FIRST DRIVE | VW launches ID.4 test run in SA

The South African electric vehicle (EV) market is slowly reaching maturation.

From representing a niche, with only select automakers fielding contenders, various mainstream manufacturers now have more than one full EV in the mix. Except for Volkswagen.

We should stress at this point that the brand dipped a toe in the water. First with a pilot group of e-Golf models (based on the seventh generation car); then through a trial programme involving the ID.Buzz minibus, conducted with logistics firm DHL.

Now it takes another step, bringing a fleet of ID.4 models to gauge responses from prospective buyers, glean insights on local usage and create awareness.

Their approach has been extremely conservative from any perspective. Why not just retail the full range of EV models, just as other mainstream brands have done?

Sales volumes have much to do with it. The business case for marketing and creating a comprehensive aftersales offering for expensive EV models, with limited uptake, makes little sense.

Moving in from the angle of a brand-building exercise – limiting the risk of a full-on sales rollout – seems like the safer bet for now.

Three years back, Volkswagen was already discussing prospects of leasing models, rather than traditional financing, as a means to making EV custodianship more accessible. When we interviewed Steffen Knapp, head of the passenger cars division at that time, he told us customer education campaigns would be crucial to getting support for the ID electric brand.

At that point, the ID.4 was also expected to arrive in 2022, after its victory as 2021 World Car of the Year. 

Last week, Sowetan Motoring had the exclusive opportunity to evaluate the vehicle. Better late than never, we suppose. Note that the car here is the pre-facelift model (in 2023 overseas markets got the refreshed version). 

By now we are quite accustomed to the eccentricities (endearing and otherwise) of EV products – and you too are probably familiar with them. 

From a design point of view, the ID.4 is a friendly-looking thing, which is quite refreshing in a modern landscape of cars with overly aggressive personalities.

Traditionally speaking, Volkswagen cars are supposed to look inoffensive, uncluttered in execution and with a style that defies time. Just consider the Beetle or Golf lineages, for example.

Usually, when testing EV models, we brace ourselves for certain quirks that would not be found in internal combustion engine models.

Sometimes manufacturers try to go too future-forward – forgetting about user-friendliness and ease of operation in the process. A good example of how that can flop in the real world is the Volvo EX30 on the next page.

Opening the door to the ID.4 you find the environment to be exactly as expected from a Volkswagen.

Aside from the capacitive buttons on the steering wheel and central control panel, some conventional switchgear is retained. There are still buttons to be pressed, traditional indicator stalks and a twistable drive selector mechanism.

It feels like a Golf 8, but much roomier, billed as a sport-utility vehicle after all. Think of it as the Tiguan of tomorrow.

Generously berthed front seats (with individual armrests); plus spacious front and rear footwells, attest to the more efficient packaging that is possible with an EV power-train.

The boot is big – 543l opens up to a handy 1,575l with the seats folded flat. One issue though, is that there is no spare wheel, which is something Volkswagen will have to address for our market when sales commence. All our car had was a tyre repair kit stowed alongside the charging cables.

A sporty GTX version of the ID.4 is sold overseas. But for now, local interaction will be with the Pro Performance model, which uses a 77kWh battery, powering an electric motor at the rear axle which produces 150kW/310Nm. A single-speed gearbox transmits the grunt. 

That “Performance” in the title is possibly misleading with sporty connotations. The sizeable Volkswagen goes from rest to 100km/h in a reasonable 8.5 seconds. Not going to ruffle your hair, but it is sufficient for safe merging and comfortable cruising. Top speed is pegged at 160km/h.

But the dynamics and refinement of the ID.4 are more exciting areas. A low centre of gravity and rear-wheel drive makes for a very nimble handling character. With a ground clearance of 210mm, the vehicle has a compliant ride quality, unruffled by pocked Johannesburg asphalt. It ought to take dirt roads happily in stride too, being shod with sensible rubber. We are told units for our market – when the ID.4 does go on sale – will receive protective cladding underneath for such requirements. 

As for range? Volkswagen claims a figure of 520km. With a nearly full battery, our test unit showed a 400km potential on its instrument cluster.

The ID.4 is a likeable specimen. And proof that the brand could be getting its groove back in the post-Dieselgate era.

Now you just have to wait for it to go on sale. No word yet on how much it could cost, but a representative told us these details could be finalised by the end of the year.