The Electric Volkswagen ID.4 Just Got Its Green Card

Volkswagen was the first foreign automaker in the modern era to build cars in America. Its Westmoreland Assembly Plant in Pennsylvania opened in 1978 and cranked out Rabbits, Golfs and Jettas until it closed in 1988 amid growing competition and a shift toward larger vehicles.It came back to try to build one of them at a new factory in Chattanooga, Tennessee when it launched the Passat full-size sedan in 2011, just as SUVs and trucks were putting a stranglehold on the market. It righted the ship in 2017 by switching production to the Atlas supersized SUV that was designed specifically for the U.S. and is now its best seller.The factory still isn’t anywhere near capacity, however, so the Atlas has invited one of its European cousins to join it.Courtesy VolkswagenThe electric ID.4 compact SUV went on sale in 2021 as an import from Germany before the federal tax credit program for EVs was changed to require North American production. The siren song of $7,500 per sale was too hard to resist, so VW started manufacturing ID.4s here for the 2024 model year to stay competitive with vehicles like the Ford Mustang Mach-E and Tesla Model Y.It has also received a few updates, although styling isn’t one of them. Its soft, nondescript lines are a stark contrast to the more daring designs it competes with, like the Hyundai Ioniq 5’s.Pricing before the credit is deducted starts at $41,660 for an entry-level rear-wheel-drive model with 201 hp and 206 miles of range. It is $46,300 for a Pro trim with 282 hp and a larger battery good for 291 miles between charges and $3,880 will get you an all-wheel-drive system with 335 hp and a 261-mile range.Courtesy VolkswagenThe small battery’s range feels outclassed today, but the Pro models are right in the mix on price and performance. I’d be happy to sacrifice the all-wheel-drive for the longer range if snow wasn’t a concern.The Pro gets a few interior updates that include a welcome redesign of the control layout on its touchscreen infotainment system and a new shifter knob that moves down from the instrument cluster to the steering wheel column.One oddity that remains is the driver’s door window switches. There are only two with which to control all four windows. A “rear” button in front of them swaps the control from fore to aft and if you hold it down and press a window switch it will open all four simultaneously. This baffling design decision has been an ID.4 talking point since day one. Perhaps VW likes the attention.The unusual window switches. Gary GasteluThe interior remains largely the same, which is a good thing. It is as spacious as the Passat’s and has enough legroom for six-foot-tall passengers in all seats. The cargo compartment has a handy bin under the floor where you can store the charging cable. An overnight charge at home on a 240-volt outlet takes about eight hours while you’ll need 30 mins at a fast charging station to fill the battery from 10 percent to 80 percent.You’ll enjoy the trips between stops. The ride is quiet and smooth and if it lost any quality coming to America, I didn’t notice it. The car feels exactly the same as the last German version I tested. The power is more than adequate, but the ID.4 isn’t meant to be a sporty car, it’s just kind of there. This isn’t a bad thing. Cars don’t have to be fun, but this one can be entertaining in other ways.Voice commands can control many features while you’re driving, including the climate control and the sunshade for the full panoramic glass roof that comes on the high end S trim models. A lane-centering adaptive cruise control called Travel Assist helps with the driving, but requires a hand on the wheel to operate. That’s not the case for everything the ID.4 does, however.Courtesy VolkswagenAs with a lot of vehicles, it has a parking assist feature that can handle the steering during a parallel or perpendicular parking job while the driver controls the gas and brakes, but S models kick it up a notch.They have a Memory Parking feature that lets you program a route up to 164 feet long with five turns that it will store and then do on its own whenever you get to the starting point and activate it. Imagine going up a driveway and around the back of your house into a garage. It controls the gas and brakes this time and cruises along at a blistering 2 mph. It’s simultaneously fascinating and not particularly useful.Fortunately, the rest of the ID.4 is.

The Electric Volkswagen ID.4 Just Got Its Green Card

The Electric Volkswagen ID.4 Just Got Its Green Card

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