LIKES
- Spacious interior
- Plush, quiet ride
- Excellent safety credentials
- Three years of road-trip charging
DISLIKES
- Laggy infotainment
- Imprecise capacitive controls
- Sometimes grabby brakes
BUYING TIP
The 2022 Volkswagen ID.4 makes for an easy transition to fully electric, at a strong value for the money, but some of its interior interfaces backfire.
What kind of vehicle is the 2022 Volkswagen ID.4? What does it compare to?
The 2022 VW ID.4 is a fully electric crossover with space for up to five and a range of up to 260 miles. It’s positioned against mainstream compact crossovers like the Toyota RAV4, Subaru Forester, and Honda CR-V, as well as the more expensive Tesla Model Y and Ford Mustang Mach-E EVs.
Is the 2022 Volkswagen ID.4 a good car?
The ID.4 has a refreshing design, a spacious and comfortable interior, comprehensive active-safety features, and enough driving range for most types of weekend trips. The ID.4 earns a TCC Rating of 7.7 out of 10.
What's new for the 2022 Volkswagen ID.4?
Changes for the 2022 ID.4 are limited to an auto-hold feature for the parking brake and Plug and Charge compatibility that could take the payment step out at some public charging stations. They’ll also get a slight boost to their peak DC fast-charging rate, to 135 kw.
Even though the ID.4 is a bit shorter than the Toyota RAV4 or CR-V, it can feel more spacious than those models inside, and the low cargo floor offers 30.3 cubic feet with the rear seatback up or 64.2 cubic feet with it flipped down. It’s a welcoming space for four adults, with good sightlines for the driver and a plush, quiet ride.
In any of its versions, the ID.4 is quiet and at least relatively quick. AWD models get a boost to 295 hp and 339 lb-ft of torque, up from the rear-wheel-drive models’ 201 hp and 229 lb-ft, which cuts its 0-60 mph time from the seven-second range to the five-second range. The whole model line has great steering, with a sense of balance and poise that’s above and beyond what you’ll find in gasoline crossovers this size—even though they’re heavier.
The ID.4 checks all the boxes for safety, with a full suite of standard active safety features and top-notch crash-test credentials. It’s already received top five-star ratings from the federal government as well as best-of-best IIHS Top Safety Pick+ status.
How much does the 2022 Volkswagen ID.4 cost?
The 2021 VW ID.4 starts at $41,955 for the base Pro model, or $45,635 for the Pro AWD. These models include a 10.0-inch touchscreen with navigation and HD radio, wireless smartphone charging, adaptive cruise control, and parking sensors. Pro S models start at $46,455 with rear-wheel drive or $50,135 with AWD and add a panoramic fixed-glass roof, ambient interior lighting, upgraded upholstery, and a larger 12.0-inch touchscreen, among other upgrades.
Where is the 2022 Volkswagen ID.4 made?
In Zwickau, Germany—although VW plans to start production in Chattanooga, Tennessee, in the second half of 2022, and likely for the 2023 model year.
Styling
The 2022 ID.4 has smart proportions and a smoothed-over look, with lighting and minimalism the themes inside.
Is the 2022 Volkswagen ID.4 a good-looking car?
Yes, the ID.4 is nicely proportioned and well-styled on the outside—in a way that nearly everyone will agree is mildly futuristic. But it undersells its role as the start of a new era for VW, as an EV intended for “millions, not millionaires.”
The exterior, shaped around an inside-out philosophy that prioritizes cabin space, earns it a 6 out of 10, while the interior is bound to be a little more controversial.
Minimalism is the theme inside, and from a top-level view it succeeds in making a cohesive statement. A touchscreen interface and a few touch points are prioritized but otherwise it’s a “lite” version of the instrument panel we’re accustomed to in other VW products. The 10.0- or 12.0-inch touchscreens are underlined with a strip of capacitive “buttons,” while a 5.3-inch gauge cluster keeps it small and simple ahead of the driver. Door trim includes chunky handles with recessed ambient lighting—which is an active feature in itself; we’ll get to that.
Performance
Dual-motor all-wheel drive versions give the ID.4 a perkier, more confident feel, but its ride is prioritized for comfort.
The 2022 VW ID.4 offers quick acceleration in its dual-motor all-wheel-drive form, with a great ride-and-handling balance. That earns it a couple of points, for a 7 out of 10 here.
In single-motor rear-wheel-drive versions, it’s powered by a permanent-magnet motor at rear wheels, making 201 horsepower and 229 pound-feet of torque. Dual-motor all-wheel-drive models add an asynchronous motor at the front wheels, delivering 107 hp and 119 lb-ft of torque; with the rear motor for those models the same, they make a combined 295 hp and 339 lb-ft.
Underneath the ID.4 is a suspension layout much like other crossovers, including struts in front and a multi-link layout in back. Both models have a very tight turning radius (33.6 feet, or 36.4 feet with AWD).
VW makes 77 kwh of the battery pack’s 82 kwh available as usable capacity. The ID.4 can be charged to full with a 240V home charger (up to 11 kw) in as little as 7.5 hours, or it can hit 135 kw on CCS-format DC fast-charging, allowing a 5%-to-80% charge in just 38 minutes.
Is the ID.4 4WD?
Yes, both Pro and Pro S versions are offered with a choice between single-motor (rear-wheel-drive) and dual-motor (all-wheel-drive) layouts.
How fast is the ID.4?
Single-motor versions can dash to 60 mph in a respectable 7.5 seconds, which is about on part with gasoline crossovers but slower than nearly all rivals. Dual-motor AWD versions get to 60 mph in just 5.4 seconds, but they’re also not shockingly quick; it’s a difference you’ll feel the most at two-lane passing speeds.
