the ID.4 to convert EV-curious customers everywhere into battery-power believers. As with the Beetle in the past and the Golf in the present, this new crossover is designed to anchor the German car-making giant’s line-up in the future.
The brand plans to produce 1.5 million EVs in 2025, and the ID. 4 is sure to be the top seller.
But it’s not coming to Australia any time soon, as VW’s Wolfsburg headquarters is prioritising EV supply to markets where governments have legally binding national emissions targets.
That’s a shame, because the ID.4 is exactly the kind of EV that could tempt many Aussies to wave goodbye to internal-combustion engine power. It’s the right size, the right shape and the right price. It’s also good looking, practical, comfortable, cheap to run and fun to drive, as we discovered in a 700km road trip around Italy.
Though similar in overall size to popular crossover SUVs such as the Toyota RAV4, the smoothly shaped ID.4 is a little lower.
The five-seater is spacious inside and has a big cargo compartment. At first glance the design of the instrument panel seems stripped back to the basics, but it has all the latest infotainment and driver-assist tech.
In Italy, ID.4 prices are in the same ballpark as top-end versions of the Volkswagen Tiguan.
The cheapest ID.4 is about the same money as the Tiguan R-Line, which costs about $54,000 and is reportedly the best-selling model in the line-up.
The ID.4 we tested was the more expensive Pro Performance, with more driving range and power. In Italy it costs a little more than the diesel Tiguan R-Line.
The Pro Performance has a 150kW electric motor driving its rear wheels and a hefty 77kWh battery pack. Performance is strong, but not startling.
The ID. 4 is very quiet, even by EV standards, and super smooth to drive at freeway speeds. The underfloor battery of the ID. 4 means it has
a very low centre of gravity. This gives it sharper, sportier handling than fuel-burning rivals. It also has a tight turning circle for its size, thanks to its rear-drive layout.
The suspension does a good job of smoothing out the bumps.
When it comes to charging, the VW is quicker than the average EV. It can take up to 11kW from an AC wallbox, charging from empty to full in a little more than eight hours. It also accepts up to 125kW from a DC fastcharger, so a 10-80 per cent battery top-up takes 34 minutes.
Real-world range between charges during our time with the VW was about 400km, although it was more efficient in town.
The energy consumption we recorded was in the 15 to 20kWh/100km range. With average Australian domestic electricity prices at about 25 cents per kWh, this translates to a cost of $3.75 to $5 per 100km.
So include cheap running in the lengthy list of things Australians would like about the ID. 4 – if only they could buy it.