Volkswagen’s ID.4 has arrived for sale in Ireland. The fully-electric SUV looks set to be one of the most sought-after vehicles of 2021, continuing on from the success of the ID.3, which has quickly established itself as Ireland’s best-selling electric vehicle (BEV), pushing Volkswagen to the position of Ireland’s best-selling electric car (BEV) brand***.
The ID.4 1st Editions – the ID.4 1st and the ID.4 1st Max are the first models to arrive, and these are now being delivered to the hundreds of customers who pre-ordered the vehicle prior to its arrival into the country.
The model received very positive reviews from critics after initial testing and as a result, a large portion of these initial vehicles are accounted for; however, there are limited units available, which offer excellent value as they bundle many of the optional extras into the model.
However customers can now order from the full suite of ID.4 regular series models, with prices starting from €34,436*.
The ID.4 is Volkswagen’s first all-electric SUV and comes to Ireland with two battery sizes. The ID.4 City and ID.4 Style have a battery with 52 kWh net energy content. Their electric drive motors deliver 148 PS and a range of up to 343km (WLTP). The 1st, 1st Max, Life, Business, Family, Tech and Max versions employ a 77 kWh battery, which gives them a range of up to 519km (WLTP). The electric motor in the rear delivers 150kW (204 PS) in these models.
The battery is located under the passenger compartment, ensuring a low centre of gravity, increased space in the interior cabin and balanced distribution of the axle load. This battery position gives the ID.4 excellent, sporty handling and the 16cm ground clearance allows the vehicle to cope with light off-road terrain.
The 52kWh battery can accelerate the ID.4 to 100km/h in just 10.9 seconds and on to a top speed limited to 160 km/h. Charging is via 7.2 kW AC or up to 100 kW DC charging – with AC charging from 0-100% taking around 7 hours 30 minutes, with DC charging to 80% taking just 38 minutes.
The larger 77 kWh battery can accelerate the ID.4 to 100km/h in 8.5 seconds and on to a top speed limited to 160 km/h. Charging is via 11 kW AC or up to 125 kW DC, with charging times in line with the 52 kWh battery.
The 4.58 metre-long ID.4 sits on Volkswagen’s modular electric drive matrix (MEB) platform, shared with the ID.3, but offering even more generous space in the larger ID.4.
The interior leg- and headroom is similar to Volkswagen’s Tiguan Allspace SUV, yet the dimensions are similar to the standard Tiguan model. The luggage compartment boasts a capacity of 543 to 1,575 litres, depending on the rear seat backrest’s position.
The ID.4 not only showcases the best of EV technology, but also boasts the availability of some other truly cutting edge technology including the LED Matrix IQ-Light system. Its light modules are made up on 18 individual LEDs each, eleven of which can be individually switched off and dimmed. They always light up the road as brightly as possible without dazzling other road users. The modules are reminiscent of human eyes. The light modules communicate with the driver even before the ID.4 sets off: as soon as the driver approaches the vehicle with the key, they swivel from down to up.
Travel Assist combines longitudinal and lateral vehicle control and can be activated directly via a button on the steering wheel. Within the limits of the system, it performs the majority of acceleration and braking operations for the driver and uses gentle steering intervention to help the vehicle to stay in the middle of the lane. Area View provides a detailed image of the area around the vehicle from a bird’s eye view thanks to four area view cameras.
And the Augmented reality head-up display, first introduced on the ID.3, projects important information onto the windscreen, separating this data into two display areas – which is a world first. The flat lower window shows the speed, road signs and assist and navigation symbols as static displays. They appear to float a good three metres in front of the driver.
The true innovation is the dynamic display in the large window, which seems to appear around ten metres away in the driver’s direct line of sight. All symbols displayed are positioned perfectly in line with the real world outside the vehicle and are shown dynamically: as the vehicle approaches a turn, the arrow increases in size and also becomes transparent to keep visibility clear.
When Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) or Travel Assist is active, the vehicle in front of the ID.4 is marked with a coloured stripe. And even if the assist systems are switched off, the driver sees a red warning signal if the ID.4 gets too close to the vehicle in front.
There is a breadth of options in terms of equipment levels for the ID.4. Early adopters are currently taking delivery of the ID.4 1st and ID.4 1st Max versions, which come with a 77 kWh battery and offer a comprehensive suite of equipment available for the ID.4, but with some significant cost savings over the series editions.
There are a small number of these available, but customers will need to act fast to get one of the last few. The full ID.4 range comprises the ID.4 City, Style, Life, Business, Family, Tech and Max with the 52 kWh battery fitted to the City and Style and the 77kWh battery on all the rest.
With this wide choice of models, there is an ID.4 to suit various requirements and budgets. The ‘entry-level’ ID.4 City (from €34,436*) is anything but basic, with 18” alloy wheels, Navigation, Wireless Charging and Art Velours Interior.
The ID.4 Style (from €38,548*) adds Matrix LED headlights, 19” alloy wheels, tinted rear windows, a rearview camera, 3-Zone Climatronic and Keyless Advanced Access.
The ID.4 Life (from €44,001*) is the same as a City but with 19” alloy wheels and the 77 kWh battery, and the ID.4 Business (€48,887*) takes the ID.4 City, adds a 77 kWh battery and Matrix LED headlights, 19” alloy wheels, anti-theft alarm, tinted rear windows, 30 colour interior ambient lighting, rearview camera and keyless access advanced.
Customers who want the highest equipment levels can move up to the ID.4 Family (€50,365*), which adds from the Business a Panoramic Roof, thermal insulation and acoustic glass 3-Zone Climatronic and a Luggage Net.
The ID.4 Tech (€53,995), as the name suggests, adds increased technology to the Business model – including Head-Up Display (HUD), 12” infotainment system, panoramic sunroof, power seats with massage, 3-Zone Climatronic, Travel & Side Assist and Area View and an Easy Open Tailgate. The ID.4 Max (€57,810) gets the full suite of equipment, adding to the Tech model a Heat Pump, Top Sports Seats and Dynamic Chassis Control.
Options available for the ID.4 include a Heat Pump (€1,411), a Power Folding Trailer Hitch (€974) and 20” Drammen (€544) and 21” Narkvik (€932) alloy wheels. Moonstone Grey Solid is a no-cost paint option, with Scale Silver Metallic, Blue Dusk Metallic, Honey Yellow Metallic, Manganese Grey Metallic and Glacier White Metallic €675 options.
The ID.4 1st Edition (€42,423*) gets 20” alloy wheels, metallic paint, tinted rear windows, a rearview camera, and light assist as standard, while the ID.4 1st Max (€55,565*) gains 21” Alloy wheels, IQ.Light with “Eye Technology”, LED Matrix Headlights, Augmented Reality HUD and Adaptive Chassis Control among its standard equipment.
PC Finance rates from as low as 2.9% APR (€349 per month will be available from Volkswagen Financial Services for the new ID.4. All Volkswagen Retailers can offer remote consultation and ordering under the Government guidelines.
Remote finance approval within 24 hours is available from the comfort of your own home with our online approval form. Check online, or please contact your local retailer for more details.
For further information on the ID.4 or any of the Volkswagen 2021 range, log-on to www.volkswagen.ie or to find out, in plain English, about the differences between petrol, diesel, hybrid, plug-in hybrid and battery electric vehicles, please visit www.carexplainer.ie.
* Price includes all available grants, including VRT and SEAI grants for Private Customers.
** As measured under WLTP regulations
*** SIMI figures as of March 11th 2021
