VW ID.4 Range Tests And Owner results

[Domenick]

The VW ID.4 is about to begin deliveries in the U.S., but InsideEVs and others have already begun doing range tests. While there is a thread about real-world range from December, it already had a number of posts with no actual figures, so I thought a fresh one that kicks off with numbers, which owners can soon begin to add their own results, might be a good idea.

So, the EPA range for the VW ID.4 is 250 combined. Using the EPA efficiency numbers, that maths out to 230 miles highway, 275 city.

Our first test was done starting at 39 F, warming up just a bit, so was in the lower 40's for most of the drive. You should expect even better numbers in the summer.

To sum up, we covered 230 miles before rolling into the fast-charge station with only 4 estimated miles left with 2% of battery state of charge. Pretty durn good, I think.

Check out the video for a bunch more insight. It's just over 11 minutes and there are some good observations to be had. The article (linked above in red) also has a handy chart with different distances to expect at different states of charge.

 

[electriceddy]

The VW ID.4 is about to begin deliveries in the U.S., but InsideEVs and others have already begun doing range tests. While there is a thread about real-world range from December, it already had a number of posts with no actual figures, so I thought a fresh one that kicks off with numbers, which owners can soon begin to add their own results, might be a good idea.

So, the EPA range for the VW ID.4 is 250 combined. Using the EPA efficiency numbers, that maths out to 230 miles highway, 275 city.

Our first test was done starting at 39 F, warming up just a bit, so was in the lower 40's for most of the drive. You should expect even better numbers in the summer.

To sum up, we covered 230 miles before rolling into the fast-charge station with only 4 estimated miles left with 2% of battery state of charge. Pretty durn good, I think.

Check out the video for a bunch more insight. It's just over 11 minutes and there are some good observations to be had. The article (linked above in red) also has a handy chart with different distances to expect at different states of charge.

A little better with the latest EPA report (260 miles):
https://www.motor1.com/news/500513/vw-id4-epa-range-rating/
This EV keeps looking better as more information becomes available

 

[Paul DeLeon]

A question. Since you (Eddy) are familiar with both, how would you compare the ID4 with the Kona EV?
Particularly regarding total range, effect of heater and air conditioning.
And safety features, if you have an opinion.

 

[ericy]

A question. Since you (Eddy) are familiar with both, how would you compare the ID4 with the Kona EV?
Particularly regarding total range, effect of heater and air conditioning.
And safety features, if you have an opinion.

I got my ID4 in March, and the need for heating was nearly done. But I can also say that if I open the shade on the panoramic roof, it warms up the car quite nicely without needing to run the heater - on some days back in March, it was almost too much heat. In the summer, I have to leave the shade closed. The sunroof on the Kona was much smaller, and while there was a similar effect, it wasn't as pronounced.

I haven't done actual range tests - charging to 80% usually gives me about 230 miles on the GOM, and that's fairly recent so it would be with the AC on. My sense is that it does a pretty decent job of estimating range.

The combination of ACC and Travel Assist (which steers the car and keeps it in the lane) makes long trips a breeze. The Kona had a simpler system that detected minute movements of the steering wheel - on long straight roads, it would decide that I didn't have my hands on the wheel and it would nag me to put my hands back on the wheel. The ID4 has a capacitive touch sensor to detect the presence of a hand, and is less likely to generate spurious warnings.

I must say that the efficiency of the Kona is hard to beat. That's one drawback to the ID.4 - it is a larger vehicle, so I guess it ought not be surprising. A couple other things I like about the ID.4:

• Hitch receiver came with the car in the 1st edition. That lets me attach a bike rack to the back of the car. Didn't have to buy anything.
• More cargo room - the Kona was always quite limited.
• Dual climate controls - my wife always wants it cooler, but the Kona only had one setting, so either I was freezing or she was roasting.
• ID4 is far more comfortable than the Kona (even though they were at roughly the same price point). My wife says it is the nicest car I have had in quite a while. I had a Volvo before the Kona, and she never cared for that very much.
• Back seats in the ID.4 are far more comfortable for adults.
• The 2019 Kona had no battery warmer, which led to horrible charging experiences in the winter.
• Peak charging rate of 125kW really speeds up charging.

 

[electriceddy]

I got my ID4 in March, and the need for heating was nearly done. But I can also say that if I open the shade on the panoramic roof, it warms up the car quite nicely without needing to run the heater - on some days back in March, it was almost too much heat. In the summer, I have to leave the shade closed. The sunroof on the Kona was much smaller, and while there was a similar effect, it wasn't as pronounced.

I haven't done actual range tests - charging to 80% usually gives me about 230 miles on the GOM, and that's fairly recent so it would be with the AC on. My sense is that it does a pretty decent job of estimating range.

