Volkswagen ID.4 Pro Style

FIRST DRIVE Tech and software tweaks have kept EV fresh, but there are still drawbacks

- Sean Carson

NEARLY two years on from its launch, the Volkswagen ID.4 line-up has changed quite significantly. The 1st Edition launch model has given way to regular trim levels, but unfortunately not more affordable ones - given the abolition of the plug-in car grant and the way new-car prices have risen.

The ID.4 range now consists of two trim levels - Life Edition and Style Edition - with two battery options - a 52kWh unit and a 77kWh model - and four motor outputs. They include 146bhp, 167bhp and 201bhp single-motor variants plus a 261bhp 4MOTION dual-motor option. There's also the hotter twin-motor GTX.

It's the heartland of the range we're reviewing here, a 167bhp 77kWh model in Style Edition trim. At £48,010, it's still a pricey vehicle, but many EVs are.

This outlay delivers a claimed 322-mile range and 0-62mph performance of 10.4 seconds. It's far from fast, but it feels swifter than a combustion-engined SUV offering a similar level of power, thanks to the 310Nm of torque that is delivered in a smooth way when you squeeze the throttle.

It comes in gently and there's lots of it, so the ID.4 whisks you forward on a moderate but sustained wave of acceleration. The real benefit is the smoothness and refinement with which it does this, something its sibling SUV, the Tiguan, couldn't hope to match.

With this version's single motor mounted on the rear axle, far from the driver, there's not much audible whine, while wind noise is well suppressed, too.