Volkswagen has revealed a series of technical upgrades and switchgear improvements to its ID.4 electric SUV, ready for the 2024 model year. This is not a facelift, in the eyes of the German company, but more an essential update that should see the ID.4 go further on a charge - and it gets more power, too.
Battery packs the same, but motors tweaked
Volkswagen offers 62- or 82kWh (those are gross figures, net usable capacity on the bigger unit is 77kWh) battery packs for the ID.4, and that's the same as what went before, but the electric motor has changed.
The drive unit, as previewed on the Volkswagen ID.7 saloon, generates more power and considerably more torque than previously. Where pre-update ID.4s had 310Nm to play with, now they have a colossal 545Nm, while the power levels have jumped to 286-, 299- or 340hp for the single-motor/rear-wheel drive, dual-motor/all-wheel drive and GTX models, respectively. Previously, these cars produced up to 170-, 204- and 299hp outputs.
Volkswagen hasn't yet said what this will do for performance, but a gigantic 76 per cent uplift in torque is bound to do wonders for the acceleration.
The better news for consumers is that, while the ID.4 gets a significant shot in the arm for straight-line urge, the motor(s) are more efficient than before and should result in increased driving range. Again, Volkswagen doesn't have any official figures yet, but in excess of 515km should be possible.
One final note on the electric drivetrain: all-wheel-drive ID.4s get a faster DC maximum charging rate of 175kW; the rear-driven cars remain at 135kW.
Improved driver-machine interface
Volkswagen has added illumination behind the slider controls under the infotainment screen, while it has also enlarged the display to 12.9 inches across the diagonal. This has a 'more intuitive' climate control panel according to its maker, as well as a revised main menu layout. Further alterations amount to a new design of steering wheel, while the distinctive rocker-type gear selector on the dashboard has been replaced with a stalk on the steering column.
Finally, Volkswagen has worked on both the steering and the suspension of the ID.4, in an effort to improve both its ride and handling.