VOLKSWAGEN ID 4

EV gets stronger yet more efficient powertrain and answers to criticism of interior

- GREG KABLE

It has been a rough start to life for the Volkswagen ID 4. The mid-sized electric crossover's fortunes were initially hit by the pandemic-related shutdowns and lockdowns. Then, just when things looked to be taking a turn for the better, component supply bottlenecks caused by the global semiconductor shortage and the Russian invasion of Ukraine further conspired to delay deliveries. And all this piled on top of criticisms of the EV's performance, range, subpar interior quality and annoying control layout in a market segment that isn't exactly short of rivals.

Now, after a change of boss and a return to some sort of normality throughout its global operations, Volkswagen is ringing the changes to what has become its best-selling EV worldwide, intending to answer those aforementioned criticisms.

In what's billed as a running change, rather than a facelift, the 2024-model-year ID 4 has received an updated drivetrain and other revisions related to power-electrics software, and here we're trying them for the first time in a pilot production car.

Additionally, the ID 4 receives an upgraded interior with a larger central touchscreen that operates with updated infotainment software and menus; illumination for the touch-sensitive sliders that control the audio volume and the climate control; a new-look steering wheel; and a steering column-mounted gear selector, which frees up space within the centre console.