Ever since the tax regulations are being changed every year, there's been a nice tradition of people buying cars that are still in the old tax...
system at the end of every year. Two years ago, that was the case with the Jaguar I-Pace, which was the best sold car in December 2018.
Last year, everybody wanted a Tesla Model 3 and even though there are lots of electric cars available today, everybody's looking at Volkswagen's twins.
The ID.3 and this ID.4. If you're quick, you'll be able to drive this in 2020. It's an electric Volkswagen which is very spacious, so lots of people will...
be very interested. It's up to us if they'd be making a good choice today.
Before I continue, we've already walked around the ID.4 in September. So if you want all of the details, you should look up that video.
What I do remember is that the wheelbase is exactly the same as the ID.3, but that the car as a whole is about 23 centimetres bigger.
That's mostly in the overhang at the rear, so you'll notice it mostly in the luggage space.
It can fit 543 litres, which is about 160 litres more than in the ID.3 And that's a very important difference, because if you've got children at home,
you'll quickly find that you'll be using all of the ID.3's loading capacity very fast. An ID.4 could be a solution in that case.
At the same time, it's not as big as the Tiguan. Even the shorter Tiguan can hold more luggage than this ID.4. On the other hand,
a Tiguan doesn't have to incorporate an entire drivetrain in the floor. You do get an compartment for your charging cables, which I wouldn't...
recommend using if you'll be putting all of your vacation luggage on top of it. What's good to know as well is that you're allowed to install a roofbox...
and you can install a towing hook, so you can tow up to 1.000 kg. The ID.3 doesn't have that possibility.
There are similarities however. Just like the ID.3, the ID.4 has a parcel shelf. Usually, SUV's and station wagons have a rolling cover.
Where the ID.4 is very spacious as well, is on the rear seat. The ID.3 is also very spacious, because of its wheelbase, but this is bigger,
so it's even more spacious. There's still about 10 centimetres between my knees and the seat, which is in my position.
I can even fit my feet beneath the seat, despite the seat being fully lowered. The seating position back here itself is very good too,
because the seat is pretty high up relative to the floor. It's an EV after all. However, that comes with a drawback. The headroom isn't infinite.
I'm still alright, but you don't want to be any longer than this. And what else is there to talk about? Well, there are lots of compartments here,
separate vents and climate control, and an arm rest with cupholders. Because of the flat floor, seating in the middle isn't too bad at all either.
In the front, interior space is a very important theme as well. That seems strange, because in most cars of this size, that's usually the case.
But it's all about the feeling this gives you. It gives you an incredible sense of space around you. You can already tell from the way the body is shaped.
It has a very long cabin with the windshield incredibly far forward. That way, you really get the impression there's a lot of space.
There's a lot of light in here as well. Especially with this glass roof. Also, inbetween the seats there's a lot of space.
That's because the floor is pretty much flat. They did install a lot of storage compartments, so you can put lots of things in.
There's cupholders, USB-ports, so you really get the impression it's very spacious. And you actually have a lot of space for loose things.
Which is very comfortable of course. When it comes to styling, it's very similar to the interior in the ID.3.
Not a surprise there, since the exterior was very similar as well. In here, it's all been digitalized. Volkswagen is digitalizing everything now, even the Golf.
It's a step they've made, and I can kind of see why. They're just following the trend Tesla started. The advantage for a manufacturer is...
that you don't have to develop buttons or anything, and that you can add functions after the release, or add certain technology subscriptions.
I can get behind the flexibility, but we also know all of the disadvantages. We've seen them in the ID.3 already. The way it's operated has become...
quite vague. Especially if you compare it Volkswagens from the past, which had clear buttons for everything. Now however, you need to...
get into the menu's for the heated seat-controls, or even opening your window. Almost everything is done in the screen, which is the center piece.
That means you do have to get used to using it. As I said, it's all about the big central screen. That's available in 10-inch or...
12-inch, which is bigger than the 8- or 10-inch screen in the ID.3. There is an instrument cluster, but it's very small. That only shows...
basic information as satnav and the speedometer. You can't see the amount of electricity you've been using though, and that's...
stuff that I'd personally like to see in front of me. That's not possible however, you can only see that information in the big screen.
