Considering an ID.4 as second EV. Thoughts?

[rjpjnk]

I currently have a model Y and love it. We are looking for a second car and considering the VW ID.4 since it is less expensive. The top of the line is about 51k and there is a 7500 tax credit and here in NJ there is no sales tax on EVs, so effectively that makes it 41k when comparing to ICE alternatives such as Subaru Forester or VW Tiguan.

My biggest concern is availability of DC chargers. Also wondering if it’s ready for prime time yet since it’s such a new endeavor for VW. Tesla has so much more experience.

What do you think, ICE or ID.4 ?

 

[joebruin77]

Personally, I would not get an ID.4 for two reasons:

1) The ride is comfortable but not sporty and it is much slower than the Tesla model Y or 3. It drives like a Honda CR-V or Toyota Rav-4, which is their target audience.
2) I have concerns about the reliability. I believe consumer reports rated it as "well below average" in terms of its expected reliability.

In addition to my P3D, I have a 2022 Ford Mustang Mache GTPE on order for my wife. If I wanted a cheaper second EV, I would consider the base Mustang Mach E instead of the ID.4

 

[GtiMart]

Your concern of DC fast chargers applies to all alternative cars you look at so it's not specific to ID.4. There are plenty of videos on youtube of people that road trip those cars in the US. I particularly like the "Out of Spec" ones that you might appreciate. I think in general the network is there but you should expect some trouble at some stations, trouble connecting/charging etc. Listen for yourself.

Have you looked at the new Ioniq5 / EV6 ? Those also seem "affordable".

 

[Empiro]

What's your expected usage of the car? Since you have a Tesla Y, you could use that to take all of your long trips. If that's the case, then the charging network won't matter much at all. You might even be able to go with an even cheaper shorter range car like a Leaf.

 

[puckpurnell]

Get an M3. About the same cost as the ID.4 but you get a national Supercharger system with it. Plus, you already know the Tesla ecosystem.

 

[rjpjnk]

Thanks for the inputs. Going to go with a Forester. Tesla next time.

 

[t3sl4drvr]

Placed an order for ID.4 (AWD):
- After tax incentives, it is ~ $20k less than Model Y
- ID.4 looks better than Model Y from outside, but I prefer Model Y minimalistic interior
- Apple Car play is a huge plus
- I have horrible experiences of Tesla quality and service. No idea how good is VW, but I doubt it could be as bad.
- Giving up the great supercharger network is scary. EA network is spotty. 135kW charging is inferior to new gen Model Y. On the plus side, VW includes three years of free charging.
- They say that Travel Assist would be comparable to Autopilot. After testing it out, I am not convinced. (Tesla Autopilot is great IMO)

In the end of the day. If the cost would be the same, I would take my changes with Model Y and Tesla "quality". Now that Model Y costs 50% more, choice is easy.

Big catch: no-one seems to have an idea of how long it will take to actually get ID.4 delivered... Expecting 9 months wait.

 

[rjpjnk]

We also gave the ID.4 some serious consideration. It's nice looking, and the 7500 tax incentive makes a big difference for sure. You're buying into a lot of unknowns with a VW EV though. I hope they are successful. We sure need more competition. Model Y price is so high now.

 

[Kandiru]

Of all CCS EVs in the US, ID.4 owners seen to have the biggest handshake troubles, I read both on Taycan and Mach-E forums about kind owners helping
geriberries charge, sometimes up to 15min before initiating charge.

 

[daktari]

ID.4. Great car. I have owned one for a year now.

Much much more comfortable than my previous Model 3. I love the seats, kids have lots of space, rear seats also good for adults, real rails for a ski box, great Travel Assist on par with AP, 360 cam and front cam, massage in the seats, the 3D HUD. Very little technical problems. Better looking than a Y an build quality is good.

Cons: glass roof creaks, lubricated by service twice, slow with sw rollout but eventually they will get there, a bit strange choice of interior materials, not as fast as a Tesla, lacking frunk.

Here in Europe, DC charging infrastructure is not a problem anymore, and Tesla has already opened more than half their SuC in my country for other brands.

 

[t3sl4drvr]

great Travel Assist on par with AP

Could you elaborate the comparison some more?

