The first car from Wolfsburg’s electric car push has finally landed; is it still a big deal?

Price: $79,990 (pre $7015 rebate).

Powertrain and economy: Single electric motor, 150kW/310Nm; 77kWh (82kWh gross); single speed; rear-wheel drive.

Vital statistics: 4584mm long, 1640mm high, 1852mm wide, 2771mm wheelbase. Luggage space 543/1575 litres, 19-inch wheels.

We like: Well-engineered and quality build; impressively roomy; solid on-road feel; easy to live with.

 Not so much: Austere interior ambience; quirky infotainment screen; manual adjust driver’s seat mean for the money.

BATTERY-pure life when brought to you by Europe’s biggest car brand is never dull.

Potentially this time next year I could well be testing the newer version of the new Volkswagen electric that’s just landed here.

Timing tied to scoring this landmark electric product for our eager-to-try country means arrival chimes with a refresh back home, set to be with us perhaps mid-2024. 

Should you wait? That’ll be bound to another of the many questions in respect to ID.4, listing along with ‘how does it rate?’ Not just against obvious rivals, but also other MEB product in the same pricing ball park.

Given how it’s been such a mission, with so many curve balls to get it here, the other option is to just enjoy the moment as it presents right now.

First impressions of the ID.4 in its entry ‘Pro’ format are largely good. 

Though this variant trends toward visual austerity - the Pro specification is the one in which the ethos of minimalism most undersells its real complexity - it’s still very much a Volkswagen, with all the positives and attractions that are expected to arrived behind that badge. VW cites this model, more than the ID.3 that preceded it (in Europe, it’s not here until late 2024) as being the e model to really get the transformation away from fossil fuels moving. That seems a solid proposition. It seems easy to live with, practical and offering a decent range. 

All this means is that, though late to the party (pandemic-related shutdowns and lockdowns. Supply constraint from the global semiconductor shortage. Russia invading Ukraine. Heavy demand in the home market), it still stands a highly relevant show-up. 

What’s also clear is that, inasmuch as the inbound amendments will stand as improvements - extra range, more grunt, faster replenishment is always a cachet and, on strength of this initial test experience, the in-cabin revisions will also be welcomed - as it presents in the here, the Pro is nonetheless good enough to be getting on with. And to be taken seriously. 

Would you twig that it has already clocked three years’ time on Europe’s roads? You can understand why elements have been copied by others, from elsewhere (well, China). Intrinsically, while this is not a spectacular design, it is one that seems more time-resistant than some others in the category.

The price of Pro being stickered (gee such a surprise) to be $10 under the Clean Car cut-off is a degree of visual plainness, perhaps accentuated by the tester’s metallic battleship grey colour. The Pro Plus with the same powertrain and battery set-up - so, a rear-mounted motor sending 150kW/310Nm solely to the rear wheels, paired to a 77kWh (82kWh gross) li-ion battery - but bigger wheels and a more plush accommodation is the obvious go-to for those seeking more pizzazz. 

Whether it’s worth the $12k more might be easier argued in a post October environment, in which the Clean Car rebate is no longer a consideration. As is, that gap plus the $7015 inducement for going low is possible reason to put up with a touch of penury and still achieve strong EV credentials of 519km driving range on the WLTP combined cycle (with this shape, the coupe is slightly better) and 125kW DC fast charging.

ID.4 also sells on being exactly as you see it; a solidly-shaped European electric behind a trusted badge, sold through a well-sorted national distribution network, that will seem immediately to anyone who has until now been driving internal combustion VW (or VW Group) product.

A constant with all MEB platform adoptees is having to reconcile with a dimensional change; the electric platform goes a bit wider, a bit shorter. 

The ID.4 classifies as an alternate to Tiguan. Both kinds. It’s slightly longer and wider than a five-seater Tig. But wheelbase-wise almost equals the bigger 7-seater Allspace. It fills out a lane a touch more than either.

The ace element of roominess is, thanks, of course, to that wheelbase and 'skateboard' platform. With most of the powertrain slung underneath the car, EVs can match the spaciousness of larger ICE models. ID.4 is good example of the benefits.As per normal for anything bespoke built for batteries, it’s spacious inside. The Skoda Enyaq aces it in ultimate internal dimension, but not by much. 

