With the ID.4 GTX, VW is playing the dynamic card in the electric SUV. And with success. The e-crossover is fun on winding country roads without throwing comfort overboard. The plastic desert in the interior is also a thing of the past. However, all of this has its price.
Nobody should say that they are unable to learn at VW. After the plastic interior disaster with the ID.3, the Wolfsburg-based company drew the right conclusions with the ID.GTX and significantly increased the leather content in the interior. A clear step forward, although it’s interesting that the dashboard and door panels are always blue. Presumably, the VW decorators want to install similar traditions in the GTX series, such as the checked seat covers in the GTI models. Especially since GTX is also the continuation of the GTI saga for electric vehicles. However, why the rims then have to have Norwegian names such as “Ystad” is not clear to us. The marketing department is probably of the opinion that a shot of the Scandinavian electromobility stronghold suits the ID.4 GTX well.
VW ID.4 GTX: sporty drive meets comfort
But we don’t want to go to a fjord, but to the Harz Mountains. Everything is behind the valance as you know it from the other ID. Models. Small 5.3 inch cockpit, a 12 inch central touchscreen and a large head-up display. You did that better at VW than your colleagues at Audi. At least as far as the flying arrows are concerned, which can still be seen well in bright backlight. The infotainment is also no mystery if you’ve already sat in an ID. However, the operation is not always entirely conclusive, they do that better in Ingolstadt. Since the car only has USB C ports, this means for smartphone owners that they have to arm themselves with adapters or the appropriate charging cables.
The comfortable AGR seats are pleasant and we get along well with the Top ID.4. Our test car is equipped with the sports package, which means that the body flies 15 millimeters lower over the asphalt and the progressive steering implements the direction commands. Even if the GTX is more sporty than the Normalo-ID.4, it is never uncomfortable and does not allow itself to be disturbed by bumpy roads. The spread of the main driving modes Eco, Comfort and Sport could, however, be more pronounced. In sport, the chassis is firmer and the steering’s restoring forces are stronger. We like to cook our own soup with such things anyway and use the individual mode for this. With the ID.4 GTX, too, this means: Drive on sport and the rest on comfort. If necessary, the adaptive dampers can be adjusted in 15 stages.
Driving dynamics manager leads through winding country roads
The most important part of the VW agility menu is working in the background: The driving dynamics manager is a conductor who coordinates the existing control systems and coordinates them so that the vehicle whistles around corners as nimbly as possible. This technical trick, which has already given the Golf GTI that extra bit of dynamism, also works in the ID.4 GTX, which can be steered surprisingly quickly around corners for a 2,149 kilogram e-crossover. The driving dynamics manager also acts with recuperating brake interventions in order to keep the front end of the car pushing towards the edge of the curve in check. The all-wheel drive with an asynchronous machine at the front, with which the front axle can be switched on at lightning speed, as well as the mixed tires (235 front and 255 rear) contribute to good grip and neutral driving behavior.
Yes, yes, the ID.4 GTX is fun but not a brutal dynamic. This is due to the manageable horsepower output of 220 kW / 299 hp for a sporty electric vehicle. The e-SUV is still fast and reaches the 100 km / h mark after 6.2 seconds and, by the grace of a technician, can even go up to 180 km / h. A Volvo Volvo XC40 Recharge can do that too. VW should unlock more in order to differentiate itself. VW specifies an average consumption of 16.3 kilowatt hours / 100 km and the display showed a range of 330 kilometers at the start. During our test drive, 23.7 kWh / 100 km flowed through the lines and the 82 kWh battery would have carried us 327 kilometers.
E-crossover costs at least 50,415 euros
The VW ID.4 GTX still has a few delicacies ready: The traction drive program produces permanent all-wheel drive up to a speed of 20 km / h with an equal distribution of drive forces and digs the ID.4 GTX out of every mud hole. In addition, the e-crossover can pull up to 1,400 kilograms and has a trailer hitch. The ID.4 GTX does not yet have a trailer auxiliary program like Trail Assist, so you have to rethink when maneuvering the trailer. But docking and moving a horse trailer with the help of the rear view camera and the lines creates a bit of a Playstation feeling. The fact that the additional car feels as if it were light as a feather is another plus of the total torque of around 460 Newton meters that is immediately available. However, with a price of at least 50,415 euros, the VW ID.4 GTX is significantly more expensive than the game console currently being traded above the list price.
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