The combination of ACC and Travel Assist (which steers the car and keeps it in the lane) makes long trips a breeze. The Kona had a simpler system that detected minute movements of the steering wheel - on long straight roads, it would decide that I didn't have my hands on the wheel and it would nag me to put my hands back on the wheel. The ID4 has a capacitive touch sensor to detect the presence of a hand, and is less likely to generate spurious warnings.

I must say that the efficiency of the Kona is hard to beat. That's one drawback to the ID.4 - it is a larger vehicle, so I guess it ought not be surprising. A couple other things I like about the ID.4:

• Hitch receiver came with the car in the 1st edition. That lets me attach a bike rack to the back of the car. Didn't have to buy anything.
• More cargo room - the Kona was always quite limited.
• Dual climate controls - my wife always wants it cooler, but the Kona only had one setting, so either I was freezing or she was roasting.
• ID4 is far more comfortable than the Kona (even though they were at roughly the same price point). My wife says it is the nicest car I have had in quite a while. I had a Volvo before the Kona, and she never cared for that very much.
• Back seats in the ID.4 are far more comfortable for adults.
• The 2019 Kona had no battery warmer, which led to horrible charging experiences in the winter.
• Peak charging rate of 125kW really speeds up charging.

Great comparison and well written, reading that from an owner of both vehicles. Sounds better than I would have expected, especially comparing the price point of the 2 cars with similar features.

 

[JGIORD]

I've had my ID4 for a few weeks now. Being in AZ I need to have my AC blasting all the time. One thing I have noticed is that this drastically affects your range. I have driven 70 miles and went from 80% to 50% of battery. I will easily lose almost 5+ miles of range for each mile I drive while in sport mode.

So far I wouldn't trust this car on a long trip with few fast charges (not many in AZ) until I get more used to it. I just don't drive much anymore, which is why I went electric.

As a side note, I also don't like that fact that the odometer only shows up on the driver display when you turn the vehicle off. I wish it was there permanently.

I did also previously own a gas powered Kona. Cute little cross over. I didn't care for the turbo lag on the 1.6T and felt the transmission timing could have been better, especially in first gear. It is definitely a very small cross over. I did like the interior design and found the seats very comfortable.

 

[Lionel_Hutz]

I've had my ID4 for a few weeks now. Being in AZ I need to have my AC blasting all the time. One thing I have noticed is that this drastically affects your range. I have driven 70 miles and went from 80% to 50% of battery. I will easily lose almost 5+ miles of range for each mile I drive while in sport mode.

So far I wouldn't trust this car on a long trip with few fast charges (not many in AZ) until I get more used to it. I just don't drive much anymore, which is why I went electric.

As a side note, I also don't like that fact that the odometer only shows up on the driver display when you turn the vehicle off. I wish it was there permanently.

I did also previously own a gas powered Kona. Cute little cross over. I didn't care for the turbo lag on the 1.6T and felt the transmission timing could have been better, especially in first gear. It is definitely a very small cross over. I did like the interior design and found the seats very comfortable.

It's strange to hear reports about the A/C being such a range hit on these cars. Our other car is a Model Y and there is no appreciable penalty for running AC. Heat, on other hand, will hit range. I wonder what VW got wrong about the AC in the ID4.

 

[JGIORD]

I am definitely having issues with the range estimator on my ID4. I took a trip to the mall 1.5 miles away. I started with 171 miles. Got to location 1, restarted the car to go to location 2 and the mileage jumped to 241. When I turned the car off again it flashed 169 miles. I had the same issue later in the evening when it showed 179, but when I turned the car off it dropped to 138. I’m going to try and reset the display and see if that helps.

 

[ericy]

I am definitely having issues with the range estimator on my ID4. I took a trip to the mall 1.5 miles away. I started with 171 miles. Got to location 1, restarted the car to go to location 2 and the mileage jumped to 241. When I turned the car off again it flashed 169 miles. I had the same issue later in the evening when it showed 179, but when I turned the car off it dropped to 138. I’m going to try and reset the display and see if that helps.

I wish the thing displayed SOC as well as the GOM. Yeah, I know it is available on other screens, but people typically don't see that unless they go looking for it.

 

[marshall]

It's strange to hear reports about the A/C being such a range hit on these cars. Our other car is a Model Y and there is no appreciable penalty for running AC. Heat, on other hand, will hit range. I wonder what VW got wrong about the AC in the ID4.

It probably due in part to the difference between the outside temperature and the inside cabin temperature. In Arizona it's over a hundred degrees F outside this week.

 

[rcarter3636]

In my experience with the I.D4 the AC is probably the close to the bottom category compared to speed, elevation and wind.
I’m in Alabama and always run AC on low with no afterthoughts of the hit it may cause to range. I consistently get 230-250 at 80% with no problem.