Overall, VW’s equivalent delivers a welcome amount of head, shoulder and leg room for all passengers. Those in the back are better able to spread out thanks to the lack of a central transmission tunnel, providing more foot space. 

The rear seats are also elevated slightly, giving a good view ahead, and it should be possible to fit three kids in there, depending on how bulky their seats or boosters are. Those up front also sit relatively high up, though with loads of adjustment in the seating position, and there's no fear of bumping your elbow off your front-seat passenger. 

The doors open wide, making it easy to get in and out. Though there’s no sliding rear bench as you’d find in a Tiguan, it’s not missed, as it still has plenty of wide, deep boot space: 543 litres behind the rear seats, or 1655 litres with them folded down. There's a space for charging cables under the boot floor. No 'frunk' under its bonnet does seem a missed opportunity, especially as it was designed to be an electric car from the outset. VW says it did consider one, but ultimately decided to maximise the passenger compartment space. Doing that meant having to push the air conditioning equipment forward to where the frunk area would be. 

As said, the interior design is minimalist. And then some. There are few buttons. Most operability is via the infotainment setup with a large central touchscreen above the dashboard with a smaller driver's display behind the steering wheel. 

The functionality is something that VW is reconsidering with the update. You can understand why. As is, it should be as easy to use as a smartphone, yet in some ways it isn’t particularly intuitive. 

With that infotainment screen, some rudimentary functions ask for too many steps. There are shortcut buttons built into the screen bezel for drive modes, climate control and parking settings, but it’s a very touch-heavy set-up.

Illumination for the touch-sensitive sliders that control the audio volume and the climate control is coming next year, but should have been implemented from day one. They’re hard to find in daylight without taking your eyes off the road. The display ahead of the steering column is far less interactive those on VW’s ICE cars.

The twist-action rocker switch gear selector is a lift from the BMW i3 that works as well here. The only part that requires thinking about is engaging ‘regen’ mode - that’s a tap in, tap out with the Drive. Play and pause symbols on the accelerator and brake pedal are nice humour.

One other change coming is to the window switch design. At present, you might be led to imagine only the front door glass can slid up and down from the driver’s door, given there are but two switches, one for each side of the cabin.  Then you notice the button marked ‘rear’. Touch that and the ones in the back go up and down. That’s not gone down well with customers. So it’s going to upgrade to four switches, the orthodox approach already used by Skoda Enyaq and Audi Q4. Honestly, it’s not that hard to fathom.

Impression of austerity with the Pro is probably heightened by the predominantly grey interior trim. It’s a pity, too, that while the trim all looks to be very robust, some of the plastics are a bit ho-hum in appearance. I don’t mind the cloth trim for this spend; for one, it’s warm and comfy on a cold day - important when the heat pump needs a moment or two to get itself sorted (which is why it has heated front seats; they’re much faster). 

Speaking of the primary chairs, though, it might well come as a shock that not even the driver’s has any level of electric adjust, which is a bit odd given it’s otherwise far from bargain spec. 

There is some quality gear here. Wireless device charging, ambient lighting, a heated steering wheel, and a comprehensive active safety suite that includes the requisite adaptive cruise and lane-keep software all feature. Connected services’ ability os off-line here until the 4G connectivity is sorted. The sooner that is done, the better. The most advanced feature at the moment is voice control and the ID Light feature, basically an interactive light strip at the base of the windshield. The light strip responds to verbal commands and communicates messages to the driver like when the doors are locked or unlocked as well as navigation alerts. Quirky? The voice control is moreso. It has specific voice prompts but is so eager to intrude to only have to say a word that sounds a bit like those it is trained to listen out for and …. next thing you, the car is part of your conversation. Some fine-tuning is required.

Category-wise, ID.4 sells as a sports utility, but as it’s in rear-drive only, you’d really need to call it a crossover and even that’s a bit of a stretch. Side skirts for a tougher look are about as far as the translation goes.

Driving-wise, you get all the usual sensations of smoothness and refinement. Obviously, there's no combustion noise, but VW done a good job working to quell tyre and wind noise too. In respect to how well-insulated and quiet it is, I’d put it ahead of the Tesla Model Y, the Hyundai Ioniq 5 and Kia EV6 and probably on par with the uncannily good Mustang Mach-E. 

