In the week that Volkswagen SA launched a refreshed Polo Vivo, its oldest model on sale, I was mixing it up with the VW ID.4 — the full electric car it plans to launch here in 2026.
This wasn’t my first encounter with the good-looking SUV with a sport wagon-esque silhouette. An earlier, short, introductory drive orientated my expectations. It arrived for a longer week test for me to suss out its capabilities as a daily mate now and in future.
With a length of 4,584mm the five-seater family car has a capacious 2,771mm wheelbase. To give perspective, cabin space is 18mm less than in the seven-seat Tiguan Allspace. Space in front is generous, and the dashboard is modern but the ergonomics maybe a touch unfriendly for taller drivers.
Added practicality is in the form of a 543l boot that increases to 1,573l by folding down the rear seats. The fly in the ointment is the manually operated, and hefty, tailgate.
You needn’t use the key fob to lock or unlock the doors. The keyless function sensors oblige, and the lack of a start button and the integration of an automatic handbrake requires a driver to enter, select a gear on the stalk-like selector, and off you go.
Though local specification is not confirmed, the ID.4 Pro trim of our test unit has plenty luxuries. These are a rear view camera, matrix LED lights, adaptive cruise control and digital controls to adjust various parameters, including climate control and ambient lighting. There is no head-up display.
The drive from a 77kW/h battery powering a rear mounted, 150kW and 310Nm electric motor is both silent and refined, gifting the ID.4 with performance that isn’t explosive but enough to launch it from 0 to 100km/h in 8.5 seconds, and to a 160km/h top speed. It’s no slouch but it’s best enjoyed cruising.
More important is the drive train tuning. The power isn’t peaky, nor does it lag, and responds perfectly to throttle inputs. It’s also perhaps why it’s efficient. A full charge promises 464km of driving range and close on 400km is reachable when driven with civility, and in conjunction with the energy recuperation system. On test, it returned a 13kWh/100km average consumption, better than the 16kWh/100km said by VW.
It also helps to have one or two of Audi’s new high-speed DC public chargers on your radar. Plugged in there, the ID.4 can charge from 30% to 100% in less than 35 minutes, helping to relegate anxiety and time wastage to a distant worry. When linked to our office 11kW AC charger, it trickle charged at a slower 20km per hour.
It has manual and automatic modes of energy recuperation. The latter mode makes a one-pedal brake and throttle function and is best used in congested traffic. The former is ideal for open roads and in conjunction the active cruise control that sees the ID.4 self-throttle and brake. It has a lane-change departure mitigation system.
The car also doesn’t suffer from the same fidgety ride and below-par handling of some EVs. It’s a sorted, pliant ride with good poise in bends. Drive it enthusiastically and the traction nannies jump in, but it masks its 2.2-tonne weight very well.
Chunky 19-inch rubber means it tackles gravel roads where progress is fairly well damped.
What did I make of the VW ID.4? It’s a solid package that won the 2021 World Car of the Year title, and which feels right up there with other electric Teuton SUVs such as the BMW iX3 and Audi e-tron in terms of refinement.
The fact remains that EVs are still expensive in SA, and likely to remain so when the ID.4 is launched in 2026. Prices for the car in Germany now start at €40,000 (R800,000).
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