I Finally Reviewed the Volkswagen ID.4
Look, before you say anything — yes, I should have reviewed this years ago. But the early versions had bugs, and now that Volkswagen has sorted all of that out, we’ve finally got a real competitor on our hands. Better late than never.
You can pick one up right now for around $59k with the rebate, and for that you’re getting up to 519km of range. I drove it from Auckland to New Plymouth — proper Kiwi hills, enthusiastic driving — and somehow beat the official efficiency figure with 20% battery still remaining. I don’t know how either.
Inside, it’s genuinely lovely. The microfleece seats are sublimely comfortable, the ride is noticeably softer than a Model Y, and there are actual armrests. The boot is a cavernous 543 litres, the back seats have absurd legroom, and the whole thing is whisper quiet at motorway speeds. Great family car. Great road trip car.
It’s not flawless — the lane-keeping assist is overzealous, the menu logic is a bit quirky, and hitting the touchscreen temperature control while driving is like trying to hit a bullseye with a big fleshy sausage. But the standout feature is vehicle-to-home and vehicle-to-grid support, which is genuinely groundbreaking stuff.
Final Spud Score: 59/100. It’s sensible rather than exciting — and honestly, that’s exactly what most people want.
