It took a while for Volkswagen’s ID. range of cars to hit our shores. The ID.4 GTX, along with the ID.5 GTX are their first hot EVs here. So, the golden question… Any good?

Text & Photos: Clifford Chow

SINGAPORE

The Volkswagen ID.4 GTX is VW’s first electric hot SUV/Crossover to hit our shores. It is no secret that this one is designed to “get there quicker”. Just a while ago, Lionel got to sample VW’s vanilla ID.4, and Ben, their sister car, the Skoda Enyaq; before they were to be officially unveiled.

From the timeline of their “soft” introduction till now, more EV brands have entered our local market, namely Zeekr, XPENG and AION. Therefore, competition has never been stiffer for traditional automotive marques.

For those who are unfamiliar with the ID.4, it is around the size of the Tiguan SUV, though it has a longer wheelbase, to accommodate its battery. Visually, the ID.4 departs slightly from the design language you’d see in the Golf, sporting softer lines, which brings it closer in-line with the newer Tiguan. To set it apart from its bread-and-butter brethren, the GTX-badged car receives sportier bumpers, larger 20-inch rims, blacked-out roof rails and pillars. It also benefits from IQ.Light LED matrix headlights, which are equipped with variable light distribution.

Once you’re in the cabin, you cannot miss the large 12.9-inch infotainment touchscreen. But for scale, theTiguan (which is actually a newer vehicle by about four years), has a screen which dwarfs this by 2.1-inches. The new operating system recognises voice commands rather well, though it is still not as comprehensive as BMW’s Operating System 9. The driver’s digital instrument panel which comes in the form of a 5.9-inch “slab” may take some time getting used to. I feel that we could do with a sleeker infotainment screen, as it does distract from the drive. Also, a larger instrument panel wouldn’t hurt.

To keep mobile devices juiced, the ID.4 GTX has a wireless charging pad up-front, and a good scatter of USB-C charging ports front and rear. The steering wheel, which is taken right out of the Golf GTI, offers users haptic feedback, to control certain features like audio, and also some of the car’s settings. But while you are able to make adjustments, simply by sliding your thumb, the wheel’s design is greatly flawed, since you’d often find yourself changing radio channels, as you put the car into a corner, simply by accidentally running the base of your palm over the virtual buttons.

Some other gripes I have…

The controls for the air-conditioning are buried within the touchscreen, which has become an issue with VWs of late. The centre console, while practical, with its repositionable dual cup holders, can seem a little messy for some. Also, I cannot understand why Volkswagen would want to have only two window buttons, and give you a “shift” button to operate the rear windows.

But away from the misses with ID.4 GTX’s interior, you cannot deny that it feels well screwed-together, and it comfortably accommodates both front and rear passengers. Additionally, it has a generous 543-litre boot, which extends to 1,655-litres with the rear seats down. In contrast, the Hyundai Ioniq 5 AWD (which competes quite directly) is slightly smaller at 527-litres and 1,587-litres respectively.

The Drive

So, while I am rather critical about the ID.4’s interior, sink the GTX into a turn, and you’d reap the reward of how well it simply responds. Over here, you benefit from a sports suspension, and a second motor up-front, the latter which helps to lug the nose into the direction you point it at. The steering though, could be slightly more weighted. Of-course unfortunately in Singapore, it is difficult to max out the car’s 335hp and 545Nm.

The sports suspension, which contributes significantly to the GTX’s sublime handling does however protest over pockmarked surfaces, this is where it makes known its displeasure by feeding into the otherwise quiet cabin.

Perhaps what wins me over, is the bit where Volkswagen had gotten the regenerative braking system working right. And to me, how this is sorted, makes or breaks an EV. Unlike the Tesla Model Y with its nausea-inducing one-mode heavy recuperation, the VW also has just one fixed regenerative mode, which in its case, is considerably mild. The advantage here is you can lift-off and coast over short distances, before going back onto the throttle again. It is also simply more intuitive to drive an EV this way. Secondly, you’re not going to have an aching right foot at the end of a long drive.

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I would say that the ID.4 GTX gives you the impression that it leans more to being a grand tourer, than an outright hot performance EV, which is a good thing, since it means you can live with it on a daily basis. Its 82kWh battery, which VW claims, provides a range of 515km, would translate approximately a week’s worth of driving, this would also check out with our more humble mid to late 400km estimate.

Volkswagen ID.4 GTX Electric 82kWh

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