Updates have improved the ID.4, but I would still skip altogether
2024 Volkswagen ID.4 Pro S review by The Road Beat
Words and pictures: Mitchell Weitzman
Volkswagen has fixed several annoyances with their all-electric ID.4, but this is still not the optimal choice for those considering an EV. While I applaud VW for listening to feedback and amending some key focus areas, the unfortunate reality is this is a car that still very much feels like beta firmware. Tested here was a mid-range RWD Pro S, bearing an MSRP of $51,815. A competitive price, but that's not enough to want this unfinished product.
One area this VW does admittedly excel is when it comes to driving range. With its 82 kWh battery pack, you can expect a real world 250 miles of driving distance (if you opt for AWD, figure in a slight decrease). That number falls short of the promised 291 miles from the window sticker, but around 250 miles does marginally exceed what I've come to expect from Hyundai's Ioniq 5 when similarly equipped. So, at least it's efficient enough for your everyday mundanity. However, unlike other EV makers, the ID.4 cannot take advantage of hasty 350 KW chargers, so your recharge times potentially will be longer (it'll be the same on slower chargers or when replenishing at home, though).
From there, things take a turn for the worse, stemming from poor planning and execution. A headlining change was an update to the central display's user interface, and it is indeed easier and quicker to use in practical terms. Sounds like a win, right? And initially, the menus respond with improvement, until they don't. During one drive, the radio and navigation pages both became completely inoperable, where clicking each of their respective icons resulted in blank pages and would refuse to load. Software glitches from a large brand like Volkswagen in 2024 are entirely unacceptable. At least the rotating gear selector operates better now, and the awful and incoherent sliding touch controls for the volume and temperature are at least now illuminated at nighttime so you can actually see them, but they're still fussy and rubbish. Same goes for the buttons on the steering wheel that can be complicated to use and their gloss black finish easily reveals even the slightest of smudges. Some items have been improved, but they're still just not good enough.
The door latches, both inside and outside, feel like toys, with the exterior grab handles flexing and creaking during use when they're clearly not supposed to (they have rubber squeeze pads for entry operation, but as you squeeze and pull, the handle itself still flexes and moves like it's broken). If this was my own car, I'd worry about them breaking and falling off soon, while the interior release handles lack feedback in use. Nearby on the door control panel, you have touch a sorry little button in order to even operate the rear windows, as there are only two controls for all the windows (so you have to toggle between front and rear - terrible), and then the pathetic little spinning knob for adjusting your mirrors also feels like it's about to come apart. Speaking of mirrors, the rear camera is appalling for a futuristic 'tech savvy' car, being too low of resolution and having distorted image corners.
Open the front hood and you're greeted by zero front trunk (frunk) storage and a barrage of lazily assembled cross braces and other things that should just be hidden from the owners or at least under some kind of simple cover. At least the rear cargo area is generous because the lack of additional front storage on an electric car is rather disappointing. Speaking of space, the interior itself is wasteful, featuring this enormously oversized center console that makes things feel more crowded than it should in the front seats. And the storage ability of said center console is rather poor despite the big and pointlessly bulbous shape, not to mention the lack of a glovebox in front of the passenger. What also doesn't help is the high hood line which impedes vision forward, where the height of the hood is taller than the dash - bad! The overall quality of materials used inside isn't all that bad, and seats are fine, but there are several key controls that are so sloppily executed that it cheapens the entire experience due to general oversight.
On a neutral note, the ID.4 Pro S is perfectly fine and serviceable to drive. Power is also up for the model year, which drops the 0-60 MPH sprint down to six seconds flat for this RWD version, but it doesn't perceive itself as that particularly quick at all. Handling? Meh. You turn the wheel and it goes where you point it, mostly, with vague and lifeless steering that is all too common a trait among cars like these. Toss it around on a winding road and the ID.4 doesn't have the composure nor willingness that other EVs do, like that aforementioned Ioniq 5. Simply put, it just doesn't drive as nice as other EVs and lacks in the handling department with its delayed responses. And there may be s a mode for regenerative braking, but it's not strong enough to utilize one pedal driving, if that's what you prefer in your electric vehicle.
You might think I have no sympathy for this car or that this is some kind of hit piece, but only the former is correct: I do not have sympathy for this car. VW is one of the largest carmakers in the world and this is the best they can do? First they betray the world with the Dieselgate emissions scandal, and they make it up by this haphazard attempt at an electric car? Go look at any other alternative to the ID.4 and there is almost zero chance that you would go back to this still-unfinished Volkswagen. Unless there are enormous manufacturer rebates or dealer discounts to move these, looking elsewhere will be your best decision.
2024 Volkswagen ID.4 Pro S RWD
As-tested price: $51,815
Pros: Hmmm
Cons: Hyundai and Kia's Ioniq 5 and EV6 exist