What this car does have, and what ID.3-drivers will be getting next year, is the augmented reality-function in the head-up display.
You've got a regular head-up display, positioned quite low in your windshield, and floating above it there are digital arrows.
It's quite a fun gimmick and it actually helps you with decide which lane to choose. I do have to say, I don't really like it.
I get a bit nauseous because of it, because it's too unnatural for me. Maybe I have to get used to it, but for now, I don't like it.
Another flaw in the ID.3 was the interior. You can only spend an Euro once, and because this drivetrain was very expensive, the ID.3 only had hard...
plastics. Fortunately, they've done a better job in here. A lot of the things you touch in here are made of soft plastics.
In the lower regions, they did use hard plastics, but that's not very rare. However, there's a problem with the soft plastics. They look like...
hard plastics. It's just as shiny so you have to touch it to notice the difference. Good news for the hard plastic, but not good news for...
the soft plastic. That means there are cars that look and feel better on the inside.
On the other hand, it still looks very good and the finishing is good. There's absolutely nothing wrong with the quality of the build, so it's...
not a bad interior to spend time in.
When you're setting off, one thing stands out immediately. The small turning circle. For a car which measure 4.60 metres in length, it's...
incredibly agile.
Just like with the ID.3, there's a big selection of drivetrains in the ID.4. Five already have been announced. Starting with a 148 horsepower-version...
with a 52 kWh-battery pack, all the way up to a four-wheel drive-version which should produce more than 300 horsepower. That'll come next year.
This is the current top-of-the-range-version, or rather, it's the only version available at the dealers as of now.
All First-versions have this Pro Performance-drivetrain. That means you've always got the strongest rear-wheel drive-version, which has...
204 horsepower, just like the ID.3. Or 150 kW, as you wish. It also comes with a 77 kWh-battery pack, which is a lot bigger than found in the ID.3.
In theory, that means you've got a range of around 500 km. However, it's about ten degrees and there's a strong wind, so you should aim...
for around 350 kilometres on a single charge. More than enough for most people.
Of course, there's a three-phase charger present, which lets you charge up at home up to 11 kW.
Quickcharging is possible as well, up to 125 kW.
With 204 horsepower, you shouldn't expect this car to get anywhere near a Tesla. That's mostly because of its weight, because it weighs...
over 2.000 kg. That's a lot, even compared with the ID.3 which weighs around 1.700 kg. The results in a 0-100-time of 8,5, which is still rapid.
Rapid and smooth are good words to describe this car. Of course, it performs very easily. That's always the case with electric cars.
You always have enough power available, but it's very quiet as well. That's not only because there's no engine to make noise,
which is logical, but there's not a lot wind noises either. The chassis is quiet as well, and if you're driving on the motorway,
you barely hear anything. That's very pleasant, especially on longer journeys. Other than that? You barely feel the weight.
Of course, you feel it's not nimble, but it doesn't feel like it weighs more than 2.000 kg. That's because of the chassis.
It's sturdy, but not too hard. It feels very stable and you're to corner quite quickly. That's partly because of the low centre of gravity.
Something you often see with electric cars as well. I also like the steering. There's more than enough counterpressure in the steering wheel.
I do have to say, this is the Max-version, so you get everything Volkswagen has to offer when it comes to steering technology...
and adaptive chassis-technology. A basic version will drive differently, but it won't change the fact that this car is nicely balanced...
car to drive.
The charging port is installed on the right rear fender, where you'd usually find the fuel-filler cap. A very logical place if you ask me.
Also, this thing covers the port itself very nicely, so you don't need a little cap every time. Only when you quickcharge it.
Underneath the charging port, you've got a set of huge wheels. 20-inch, which are standard on the First Edition's, which are the...
launch-versions. And behind the rear wheels, you've got drum brakes. That makes this the most expensive car I've ever seen with drum brakes.
This car starts at €47.000, and if you want the Max-version, with all of the available kit installed, you'll have to pay €57.000.
That's a lot of money, but there isn't another electric car which offers this amount of space for this amount of money.
There just isn't one, but there will be in the future. And with that, we can conclude that an electric car like this is getting...
more and more attractive every year. Even without new tax regulations.