Deciding between ID.4 and Model 3? Help me decide!

[DAVID DRUMMOND]

We bought an ID.4 6 weeks ago and for us it was an easy decision. All Teslas except model S look pretty ugly to me and I didn't one to be seen driving one. We got a blue First Edition, they are really a good buy compared to the other models if you want that equipment mainly a hitch and 20" wheels. Paid list price.

Have you had any charging issues? We live in Arizona and of course it has been hot. We have had ours about 5 or 6 weeks and have had nothing but charging problems at the EA stations

 

[David T in Silicon Valley]

Have you had any charging issues? We live in Arizona and of course it has been hot. We have had ours about 5 or 6 weeks and have had nothing but charging problems at the EA stations

Is it just EA stations or do others give you problems? There was a thread in the Niro EV forum in 2019 (the Niro EV was pretty new and rare at that point) companioning a lot about EA. Folks there now seem to think EA is fine, making me wonder if there is some server software or charging station firmware/software thing that needs updating when a new model vehicle comes along.

 

[DAVID DRUMMOND]

Not sure yet. We have only gone to EA since it is basically free and about 3 miles from our house. There aren't any other fast chargers near us that we have found yet. The whole foods has a 50 kw charger that is supposed to be free while shopping. We may try that because it's less than a mile away. Today I went really early at 630 am because it was already 90 degrees out here in Arizona. These things don't like the heat at all apparently. Today it took me 1 hour and 3 minutes to charge from 6 percent to 99. I figured I might as well stay since it was going well and I had the time. At 38 percent it slowed down from 126 kW speed to about 90 which was disappointing. The first couple times it didn't do that until 50 percent. It was then 98 degrees out. At 43% it slowed down to 76 kw. I think it stayed about there until it was at about 70 percent, then it went to 50 kw, then 40s, and then 33 the last little bit. We will look into a home charger, but the whole part of the deal was that we would get free charging at this station and others instead of having to use our home electricity. It never said it was going to take an hour. They bragged about 38 minutes wow, but that was supposed to be to 80%, which today might have been close to 45 anyway. Better than most afternoons lately. Guess the key in the heat is to go at the crack of dawn. ugh .

 

[GaryClark]

It’s my wife’s car…. It will be a 2nd car. We own a Honda Clarity now. I really like the high build quality of the clarity, suspension and quiet highway ride. The main thing I dislike about the Clarity is how easy it is to kick on the gas engine with a heavy foot. I like the idea of 0-60 in 5.3 seconds. But I think 0-45mph time of the VW vs Tesla should be similar right… and that’s where a heavy foot kicks on my clarity engine?

VW is about $600-650 less to insure and the top trim we want is about $1500 less after incentives than the model 3, with more cargo room and comfort room. I like all the safety features in the VW and more Luxury interior….even if it’s lacking the option for autonomous driving down the road and no sentry mode which I really like about Tesla, but unsure how much I would use after cool factor wore off.

I like the Tesla supercharger network… but we will probably road trip in my Clarity and use the Tesla or VW for commuting and pleasure driving locally.

Tesla resale value has been amazing… but we keep cars for 8-10 years. And if they reinstate the $7500k Tesla credit that will instantly knock $7500 off all used Tesla model 3s. If it’s retroactive we won’t care much… but would sting if it happened and it wasn’t retroactive.

My biggest concern with the VW is it proving unreliable or VW letting it flounder if it’s sales are lackluster like the Honda Clarity. I’m optimistic with its promise of OTA updates like the Tesla and I wouldn’t buy another vehicle that didn’t offer OTA updates.




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You've covered all the bases but haven't mentioned driving or interior impressions. The Model 3 wont do Apple Car Play or Android Auto but if you're not a fan of those things it may not be a factor. Personally I like the free user updates about objects on the highway, accidents and temporary traffic conditions and maps that come on an app like Waze that will display on Apple Play or Android Auto for the hands free experience. The iD4 offers a few more manual buttons (check them in dim lighting) than the ever more minimalistic user interface Tesla is deploying. The size may be the biggest difference between the two. Once you check out the interiors a drive may help cement the decision. I consider the 3 and Sporty EV sedan and iD4 a _UV (choose your letter) which is more like the Y than the 3.

 

[DelRider]

Old habits die hard within the "Car Sales" culture.

In my own experiences, the dealer's on-floor sales teams remain FAR less knowledgeable about these "Future of the Company" products than we.

So true. FWIW, here in the mid-atlantic, dealer stock is moving quickly. I've been sniped out of a couple of deals because by the time I came close to deciding to go for it, the vehicle was gone. These were all MSRP deals, BTW. No dealer markups or discounts, very little incentive on dealer's part aside for additional consideration on the trade in.
Also to add, I decided to go the VW reservation & build approach on a Pro-S AWD. The delivery date estimate is April 22, but there for sure will not be any dealer markup shenanigans and it will give me time to get my trade in valuation sorted out. For folks that do not need it 'today', I'd say consider that approach.