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

I read a while back that OTA may not be possible in the US if there is an agreement with the dealers that requires the update to be preformed at a dealership. You might want to check with VW USA as to see if that scuttlebutt is true.

So far the only other company I know of, besides Tesla, to do an OTA is Polestar. And I don't believe Polestar uses dealerships, just service centers.

I not sure if free OTA updates is something I would count on, especially with the legacy OEMs. Anyhow, it's something I would like to see in writing from VW.

 

Hadn't heard that. I have already received the 1st map update OTA. The rest I have heard rumors about, but nothing concrete as of yet.

The ACC plus travel assist provides a lot of autonomous functionality. That combination will control vehicle speed and make steering adjustments to keep you in the lane. You still have to have your hand(s) lightly resting on the steering wheel - it will eventually nag you if you don't.

The key thing with any car is to understand what the tech limitations are, and not assume that it is capable of something that it really isn't.

 

Ahhh. The 2.0 version of the software wasn't fully capable of OTA. Was it buggy, or just incomplete? No idea. People who had that version needed to go to the dealer to get version 2.1, which they tell us is capable of OTA. That being said, it was primarily people in the U.K. with ID.3 who had to deal with this.

The ID.4 sold in the US was delivered to customers with version 2.1, so it should already be fully OTA capable.

 

I have driven many Tesla's and went through the same conundrum as yourself. In the end it came down to this - the VW has the incentives, and that made it compelling against the Model Y. I know you said 3, but the better comparison is the Y because of the hatch/trunk space. Regarding the supercharger network - bottom line, its only an issue if you need to go through Wyomin/Montana/Dakotas. Everywhere else is fine. I did San Jose to NYC and back in 9 days to prove the point. You can see all that, and the data at my youtube channel. https://www.youtube.com/c/RegularEVDad

 

I watched the intro, and I just want to say that even a week later, the Pacific will still be the Pacific.

 

That is 100% accurate !!! Your are the grammar teacher I feard most as a child

 

For me, it would be the ID.4. I think VW will have a great product after a software update to fix the screen lag and software routing issues. I currently own a 2018 Honda Clarity PHEV (with 11K miles!) and am willing to wait for the ID.4 AWD version and also to consider the Korean twins (Ioniq 5, Kia EV6). I've read that they may only release those in ZEV states which is a big downer.

 

Different dealers will do it differently. Some attempt to mark up, some sell at MSRP, so call around. The white steering wheel was a 1st edition only thing. In theory not many of them left on dealer lots. My guess is that they are having trouble selling this one because of the additional markup.

If you aren't in a hurry, order the car the way you want from VW. Dealers aren't allowed to mark those up. If you change your mind and cancel, then the dealer can mark those up to whatever they think they can get away with.

 

My 2019 Kia Niro does not have OTA updates. I updated my software myself for the first time last month. It was pretty easy, and while some fun features were added, and no doubt the map was updated, I would have been fine with out it. (I use various mobile apps to find charging stations when traveling.)

Why is OTA updating a purchase decision feature for some?

 

You are talking about infotainment updates and map updates, which are a very different thing. The thing that is new is the ability to update all of the computer modules in the car. Aside from Tesla, all other carmakers force you to go in to the dealer for that.

The "1st movers club" - the very first people who bought an ID3 are starting to get offered the update now. Typically those are in the UK or Germany - we might start hearing results in about a week or so.

 

If you want to go fast and feel every bump on the road, get the Tesla.
If you want a comfortable smooth ride and don’t care about performance, get the VW.

 

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.

 

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.

 

I can't imagine that any dealer is going to want to deal with software updates on EV's. It's a no-profit busywork affair. I have a Kona Electric that's been back to the dealer for repeated software updates. My dealer rolls their eyes when I pull in now because they know it's going to take time while earning a pittance for them. They always try to sell me anything they can think of - without success. Last time I was there they made a huge pitch to change my cabin air filter they were so desperate to make something on me. I'd be rooting for OTA updates if I was a dealer.

 

It was worse than that - if something went wrong with the update, then they were on the hook to fix whatever went wrong. Once I needed Volvo to install an infotainment update that would allow map updates from USB (instead of by purchasing dvd sets). But for some reason, some of the time this bricked the headunit, which made the car undrivable. It wasn't often, but it was more than enough.

 

We bought our ID4 on June 24th this year. We thought it would be a fun road trip car to take to San Diego from Phoenix area and stop in Yuma. We have had nothing but trouble charging at the Electrify America station in Chandler and Tempe. Out of maybe 12 or 15 times to the station (we were out of town in July) all but 1 of them had had issues and I had to call into the support team. Each time they are able to get me going, sometimes it's a 5 minute hold and once it was 20 minutes. The station is 3 miles from our house. It has been hot here in Arizona of course. They like to blame the heat. It has been as hot as 111 when I tried a couple times and I was sweating because this station has no shade whatsoever. The nozzles were so hot yesterday I had to drop it like a hot potato. Most times we had to move from pump 1 to another pump because it shuts off. It has been so frustrating. Luckily I only work part time. This would not be good for someone on a tight work schedule. Today it started out charging at 125 kwh and within a few minutes it was down to 33. I called in and leave comments and they say they are putting in a work order. Seeing that it happened at a different station this weekend, I would say it might be the car. I called my service advisor and he wants me to leave the car in for 5 days. We were wanting to use the free 3 year charging, but this has been ridiculous wasting sometimes 1 to 1.5 hours to get a partial charge enough to get by. I have been to the station 3 days in a row. I hope they make it right. We are looking at home chargers also.

 

We love the ID4 car, but need to work out the charging issues