ID.4’s practicality and tax benefits make it your new family favourite

The ID.4 is Volkswagen’s first fully-electric SUV and first global electric vehicle. Like the ID.3, it is based on the brand’s modular, electric drive matrix (MEB) and its entry into the compact SUV market gives VW a competitor in a sector that sees no sign of slowing

The Entry model is the 109kW City Pure 52kWh, costing £34,650, with eight more specs: Life, Style, Life Edition, Style Edition, Family, GTX, Max and GTX Max. The rangetopper is the 220kW 4Motion GTX Max 77kWh which will set you back £58,415.

The smaller 52kWh batteries offer a range of 213-223 miles; larger 77kWh batteries are 288322 miles and the larger 82kWh batteries, available on the Life Edition, Style Edition and GTX, will give you 301-325 miles of range.

Exterior

Unlike the ID.3, which carries a distinctive Volkswagen look about it, the ID.4 is more generic and like a lot of other SUVs, so think Vauxhall Grandland X, Nissan Qashqai and KIA Sportage. The front has narrow, sweeping front lights and a large windscreen. Mirroring the latest Audi EV trend, the rear light cluster spreads right across the back of the car.

Interior

The interior is almost identical to the ID.3. There’s a centrally mounted 10” infotainment touchscreen, a 5.3” dash panel display, a flat bottomed steering wheel and a gear lever on the right end of the centre console that you twist to select from Drive, Reverse or Neutral.

Light grey and gloss black adorn the cabin, with the seats are finished in grey, with a pink/ orange/brown like coloured trim. Build quality is pretty good, although there are some cheaper, harder plastics located lower down.

There’s as much room as you’ll find in a Tiguan. Front seat passengers are spoilt for space, with an armrest each. In the rear there’s room for three adults in comfort with plenty of head and legroom. If there’s only two in the back, an armrest folds down, inside of which there are cupholders. Overall cabin storage is generous but the glove box is tiny.

Luggage capacity with the rear seats up is 543 litres, increasinf to 1,575 litres with them folded. The boot is flat and rectangular, so it’s easy to slide stuff in and out of it. There’s a hidden storage space under the boot floor for the two charging cables.

Equipment and safety

Many of the advanced features seen on the ID.3 are shared with the ID.4, namely ID.Light (the intelligent strip of light below the windscreen that communicates with the driver), the central airbag and Car2X, a system that allows the car to wirelessly exchange information about local hazards with other vehicles and the traffic infrastructure.

Our test car, the First Edition, came very well equipped with electronic parking brake, a Driver Alert system with fatigue detection, ESC including traction control, 2-Zone ‘Air Care Climatronic’ air con, with keyless entry and starting system. Infotainment and tech isn’t bad, with driver profile selection and personalisation allowing you to set preset your favourite radio stations, phone connectivity and contacts.

Also on offer is a heated, leather-trimmed multi-function steering wheel with aluminium inserts and rake adjustment, front and rear parking sensors, Adaptive Cruise Control, including a Front Assist radar sensor controlled distance monitoring system, with city emergency braking system and Lane Assist.

Charging

Using a standard 7.2kW home charger, it will take 11 hours to fully charge the battery from zero. We recommend Rolec – http://www. rolecserv.com/home-charging. ID.4s are supplied with a 3 32-amp / 7.2kW charging cable and come with a three-year mobility guarantee in case of car breakdown

ID.4 can also be fast charged, either via a 125 kW DC (direct current)or 11 kW AC (alternating current). Using the former means charging to 80% capacity in just 25 minutes.

On the road

The 77kWh battery features a 201bhp electric motor which offers 150kW or 204PS and 310Nm of torque. This will propel the ID.4 quite quickly in a straight line, but on country roads, it’s a little more cumbersome than the ID.3. Thanks to its single-speed automatic transmission and rear wheel drive set-up, it is best enjoyed dawdling in traffic or taking you along a motorway, with both tasks undertaken in supreme quiet and relaxing comfort.

To enhance battery range, you select regenerative brake mode. In Drive, you simply twist and push the gear lever to select the B function, which gives you access to this. Unlike some EVs, the strength of the regeneration on ID.4 is not that high. The caveat though, is that this also makes the ID.4 better to drive than some of its competitors.

As far as driving modes go, you can select from Eco, the best for saving battery range, limiting you to a top speed of 80mph; Comfort, Sport or Individual.

An 85-mile motorway journey at motorway speeds saw us up 100 miles of range. In town, the B regenerative braking kicks in and you’ll likely see at least a 1:1 ratio of miles travelled to range used. The large 77kWh battery will offer around 250 miles of range without you having to work too hard. Remember that in winter, with several passengers and luggage on board, this will likely fall by around 20%.

Pros

The ID.4’s pros are impossible to ignore for company car drivers. Charging regularly at home and at night on a cheaper tariff will save on your fuel bill and on BIK tax – as little as two per cent. Choose the 82kWh battery and you’re looking at a 300-mile driving range.

Cons

It’s heavy and not as fun to drive as a petrol Tiguan. Some of the fixtures and fittings are disappointing.

CC&V VERDICT

Impressive. A proper family five-seater, with loads of practical space and on-trend tech. BIK benefits are, for now anyway, immense. Perfect for company car driver who needs a large family car and 250-mile range

CC&V RATING: N N N N