MEB follows convention in slinging the pack under the floor, between the front and rear wheel sets; the motor sits in the rear too. Having all that so low down is good for the ride quality and lends impression it will be a hard car to unsettle. 

In respect to how well it copes with bumps and ruts, I sense VW’s spring and damper setting here is firmer than Skoda has picked for Enyaq, more akin to the feel of the Audi Q4 … yet the latter is sportier. The difference between all isn’t night and day and I’m not outright adverse to any, really. But I do think that of the trio, Skoda’s is the cushiest, suited to laidback drive.

With VW’s offer, the dynamic side of things is likely to be more agreeable for enthusiasts, though not to point where you’d be hunting down Golf GTis. It's not what you'd call a 'driver's car' but then it's not designed to be - instead, it's capable and sure-footed family transport. In that respect, it does all you might want of it and makes the interaction feel easy. 

That it stops short of outright athleticism is hardly surprising when there’s two tonnes to haul, but grip is good and it deports with confidence when the weather is poor - it’s a car that felt good in very wet, blustery conditions. The electric motor’s output can be used to balance the car through and out of a bend. The traction and stability control systems are so reactive you'll rarely sense more than a vague rear-lead attitude.

VW’s timepiece asserts it’ll pip the Skoda product by about one tenth in the 0-100kmh spring, but overall that instant spurt of acceleration that electric cars are known for is tempered here. It’s about pleasantly piling on speed rather than pinning your head back into the headrest. There are other options that will deliver more of it. 

Achieving the claimed 522km driving range on the WLTP combined cycle is not going to any easier here than with any other electric, however the efficiency side is solid, the test car settling into a 17kWh consumption in a two hour open road run that included ascents and passing lanes. Unsurprisingly, it’s easier on the electrons is the Eco and Comfort settings than in Sport or Custom modes.The 125kW DC fast charging isn’t up to Korean standard, but is better than you get with a Mach-E, and the charging port is very convenient located on the driver’s side rear quarter.

As with many other EVs, ID.4 offers energy recuperation, but there’s no selectable one-pedal mode; recovery is wholly through twisting into the ‘B’ mode. 

The function won’t bring the car to a complete halt but delivers tangible drag nonetheless. It takes a bit of getting used to as the resistance it introduces feels completely unnatural, not least to passengers. I got into the habit of using it for the turn-off from the main road into the lane leading to our home; it was quite an exercise to work out exactly when to introduce it so that the car was just at the right pace to take the 90 degree left without ever touching the brake pedal. How much energy was saved? Very little, probably, but with electrics everything counts, right and you might as well get some fun when you can.

Had timing for this car gone as planned, it would have been here two, maybe even three, years ago and would likely be the barometer within a very specific pricing spot against which many more recent introductions might well have become measured against. As is, it reaches a crowded space, still relevant as a muse but struggling to be heard in all the babble. 

The ID.4 Pro was always going to be the rebate winner and that it prices for that prize is clearly obvious from how it is furnished. The specification is really more decent than first involvement seems to show. But that it just isn’t as flashy as some others for this specific spend is also a thing. 

The driving experience is also more staid than some. You could call it easy. You could call it unremarkable. It does the job and, as said, at least it does it quietly. Though spacious, it’s trumped on interior room by at least two others, both out of America (albeit one via China and the other from Mexico). All this means it doesn’t stand out now, as much as it might have in 2022. 

On the flip side of that, all the criticisms of the car as it is in the now seem to have been considered by the raft of changes coming with the refresh. Wait or go now? It’s worth pondering. Beyond that, let’s not forget this car is designed as being an everyday EV, nothing more or less. VW has more creative choices coming. 

None of that diminishes how important ID is. This isn’t just a car, it’s a culture change. That VW NZ’s electric car push with a bespoke platform has at last begun is an important moment. The e-Golf was just a taster; MEB and the SSP platform beyond that are the real deal and we’re going to a see a lot more product.

What we see now is just the start of a major push. So much more is coming down the pipeline from a brand whose intent to be an even bigger player with battery cars than it has been with ICE product should not for even a second be under-estimated.