Flash Drive: 2021 Volkswagen ID.4 Crossover EV

Sorting Out the New EV Kid on the Block

Did I expect too much? Did all the Tesla-killer talk raise my expectations too high? Did the delightful times I’ve spent in the e-Golf and the backing of one of the world’s largest auto companies take me down a path of unreasonable suppositions?

These are all philosophical ramblings while what really counts is rambling along some fun mountain roads to sort out the newest car that appeared in my driveway—the 2021 Volkswagen ID.4, an all-electric crossover arriving as the first of a promised onslaught of electric cars designed to propel the VW Group to worldwide leadership in electric transportation.

Because it’s so new and so many journalists wanted to get behind the wheel, VW limited the amount of time we had with the car. I was lucky enough to be able to spread my time over of a weekend, which gave me a chance to try the ID.4 on a variety of roads. We also had a brief period of rain so I was able to check out that aspect of the car.

While I was initially challenged by some of the new user interfaces, the car grew on me over my brief time and I’m now really looking forward to being able to spend a whole week with it to gather a fuller appreciation of what it’s like to live with this compact hatchback.

Simple, But Complicated

So much to learn. So many frustrations in the short-learning curve I had. To be honest, faced with the option of spending an hour reading through a 300-page owner’s manual or taking a car out on the road for that same hour, you can imagine where I came down.

So out we went on my local test route. It’s relatively short, but can be run in either direction to calibrate an average energy use. It also happens to provide some spectacular photo spots among the redwood forests or special viewscapes overlooking the Pacific Ocean or the valley between two hills in the area. It has challenging mountain roads heading 2,000 feet up and down, full of tight turns, a relatively high-speed swath along the summit (50 mph), a freeway stretch back in the valley, and even some slow-speed city driving.

Total miles for the drive are 32. While taking the 2021 Volkswagen ID.4 through the route I encountered more traffic than usual so ended up with an average speed of 34 mph. The VW’s dash readout showed an efficiency of 3.4 miles/kilowatt-hour, which is pretty good. What impressed me most is that I used only 22 miles of range for the 32-mile trip. When I get the ID.4 back for a full week I’ll be trying several runs each way to see whether I can replicate or even beat these numbers, but they make a substantive point for now—VW is serious about the EV business and is bringing a contender to market.

Style Points

The 2021 Volkswagen ID.4 looks great. Sporting the new VW logo front and rear and a faux sedan side-of-the-roof accent line, the car doesn’t stand out as dramatically different from others in the VW lineup or the internal combustion engine competitors that the company says are the main competitive targets. It’s got all of the intelligent tech tools you would expect—and will find on virtually every vehicle in this class at some price point.

Inside, the First Edition model I drove had a stark black/white motif going. It looked classy, but I’ll spare you the details since this model’s limited run is already sold out. The photos of the standard models I’ve seen carry a similar aesthetic, which is classic Volkswagen—an upscale touch in a mainstream car.

Also inside is a frustrating batch of idiosyncracies, along with an equally delightful bunch of clever features. In my less than three days with the ID.4 I ended up deciding that neither outweighed the other, but both contributed to the car’s sense of newness. I particularly like the gear selector, which was easy to use (although in a slightly awkward location parallel to the driver display behind the steering wheel) and did not demand a trip to the owner’s manual to sort out.

Seats front and rear were comfortable and suitably adjustable. Storage was what you’d expect from a compact crossover—ample with the rear seat up and voluminous with the rear seat folded down. Nooks, crannies and storage niches abounded.

The Tally

Since VW’s wants to see the ID.4 go up against its ICE competitors, I’ll offer a chart that illustrates two things—how it stacks up against the segment sales leader, the Toyota RAV4 (in the Prime, its plug-in hybrid version) and also how it compares with its stablemate, the VW Tiguan.  

I won’t suggest you can draw any dramatic conclusions from this, but it lays out quite clearly what Volkswagen is trying to do in its EV strategy. It’s presenting a vehicle that is competitively featured and has comparable capabilities and is in the same price range as some electrified and non-electrified competition. There are trade-offs in range, size and flexibility—though this small chart shows these aren’t true apples-to-apples comparisons—but it shows Volkswagen’s committed to make EVs that are ready to run in the pack. 

Our Earlier Looks at the VW ID.4

Flash Drive: 2021 Volkswagen ID.4 (Steve’s view)

Exclusive: Volkswagen Introduces the ID.4

And the Competition

Road Test: 2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E

Flash Drive: 2022 Chevrolet Bolt EUV

Road Trip: 2021 Polestar 2

News: More EVs Get Certified 200+ Ranges

Tech: Benchmarking the Tesla Model Y

Road Test: 2020 Kia Niro EV

Road Test: 2020 Hyundai Kona EV

Disclosure:

Clean Fleet Report is loaned free test vehicles from automakers to evaluate, typically for a week at a time. Our road tests are based on this one-week drive of a new vehicle. Because of this we don’t address issues such as long-term reliability or total cost of ownership. In addition, we are often invited to manufacturer events highlighting new vehicles or technology. As part of these events we may be offered free transportation, lodging or meals. We do our best to present our unvarnished evaluations of vehicles and news irrespective of these inducements.

Our focus is on vehicles that offer the best fuel economy in their class, which leads us to emphasize electric cars, plug-in hybrids, hybrids and diesels. We also feature those efficient gas-powered vehicles that are among the top mpg vehicles in their class. In addition, we aim to offer reviews and news on advanced technology and the alternative fuel vehicle market. We welcome any feedback from vehicle owners and are dedicated to providing a forum for alternative viewpoints. Please let us know your views at publisher@cleanfleetreport.com.