(Travel Assist is biggest worry. I am using AP on my Model S 95% of the time and my initial impression of Travel Assist was more like Toyota Yaris lane assist than Tesla AP)

 

[daktari]

Could you elaborate the comparison some more?

(Travel Assist is biggest worry. I am using AP on my Model S 95% of the time and my initial impression of Travel Assist was more like Toyota Yaris lane assist than Tesla AP)

It will handle a lot of different roads and curves, but not the sharpest curves. It doesn't ping pong but goes straight in the lane.
TACC It will keep its distance from cycles and motorcycles also. It has a more relaxed feel when accelerating and decelerating. It sees cars further in front. Tacc is also good at keeping speed down in roundabouts based on maps, and the speed limit recognition is pretty solid.

The user interface is the most different. With a touch sensor you don't need to tug the wheel. Also lane changes are great as you just switch on the blinker, then manually change lane and the system re-engage in the new lane without needing to do anything and without any pingplong sounds.

The biggest difference is that instead of the sudden jerks of the wheel AP does if it gets uncertain, TA will disengage. With hands on the wheel it is easy to identify and one then just help it manually through the curve and it will reengage again. I would claim AP is designed as a hands off L3 system but only has L2 capability. But one very quickly adjust and it is not really a problem.

Another neat feature is that you can change position in the lane by steering it slightly towards one side for 5 seconds, and it will then use that agor the rest of the active trip.
I have a comparison below, you should try it.

 

[boredwitless]

Here in Europe, DC charging infrastructure is not a problem anymore, and Tesla has already opened more than half their SuC in my country for other brands.

“Europe” is not a homogenous entity, anymore than different states in the USA are. In some European countries DC charging infrastructure is great, in some it is passable, in some it is poor. Which country do you live in?

 

[daktari]

Norway. But Nordics, Germany, Be-Ne-Lux is good.

 

[8rain]

I owned an ID.4. In 14+ months since launch they have had zero OTA updates. Scheduled Charging doesn’t work. Infotainment is slow and nonsensical. The app is a total embarrassment.

The car drives nicely, and I felt better planted than the Mach E Premium AWD I also owned. The ID.4 is a serviceable commuter transport or small family SUV. But I would caution, car people may find it underwhelming, as I did.

 

[boredwitless]

Norway. But Nordics, Germany, Be-Ne-Lux is good.

Now try France, Italy, Spain… My "reference" trip is from Lausanne, Switzerland across France and the channel to England, just north of London. In our Tesla this has proven straightforwards. Judging by ABRP predictions, this trip is now becoming more viable in a non-Tesla, but still not as convenient.

 

[SteelClouds]

I will say my experience here in Los Angeles with CCS has been erratic at best compared to Superchargers. I have a mixed family with 3 different EVs . Even in the same system like Electricity America, we have mixed results. Some times, even on the same charger I get different results on different days.. The BMW is the worst (?) but I have a found a few chargers that have been pretty reliable. And the truth is that the BMW has such a small battery, L2 at home is very easy to accommodate. On the road I have both a Chad and SETEC CCS adapter for my M3 and I mix it up a lot just to see how things work. The superchargers have been 100% every time I plug in in and out of state. Chad has been 100% so far.. CCS is about 80% success rate. At last count, I have over 50 CCS charges on my Tesla and over 25 Chad charges. My opinion is that CCS is something of a loose and moving target of a standard. Much like Windows used the "standards" for their networking.. very loosely at times :/

 

[SteelClouds]

Yeah.. it works with something like this adapter I have a different brand but they all work the same. I use mine to charge my Pacifica Hybrid at my father in laws house off his Tesla wall charger and I used it at home to charge my BMW i3 off my Tesla mobile charger. Both cars pull about 7 kWs through it and it's been very reliable.

 

[daktari]

Now try France, Italy, Spain… My "reference" trip is from Lausanne, Switzerland across France and the channel to England, just north of London. In our Tesla this has proven straightforwards. Judging by ABRP predictions, this trip is now becoming more viable in a non-Tesla, but still not as convenient.

I agree Tesla has the best charging network in Europe, no doubt. But as we speak. today Tesla opened chargers in many other countries. Charging infrastructure in Europe is not an argument against iD.4 any longer. Four years ago, yes, but mid 2022 no.

 

[sleepydoc]

Just saw this review. Very good, fair and unbiased review of the id.4.