The dual-motor layout also adds to the ID.4’s graceful handling—with Sport mode revealing impressive poise that you might not expect based on Comfort-mode lolling. Eco, Comfort, Sport, and Custom (and Snow, with AWD) modes offer different accelerator responses and subtle steering changes, but overall the precise steering feel in the ID.4 lineup is a joy, and the ID.4 has a balanced feel on tight on-ramps and twisty backroads.
The shifter’s ‘B’ mode trades the easy-coasting feel of ‘D’ (Drive) for a little more regenerative braking when you lift off the right pedal. Early test cars we drove exhibited a “grabby” brake feel in the last few feet of a stop, but follow-ups Lift off the brake and the ID.4 creeps ahead slowly. Two earlier test cars we drove were intermittently grabby in the last few feet of stops; follow-ups with recent AWD versions have not shown this trait.
Comfort & Quality
Loads of flexible space, a quiet ride, a smart climate system, and tight assembly quality make the ID.4 a great family vehicle.
The 2022 Volkswagen ID.4 takes full advantage of its dedicated electric vehicle platform—by maximizing passenger and cargo space, as well as overall flexibility. That plus an exceptionally comfortable back seat space and quiet cabin bring it to an 8 out of 10.
Climb into the ID.4—front seat or rear seat—and you might just guess this vehicle to be a size larger on the outside. Between the nicely proportioned seating, with plenty of head and leg room all around, ideal sightlines for the driver, and great ride comfort—as well as ease getting in and out—this is the most family-friendly of the compact EVs. A deep center console, deep door bins, and a ski pass-though add usefulness, and rear seatbacks fold forward to a nearly flat space, boosting the ID.4’s 30.3-cubic-foot space to 64.2 cubic feet. Below the cargo floor there’s also a “hidden” compartment for smaller items.
Despite all those surprise-and-delight items, you won’t find a front trunk, or “frunk,” here. VW instead made space for the onboard charger, climate control system, and other components there, to keep the feel in the front of the cabin more open.
Safety
Every detail and test result points to top-tier safety for this family-friendly EV.
How safe is the ID.4?
The ID.4 has achieved top five-star crash-test results from the NHTSA, as well as the Top Safety Pick+ distinction from the IIHS—which, with exceptional outward visibility and automatic emergency braking standard, amounts to a 9 out of 10 here.
The IIHS notes that the headlights in the base Pro earn “acceptable”—pointing to some limitations of the low beams—while the adaptive LED reflector headlights in the Pro S version achieve a top-tier “good” result.
Features
The ID.4’s interface is simplified yet scattered; if you warm up to it, there’s a strong feature set and complimentary road-trip charging.
Fundamentally, the 2022 Volkswagen ID.4 is a tech-savvy EV with an affordable price. A strong warranty and three years of free Electrify America road-trip fast-charging headlines add a lot of value. Feature content—especially comfort and safety items—is excellent. While that adds a couple points, the ID.4’s poorly functioning interface and infotainment are cause for a demerit. That leaves us at a 6 out of 10.
From the infotainment screen to the dash and steering-wheel controls, to a new light-and-color alert system, the ID.4 has a completely different interface compared to other contemporary VW models. Tactile buttons have been retired in favor of capacitive surfaces on the steering wheel and dash, supplemented by voice controls that aren’t natural-language (ready to learn the syntax?).
The touchscreen itself—10.0-inch in base Pro models, 12.0-inch in Pro S versions, is high in the line of sight and looks great. But in real-world responsiveness, it’s a sluggish affair, with menus that don’t always respond consistently. Over a few updates, it’s better than when it was first launched, but the frustrating latency hasn’t entirely been purged.
Which Volkswagen ID.4 should I buy?
At $41,955 in RWD form or $45,635 in AWD form, the ID.4 Pro is the one that value-minded shoppers should focus on. It comes loaded with safety features plus a lot of comfort and convenience items. Cloth seats, dual-zone climate control, rain-sensing wipers, adaptive cruise control, a wireless smartphone charging pad, heated front seats, heated mirrors, and a heated leather-wrapped steering wheel are included, and the AWD version of the Pro also adds a heated windshield. The 10.0-inch center touchscreen includes wireless CarPlay and Android Auto, but you may notice that AM radio is missing.
One of the coolest features in the ID.4 is an ID Light alert that uses a dynamic, directional band of light—color-coded and zooming across the dash—to draw your attention to critical pieces of info, like that turn you’re about to miss.
That’s on top of the Pro S model’s adaptive headlights, panoramic glass roof, power tailgate, power mirrors, puddle lamps, 30-color ambient lighting, and bigger 12.0-inch touchscreen.
The only option package is called the Gradient Package, and includes bigger 20-inch wheels, two-tone paint (black roof), and silver bumper accents. Top-technology options like a head-up display would make a lot of sense here, but that’s reserved for the ID.4’s Audi Q4 cousin.
Fuel Economy
The entire 2022 VW ID.4 lineup is all-electric and has no tailpipe emissions.
Across the full 2022 Volkswagen ID.4 model line you’ll find more than 200 miles of range and no source of tailpipe emissions. That means a 10 out of 10 here.
Volkswagen has said that it expects a modest range improvement to much or all of the model line for 2022, but those improved ratings have neither been disclosed by VW or posted by the EPA.
Until then, we have 2021’s range and efficiency ratings to go on, and in range they span from 240 to 260 miles from a new battery capacity of 77 kwh. The 2021 ID.4 was rated at 260 miles in its single-motor, rear-wheel-drive ID.4 Pro version, or 249 miles as the ID.4 AWD Pro. Better-equipped ID.4 Pro S versions are rated at 250 miles, while the ID.4 AWD Pro S is rated at 240.
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