Volkswagen of America revealed today that the 2024 VW ID.4 electric compact SUV is getting a major upgrade for its 82 kWh battery models – here’s the lowdown.
2024 VW ID.4
The Chattanooga, Tennessee-made 2024 ID.4 will be available in three trim levels – Standard/Pro, S, and S Plus – with the option of 62 kWh or 82 kWh batteries, as well as RWD or AWD.
But it’s the 82 kWh battery models that are getting spruced up, so let’s first look at their horsepower upgrade. Those models are getting a new performance drive unit with greater horsepower and range compared to the 2023 model. The RWD model will produce 282 horsepower, and the AWD model will make around 330 horsepower.
For an AWD model comparison, the 2023 ID.4 AWD Pro S with an 82 kWh battery produces 295 horsepower, so that’s a nice boost.
The 2024 ID.4’s horsepower increase will boost acceleration and deliver enhanced range, but VW isn’t quite ready to reveal what the new range will be – the automaker says that “EPA-estimated ranges for the 2024 ID.4 will be available closer to market introduction.”
On the infotainment front, the 82 kWh ID.4 models are getting a larger display. The 2023 models have a 12-inch display, but 2024 models will boast a 12.9-inch display with backlit sliders, as well as what VW says is “a new and more intuitive climate control interface and a revised infotainment menu. “
The 2024 82 kWh models will also have a new shifter position and a revised steering wheel layout:
They’ll also have ventilated front-row seats, and S Plus models will have a premium harman/kardon audio system with nine speakers plus a subwoofer and a 16-channel amplifer. (The 2023 model has seven speakers plus a subwoofer.)
As for wheel size, ID.4 Standard AWD models will feature larger, 20-inch aluminum-alloy wheels, and S Plus vehicles are jumping from 20-inch to 21-inch machined alloy wheels.
Pricing for the 2024 ID.4 will be released closer to its on-sale date in early 2024.
Electrek’s Take
I drive a 2023 ID.4 AWD Pro S with an 82 kWh battery, so I’m kinda experiencing a little bit of FOMO about these upgrades. But as new models are introduced, improvements are expected – that’s the way it should be.
I’m intrigued to see what the 2024 models’ ranges are on the 82 kWh models, as well as what the prices will be. VW notes in its announcement that 2023 models qualify for the full $7,500 Inflation Reduction Act tax credit, but doesn’t explicitly say that next year’s models will qualify. So we’ll see.
The backlit sliders will improve climate control and volume ergonomics, and I’m looking forward to see what the more intuitive climate control looks like. I think the automatic climate control in the 2023 ID.4 is pretty good; the only time I need to help it is when my windscreen fogs up. Maybe they’ll improve that.
What I do spot is that the hazard button, which is directly below the screen on the 2023 model, has been moved further down, between the air vents (see the main photo). This is a big win. I cannot tell you the number of times I or my passenger has accidentally turned the hazards lights on because the sensitive button is directly beneath the volume slider, so the palm of my hand bumps it. It’s extremely annoying, not to mention potentially dangerous.
There are other buttons missing beneath the screen in the 2024 models, such as the “climate” and “mode” buttons, so it will be interesting to find out where they’ve been relocated to.
I can’t really tell when comparing 2023 to 2024 what the revised steering wheel layout is apart from “view” being moved from the bottom to the bottom left, and it’s not clear to me what the new bottom “fast forward” arrows will do. Maybe it’s for music.
The chunky shifter position has been moved off the screen behind the steering wheel to what looks like a more traditional position on the steering column. This is a welcome change, as the 2023 shifter position is a little awkward and isn’t intuitive.
I’m going to keep an eye out for when the 2024 models arrive at my local dealer and will definitely want to test drive them to see if these upgrades really do make a difference.
Read more: Volkswagen Group delivered 42% more BEVs in Q1 2023 – here’s how it breaks down
Photo: Volkswagen of America
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