Figure time to go ahead and do a check in for my 2021 VW ID.4 Pro S AWD since it has hit it's 30k milestone, was going to wait for the 3 year mark but here we are thanks to a couple regional road trips. I bought this CPO so only ~16k miles of these have been under my watch, it was owned by the sales guy who sold me a Jetta TDI and the eGolf that it replaced and he is typical German guy who demands perfection so outside of the tire wear it was pretty much brand new.
Maintenance:
VW covers first 2 year of service or 20k miles so no cost to me until the 30k service I had performed around the 28k mile mark.
Cost for 30k: $269.89 (excluding tires)
Per mile: ~$.01
Efficiency:
Since my 3.1 software update back in May 2023 I have averaged ~103MPGe or about 3.05 mi/KWH even on the non-EV Michelin CrossClimate 2 tires. Reports are the CC2's kill EV range but I have not seen that at all, I am routinely seeing well above EPA estimates on road trips. Cruise set at 75 MPH for 20-30 mile stretches I see the window sticker EPA rating of 89 MPGe. Very happy with the efficiency. While this is a low moderate range EV compared to newest models it is the perfect regional road tripper, it hits my fly vs drive range bubble with one charge, anything beyond that thank you Delta Air Lines and Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson airport.
Ride, drive, performance, etc.:
Not many complaints here. Very good performance, even if I had just a RWD version I would be completely good with the performance. I really only get the front motor in action 2-3x per month and not because of traction, just goosing the throttle to squirt into traffic. Ride is excellent if the road is smooth to moderate, it does crash a little bit over rougher roads but I attribute that to the 42 PSI tire settings. Handling is competent but nothing to write home about, this thing is heavy and it shows it's weight. Old VW commercials pretending like it's a family hot hatch are so off base.
Comfort:
I know I may be laughed out of here for this comment but I think VW makes some of the best seats in the business. Dating back to my '03 Golf that I drove from San Francisco bay area to Jacksonville, FL in 4 days I have never had any issues with long haul comfort/support in any of my VW's, ID.4 doesn't disappoint even after ~5 hours in the seat. On top of the seat comfort and ergonomics the a/c in this thing will freeze you out quickly even in days approaching 100F, the a/c in this thing rivals that of my Dodge Neon that Chrysler felt the need to put the same compressor in that they put in the minivans.
Road tripping, range & charging:
Charging cost: $686.99
Miles: 16,190
Per mile: .0424
**90% of charging cost is from road tripping. I mostly charge for free at work via L2 and have free slow L1 charging in the garage at my apartment.
Slowly expanding my range bubble with my ID.4. I'm up to ~300 miles one way, I feel like 400 miles each way is going to be my fly vs drive limit so it may be 1-2 charges each way. This is a great road tripper if you have a robust charging network along the way which I did for my trip to Charleston, SC from Atlanta. I have done the Asheville, NC run with it 6 times now and that run was horrific at first, a little better now but still not optimal because of such crap available charging along the way along with a dumpster fire charging network in Asheville. While VW states my ID.4 will only get max 135KW after 3.1 update I was routinely seeing 173KW to 20% when I started charging with the battery between 9-12%, 80% was fully achievable in 30 minutes if not less.
Cons:
Don't want this to be a fluff piece. Yes the weird drivers window switches still suck it hard and yes the infotainment can be laggy but you just kind of adapt. Just like those rental cars you get where it takes a little bit to learn how to use the trip computer, infotainment, etc. the ID.4 is no different - once you know the infotainment you can be-bop around in there quite quickly and it is no issue at all.
Overall:
I am pleased as punch with my ID.4 and it is a fantastic tool for my short commute that absolutely destroyed my ICE vehicles before because they never warmed up to operating temp for months at a time. It is a very agreeable regional road tripper for the 3-4x per year I need to go 200-400 miles. Knock on 10 cords of wood it has been dead nuts reliable (excluding recalls) and tight as a drum for 30k miles.
Charging at a friendly Ford dealer somewhere in rural South Carolina on a road trip back from Charleston.
Maintenance:
VW covers first 2 year of service or 20k miles so no cost to me until the 30k service I had performed around the 28k mile mark.
Cost for 30k: $269.89 (excluding tires)
Per mile: ~$.01
Efficiency:
Since my 3.1 software update back in May 2023 I have averaged ~103MPGe or about 3.05 mi/KWH even on the non-EV Michelin CrossClimate 2 tires. Reports are the CC2's kill EV range but I have not seen that at all, I am routinely seeing well above EPA estimates on road trips. Cruise set at 75 MPH for 20-30 mile stretches I see the window sticker EPA rating of 89 MPGe. Very happy with the efficiency. While this is a low moderate range EV compared to newest models it is the perfect regional road tripper, it hits my fly vs drive range bubble with one charge, anything beyond that thank you Delta Air Lines and Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson airport.
Ride, drive, performance, etc.:
Not many complaints here. Very good performance, even if I had just a RWD version I would be completely good with the performance. I really only get the front motor in action 2-3x per month and not because of traction, just goosing the throttle to squirt into traffic. Ride is excellent if the road is smooth to moderate, it does crash a little bit over rougher roads but I attribute that to the 42 PSI tire settings. Handling is competent but nothing to write home about, this thing is heavy and it shows it's weight. Old VW commercials pretending like it's a family hot hatch are so off base.
Comfort:
I know I may be laughed out of here for this comment but I think VW makes some of the best seats in the business. Dating back to my '03 Golf that I drove from San Francisco bay area to Jacksonville, FL in 4 days I have never had any issues with long haul comfort/support in any of my VW's, ID.4 doesn't disappoint even after ~5 hours in the seat. On top of the seat comfort and ergonomics the a/c in this thing will freeze you out quickly even in days approaching 100F, the a/c in this thing rivals that of my Dodge Neon that Chrysler felt the need to put the same compressor in that they put in the minivans.
Road tripping, range & charging:
Charging cost: $686.99
Miles: 16,190
Per mile: .0424
**90% of charging cost is from road tripping. I mostly charge for free at work via L2 and have free slow L1 charging in the garage at my apartment.
Slowly expanding my range bubble with my ID.4. I'm up to ~300 miles one way, I feel like 400 miles each way is going to be my fly vs drive limit so it may be 1-2 charges each way. This is a great road tripper if you have a robust charging network along the way which I did for my trip to Charleston, SC from Atlanta. I have done the Asheville, NC run with it 6 times now and that run was horrific at first, a little better now but still not optimal because of such crap available charging along the way along with a dumpster fire charging network in Asheville. While VW states my ID.4 will only get max 135KW after 3.1 update I was routinely seeing 173KW to 20% when I started charging with the battery between 9-12%, 80% was fully achievable in 30 minutes if not less.
Cons:
Don't want this to be a fluff piece. Yes the weird drivers window switches still suck it hard and yes the infotainment can be laggy but you just kind of adapt. Just like those rental cars you get where it takes a little bit to learn how to use the trip computer, infotainment, etc. the ID.4 is no different - once you know the infotainment you can be-bop around in there quite quickly and it is no issue at all.
Overall:
I am pleased as punch with my ID.4 and it is a fantastic tool for my short commute that absolutely destroyed my ICE vehicles before because they never warmed up to operating temp for months at a time. It is a very agreeable regional road tripper for the 3-4x per year I need to go 200-400 miles. Knock on 10 cords of wood it has been dead nuts reliable (excluding recalls) and tight as a drum for 30k miles.
Charging at a friendly Ford dealer somewhere in rural South Carolina on a road trip back from Charleston.
