This is the new 2023 VW ID.4 Pro S and it’s one of the more affordable EVs on the market with decent range and performance, and a blend of practicality, comfort, and decent performance. There’s more good news because it is now built at its plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee for the 2023 model year, it now qualifies for the federal tax credit.

What’s new for 2023?

For 2023 a few things have changed, such as a top-level Pro S Plus trim, which adds heated rear seats, a three-zone automatic climate control system, unique 20-inch wheels, and a premium stereo system.

They have also introduced an entry-level Standard model joins which joins the lineup. It has a very attractive base price of $38,995, the downside being it uses a smaller 62 kWh (58-kWh usable) battery pack which drops the to an estimated 209 miles.

My Pro S AWD tester comes standard with 20-inch wheels wearing all-season tires and before you panic the rear brakes are drums which according to Volkswagon give better energy recuperation; the fronts are of course discs.

Slick looks

The ID.4 is probably one of VWs best-looking cars, at the front, it gets  Premium LED projector headlights with AFS, which is an adaptive front-lighting system AFS stands for adaptive front-lighting system, which means the headlights swivel in the direction the car is turning, something this car introduced in the mid fifty’s Citroen DS.

Pricing

This ProS AWD trim has a $51,295 base price and came with just one option, Aurora Red Metallic paint for $395 taking the final price including destination to $52,985.

Under the hood

If you were hoping for a frunk, then you’re going to be disappointed. Under the hood, you get 2 options an AWD dual-motor version with 295 hp and a healthy 339 lb. ft of torque driven through a single-speed transmission.

The rear-drive model has a single motor with 201 hp and 229 lb-feet, enough to get you along nicely but it won’t displace your organs. As with the AWD model it’s driven through a single-speed transmission,

You do lose range on this Standard model due to the smaller battery pack and has an estimated 209 miles of range.

My Pro S trim AWD model has an 82-kWh battery (77 kWh usable) and gets 255 miles of range, whereas the front-drive version gets 275. Floor it from a standstill and it takes around 5.8 seconds to get to sixty which is 2 seconds faster than the front-drive version.

Charging

With a 220-v charger, it takes 7.5 to 11.5 hours to fully charge from empty. The ID.4’s peak charging rate is 118 kWh so going from 10 – 80 % will take around 30 mins on a fast charger.

Driving

Driving the I.D.4 Pro S feels refined and predictable. The steering is light but accurate, and the vehicle’s low center of gravity – thanks to the underfloor battery pack – contributes to stable cornering. Its regenerative braking system is one of the most intuitive and smoothest I’ve encountered, making it a joy to drive in the city.

Drive it with a little more vigor and the ID.4 AWD perks up and actually feels somewhat sporty, more so if you select Sport from one of the four drive modes, Eco Normal, Sport, and Custom. It seems to sharpen both steering and throttle response.  Forward progress is smooth and the 339 lb-ft of torque allows you to easily get past slower vehicles o a two-lane backroad when the opportunity presents itself.

Around town it’s remarkably easy to drive it doesn’t feel s big as it looks, so squirting into gaps is a doddle, and the more you accelerate the more regen you get so it’s definitely fun.

No full regen

The only slight disappointment is there isn’t a true one-pedal mode, you get a normal Drive mode and then a B mode which gives you some regen but not really enough to bring you to a halt.  Since over-the-air software updates are becoming available I hope VW does a software update in the future to rectify this.

Interior

Inside, the standard 12-inch touchscreen display is bright and easy to reach from the driver’s seat, offering physical buttons for the main menu categories and haptic touch buttons for temperature and volume control. The downside is that ID.4 doesn’t do switches, so most of the controls are the capacitive touch type that we have all grown to hate.

The 12-way power-adjustable front seats have 8-way power and position memory for the driver’s seat and they are among the most comfortable seats I have tried. I don’t understand why VW can’t use these in other models instead of using the typically Germanic hard seats they always use.

There’s a new center console setup which now offers more storage space and a phone charging pad, and the previous year’s cloth seats on lower modes have been upgraded. The cup holders can now hold a massive cup with ease since they have plenty of room vertically without impeding the controls.

Interior and Cargo

VW has been especially shrewd with the ID.4’s packaging, it’s five inches shorter than VW’s Tiguan, but the ID.4 has slightly more front legroom and only an inch less in the rear (comparing the five-seater ID.4 to the two-row, five-seater Tiguan).

At the back, a Hands-free Easy Open and Easy Close power lift gate reveal 30.3ft³, and a decently spacious 64.2ft³ with the rear seats folded.

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Verdict

You might think that the VW ID.4 falls short of its rivals when it comes to range but this battery is extremely efficient and I think VW has been very conservative with its numbers. It does fall short of what its competition claims but we know some of them have been seriously overestimating their range.

In conclusion, the 2023 VW I.D.4 Pro S is a significant player in the EV market. It may not top the charts in every aspect, but it offers a well-rounded package that combines practicality, comfort, performance, and a good range. It’s a vehicle that shows Volkswagen is serious about its electric future, and it’s a strong choice for anyone looking to make the leap into the world of electric vehicles.

2023 VW ID.4 PRO S AWD Numbers

BASE PRICE: $51,295
PRICE AS TESTED: $52,985
VEHICLE LAYOUT: Front-engine, all-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door wagon
POWERTRAIN: 2 permanent-magnet synchronous AC motors
BATTERY: liquid-cooled lithium-ion, 77.0 kWh
COMBINED POWER: 295 hp
TORQUE: 339 lb-ft
TRANSMISSION: 1-speed direct-drive
CURB WEIGHT: 4,877 lb
0-60 MPH: 5.6 seconds
EPA CITY/HWY/COMB FUEL ECON: 96/103/88 MPGe
RANGE: 255 miles (AWD) 275 (FWD)
CARGO SPACE: 30.3 ft³, 64.2 ft³ with seat area
PROS: Much quicker with dual motors, quiet cabin, zippy handling, refreshed interior 
CONS: No one pedal mode, no frunk