Used 2021 Volkswagen ID 4 for sale 

The ID.4 is an all-new electric crossover SUV from VW debuted in September 2020. As mentioned earlier, the 1st Edition trim level for ID.4 has been sold out as of writing this article leaving us with the choice of only one trim level to choose from. The Pro trim starts from $39,995 and for that money; you do get a lot of standard tech and features at your disposal. Volkswagen even marketed it as a car for “the millions, not the millionaires”. You can also upgrade your ID.4 with the available packages available at an extra cost.

Some of the key standard features of the 2021 Volkswagen ID.4 include:

Moreover, you could upgrade your ID.4 with these available packages:

Statement ($4,500):

• Premium LED projector headlights with AFS, illuminated grille, and front Volkswagen logo
• The panoramic fixed glass roof
• Discover Pro Max navigation with 12” display
• 12-way power-adjustable front seats with leatherette seating surfaces
• Hands-free Easy Open and Easy Close Liftgate

Statement and Gradient ($6,000):

• 20” alloy wheels
• Black painted roof
• Silver rails and accents

German cars are typically known for their excellent build quality and reliability and Volkswagen is no exception. It is not a surprise considering the fact that it is one of the biggest car companies in the world, even owning some of the other popular automobile brands as well. That being said, the ID.4 is a very recently launched car and it has not gone through all the real-world uses by typical customers yet. 

So as of now, it is hard to predict the long-term reliability quotient of the new ID.4. Moreover, Volkswagen being pretty new to the electric car game without many mainstream fully electric vehicles in the past, it makes predicting the reliability quotient of the ID.4 pretty hard as well. Nonetheless, coming from one of the top automakers of the world, we could pretty safely assume it to be quite reliable and the solid build quality of the prototypes confirms that to an extent as well.

Reliability and Ownership Costs

Electric cars tend to cost less in terms of ownership costs compared to similarly priced gas vehicles. It is mainly due to less moving parts and price savings in terms of engine oils and stuff during servicing. The new ID.4 being a very recent car, it is hard to predict its actual ownership cost. There are many factors that sum up to the total ownership cost of the vehicle. In the case of the new ID.4 electric vehicle, it will depend on the electricity cost to charge the electric vehicle, its servicing cost, insurance, and other stuff. Most of these factors, if not all, should be less expensive than similar gas-powered vehicles. 

Moreover, the Government in many places tends to subsidize or provide some scheme for owning fully electric vehicles, which further help manage the ownership cost of the vehicle. On top of that, Volkswagen is providing 3 years of unlimited DC fast charging at Electrify America chargers at no additional cost.

We’ll have to find out later about the servicing cost, insurance bracket, etc. of the car after it is available in the market and calculate the approximate ownership cost of the ID.4.

Warranty

The battery is probably one of the most important components of an electric vehicle. Hence, having a warranty with good coverage for the battery is a big advantage and the ID.4 is covered with decent coverage for its battery. On top of the battery, there is also coverage for other aspects of the cars as well.

The warranties for the 2021 Volkswagen ID.4 electric SUV include:

The warranty scheme for the 2021 VW ID.4 looks quite decent and is comparable to other electric cars of its price range.

Miles Per Dollar

Being a very recently launched car, it is quite hard to predict the miles per dollar proposition of the car, given the car is a fully electric car from a brand that has recently stepped into the electric car game.

The new ID.4 is an interesting choice in the space of an electric crossover SUV. It doesn’t have any direct competitors in this segment yet. Although it is yet to be found out how the new ID.4 is to live with and how the car performs as a daily driver, you could safely assume it to be pretty good and reliable as a daily driver and could reserve one in advance for yourself without hesitation.

Is buying a used car Volkswagen ID.4 a good idea?

The fact that the new ID.4 hasn’t even been out on the roads yet, you won’t be finding one in the used car market anytime soon.

The new ID.4 comes with a single motor powertrain as standard with Rear-wheel Drive only. But you could upgrade to a dual-motor powertrain with an All-wheel-drive for $3,680. The single motor powertrain is capable of producing 201 HP and 228 lb-ft of torque and according to Volkswagen, it is capable of propelling the ID.4 from 0 to 60 mph in 7.8 seconds, which is not one of the fastest times for an EV. That being said, the dual-motor setup produces 302 HP and should be faster than the single motor and should be the one to get if you want more speed and performance out of the ID.4.

The 2021 ID.4 with a single motor setup is not the most powerful car here, but it should be enough for most people for their daily life. That being said, you could always opt for the more powerful dual-motor setup to get even more performance. Nonetheless, the Tesla Model Y Long Range does have a massive edge with its 384 HP motor.

2021 Volkswagen ID.4 Acceleration And Braking Performance

VW claims that the single motor setup of the ID.4 with 201 HP and 228 lb-ft of torque is capable of propelling the car from 0 to 60 mph in 7.8 seconds, which is not that of an impressive time, to be honest.

