Insight On The New 2021 Volkswagen ID.4

The latest e-Model from Volkswagen’s ID family falls under the compact SUV class - the 2021 Volkswagen ID.4, is now on sale in European countries. 

It is built to accommodate plenty of space for family and leisure, compact for city traffic and comfortable over long journeys.

The compact SUV ID.4’s architecture is built on the modular electric drive matrix (MEB). This enables the lithium-ion battery to be located at the vehicle floor and the motor to be mounted directly in front of the rear axle. The ID.4 measures 4,592 mm in length, 1,852 mm in width and 1,629 mm in height with a 2,765 mm wheelbase. The exterior dimensions of the ID.4 is designed to be like a compact car, therefore it is very suitable to be driven in the city and has no problem fitting into tight spots.

Other than that, it is installed with LED units for the headlamps and tail lamps in the base version, while the top variant gets IQ-Light interactive matrix LED units with swivelling lens components and an intelligently-controlled main beam. The headlamps are complemented at the rear end with new three-dimensional LED tail lamps. Both variants get a set of 21-inch rims.

The VW ID.4 truly is a car for the family as it offers plenty of space in the interior cabin despite its compact features. In the back row, it can accommodate two child seats and it has three full-sized seats with plenty of headroom and legroom as well. In addition to that, the leisure side of things are further accommodated with a panoramic glass roof which is standard on the ID.4 1ST Max, in which it extends across the entire roof providing lots of light into the interior.

It is also an ideal companion for drivers who want to transport large items or heavy loads around town. It has a boot capacity of 543-litre and can be extended up to 1,575-litres by folding the rear seats. In addition to that, the boot also comes with a luggage net and a variable loading floor. Convenience wise, the ID.4 1ST Max variant gets the electrically powered tailgate function.

The VW ID.4 has many assistance systems that help to enhance the driving experience, be it driving in the city traffic or parking and manoeuvrability in tight spaces. The safety and drivers assistance systems consist of the following, Front Assist with emergency brake assist, acoustic parking aid with automatic manoeuvring brake function, lane departure warning system, auto cruise control with stop and go function and speed limiter, eco assist, travel assist, side assist and emergency assist. 

Performance wise the ID.4 1ST comes with a rear axle-mounted drive motor that produces 201 hp. It is installed with a battery pack that can store up to 77 kWh for a range of 520 km on the WLTP test cycle. The ID.4 can go from 0-100 kph in 8.5 seconds while hitting a top speed of 160 kph. Aside from that, it also has a 210 mm of ground clearance which enables it to handle gentle off-road terrain.

As for the second version which is the ID.4 1ST Max, it adds a front-axle motor with 101 hp of max power and 140 Nm of max torque which produces a total system output of 302 hp. Charging the ID.4 can be done at a rate of up to 125 kW at a DC fast-charging station, which will supply the electric SUV’s battery with 320 km of range in approximately 30 minutes. It supports both AC and DC charging, and its 11 kW onboard charger replenishes the battery at a rate of 53 kph and will fully recharge the ID.4 in 7.5 hours from a 240 V AC home or public outlet.

The ID.4 1ST is rear wheel driven and the ID.4 1ST Max gets a dual-motor all-wheel drive system. Both variants come with an optional Dynamic Chassis Control that provides four drive modes Eco, Comfort, Sport and Individual with each altering damping levels and power delivery to best suit the driving experience. 

The 2021 Volkswagen ID.4 comes in two variants for the European market, which are the ID.4 1ST and the ID.4 1ST Max. In Germany, they are priced at 49, 950 euros (RM 244, 740) and 59, 950 euros (RM 293, 737), respectively.