Review and Test Drive: The 2021 Volkswagen ID.4 Electric Vehicle Offers Fahrvergnügen for the EV Era
The 2021 Volkswagen ID.4
There will be a time when it will no longer be necessary to write the words “Electric Vehicle” after a model name in the headline of a car review, but that time has not yet arrived. However, if more cars such as Volkswagen’s entertaining ID.4 come to market, we may soon need to use a retronym in headlines for those cars powered by internal-combustion engines.
Many people don’t really know what to make of the ID.4 but the answer is simple: think of it as the EV equivalent of the storied Golf (née, at least in the United States, Rabbit). It has the Golf’s pep and precision and there’s even a GTI, excuse me, GTX version. As for the naming, it’s not cute like the Golf or Scirocco; instead, the name is straight forward and to the point. The Volkswagen ID. series is the Wolfsburg automaker’s family of all-electric battery-powered vehicles and ID refers to “Intelligent Design.”
This is not, however, your father’s e-Golf. The e-Golf, which came out in 2012, and was compromised by its internal combustion engine heritage, was nonetheless a good EV for its time. The ID.4 is simply the right EV for its time plus it’s a platform for the Wolfsburg automaker to build on.
Built from scratch on a dedicated platform, the ID.4 comes in two variations, the ID.4 Pro and the rather loaded 1st Edition model. A base model that will have an MSRP of approximately $35,000 is expected to follow, as is the sporty GTX.
The 1st Edition, which is $4,000 above the ID.4 Pro’s MSRP of $39,995, represents a fairly good value as it includes two packages, the Statement and Gradient packages, which together cost $6,000. Buyers get a larger 12” infotainment display, a panoramic sunroof, a power-operated tailgate, and 20” wheels.
Our ID.4 1st Edition in Blue Dusk Metallic arrived at our offices on a sunny May morning and it was immediately the object of much attention. Several non-staffers asked if this was the new Golf (not a big surprise, considering the familial resemblance) and the features from the Gradient package – the black roof, silver roof trim, silver accents, and silver roof rails as well as the aerodynamic and good looking 20″ wheels – made it a standout.
Click here to continue to Page 2 – Inside the 2021 Volkswagen ID.4