The dual-motor setup on the other hand produces 302 HP and should be faster than the single motor one. As for the brakes goes, the 2021 ID.4 is equipped with disc brakes at the front with drum brakes at the back.

The VW ID.4 is one of the slowest cars in its competition. Its top speed is even pegged at about 100 mph. The Tesla Model Y is the fastest electric SUV here and the Ford Mustang Mach-E SUV also gives the ID.4 a serious run for its money with their 4.8 and 4.0 seconds of acceleration times respectively.

According to VW, the new ID.4 is capable of a range of 250 miles based on the approximation of the EPA test cycle. Since the actual range of an electric vehicle depends on several factors like driving and charging habits, accessory use, temperature and topography, etc.; it would be interesting to see how the ID.4 fairs in real-life use cases.

The 250-mile range of ID.4 is quite decent and is comparable to most of the other cars in its competition. Nonetheless, the Model Y dominates here yet again with its 326 miles of range.

The interior of the new ID.4 is quite sleek and modern and is quite different from the interiors of the Volkswagens of the past. It has a minimalistic approach in terms of physical knobs and buttons with most of them being touch-sensitive simulated buttons. Although being a pretty compact vehicle overall, the ID.4 is decently spacious inside.

The use of soft-touch materials is quite nice and the solid build quality adds to the premium-ness of the car, even at its price point.

The 2021 ID.4 is a great choice when it comes to interior dimensions, and is quite comparable to most of its competitors, if not better.

How’s the 2021 Volkswagen ID.4 electric SUV infotainment system?

The 2021 ID.4 comes equipped with a 10” infotainment touchscreen display as standard which could be upgraded to a bigger 12” display with the optional Statement package. The infotainment display has a floating design in the middle of the dashboard which gives a contemporary look to the interior of the car. The center infotainment display is accompanied by a 5.3” digital gaugedisplay with voice recognition capability.

It also features gesture control as well. Although the UI of the early prototypes was a bit laggy, VW claims it wouldn't be the case with the production version. Wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay will also be available along with a WiFi hotspot and a few USB-C ports.

The new ID.4 looks quite different from most of the VW cars from the past. Although it has the contemporary crossover SUV look in terms of shape and size, it looks quite different from the rest. The body lines are quite elegant and smooth and give the car a unique road presence of its own.

Although the look of a car is a pretty subjective thing, the ID.4 is overall a pretty good looking car nonetheless.

In terms of exterior dimensions, the 2021 VW ID.4 is more or less in the same ballpark as most of its competitors.

The ID.4 is built on VW’s electric MEB platform. The primary body material used for the ID.4 is steel. Nonetheless, Volkswagen has not compromised with the safety and security of the ID.4 and equipped it with most of the modern advanced driving aids and safety features to keep its occupants as safe as possible.

Some of the stand out standard safety features equipped in the 2021 Volkswagen ID.4 includes:

• Travel Assist
• Lane Assist
• Autonomous Emergency Braking with Pedestrian Monitoring (Front Assist)
• Adaptive Cruise Control
• Emergency Assist
• Blind Spot Monitor (Side Assist)
• Rear Traffic Alert
• Dynamic Road Sign Display

Although the ID.4 is equipped with a host of standard safety features to make driving safe, it is too early to judge the structural integrity of the car as the car hasn’t been crash-tested by NHTSA and IIHS yet.

2021 Volkswagen ID.4 Vs 2021 Tesla Model Y

Although the Tesla Model Y is a bit more expensive than the VW, it does provide a better bang for your buck. Tesla is really hard to ignore especially with its better performance, better range, and its overall better value for money proposition.

2021 Volkswagen ID.4 Vs 2021 Hyundai Kona Electric

The Hyundai Kona Electric is Hyundai’s attempt at the electric car game and is quite the offering nonetheless. It is priced quite similarly to the VW and it also has similar stats when it comes to engine power output, performance, and range.

The Kona Electric is probably one of the closest competitors to the ID.4.

2021 Volkswagen ID.4 Vs 2021 Ford Mustang Mach-E

Although quite controversial with the Mustang name being used in an EV, the Mach-E is quite an interesting car nonetheless. Its base models are in the territory of the ID.4 and the Kona Electric when it comes to engine power output, but its performance is better than the two probably due to better power management.

That being said, there are more powerful variants available for the Mustang Mach-E with power and performance in a similar territory as that of a Tesla.

It is quite early to provide a definitive verdict for the upcoming VW ID.4, especially due to the fact that the car hasn’t gone through rear world testing with actual customers. That being said, coming from a brand like Volkswagen, it is expected to perform quite well and be able to handle the test of time quite reliably as well. But the main thing is the value for money proposition of the car. Although it seems you get a lot of cars for the money, there are other cars in the market as well with really impressive value for money proposition, especially the cars from Tesla, in this case, the Model Y which could give the ID.4 a serious run for its money. Nonetheless, ID.4 is a really interesting car on its own and you won’t go wrong in getting one for yourself.