[TPG]

I wasn't keen on buying my ID.4 FE when I test drove it at the dealer, but my wife thought it might be acceptable. We are both less enthusiastic about it after owning it several days:

1. Mediocre acceleration, braking, and steering response compared to my current car (Toyota RAV4 EV)
2. Very limited cargo capacity. Much space is wasted by the excessively high Read seats when folded (little vertical room) and more space is wasted by the false floor in the back that compensates for the high seats.
Much less usable than the RAV4
3. Audio sound quality is terrible. Inexcusable!!! Worst car audio I have ever heard.
4. Mediocre human-machine interface. No better than the 2013 RAV4EV except for Android Auto. But the ID.4 interface is quite laggy.
5. Handling feels remote, but that may be a matter of taste
6. Large on the outside, not so big on the inside. Perhaps that is a modern car thing in genral?
7. Mediocre paint. I have glacier white which has very little depth compared Blizzard Pearl (white metallic) of the RAV 4.
8. Creep. No selectable regen. Bugs me more than I thought it would.
9. Poor Car-Net functionality compared to the Toyota app

First time I've ever regretted buying a car.

The range and the DC charging speed are impressive, but the RAV4 met my needs 95% of the time in those parameters.

At least VW might fix it when it breaks, unlike how my Toyota dealer approaches my RAV4

 

[Geo]

I also replaced my RAV4 EV with an ID.4. I'm happy with my upgrade, sorry you have regrets.

The RAV4 is huge on the inside - bigger than any of the ID.4 competitiors. All of them are narrower in the back for aerodynamics, which reduces hatch size. Unless you get a Rivian or something, you're not going to equal the RAV4.

There are a few things I miss about the RAV4. The volume, of course, the side opening rear door, the sheer simplicity of the car, and for some reason, the hand brake (which I used on steep hills to keep from rolling back). The ID.4 does this weird clunk on hills, which bugs me. The RAV also feels lighter and more nimble on the road compared to the ID.4's more solid feel.

I don't miss the RAV4's limited range and slow charging (even with JDEMO). With the 100-ish mile range, I was always counting miles and watching charge levels. Also the lack of service/support. I felt like I was driving a ticking service time bomb. Glad I got rid of it before something expensive broke.

And there are plenty of things I really like about the ID.4 as well. The range and faster charging completely change the way I drive. No more counting miles, and I can now do proper road trips. The safety features are also great, I love the lane keeping and ACC. Apple/Android is also a great feature absent on the RAV. It's also much quieter and more "luxe" than the RAV4.

But yeah, you do have some valid points. Give it a month or two, maybe it will grow on you.

 

[Polyphonic]

I think you need to realize that the ID.4 is extremely affordable for a long-range BEV. Batteries and cooling systems are very expensive. The ID.4 was made with road trips in mind, so it has an excellent cooling system unlike rivals such as the Bolt EUV, Niro, Kona, etc. It is pretty feature-packed for any car in that price range, but at the end of the day they have to hit a price point.

That's not to say that your points are invalid. They are perfectly valid. I might suggest giving it some more time. It may grow on you as you learn more about it.
There will likely be no change in its value for a while.

 

[Nai3t]

I can relate. I bought an Acura TSX wagon that I pretty quickly regretted, just blah. Thankfully a CPO that I got for a good enough price that, 6 months later, I stopped at a different Acura dealer and walked out with a paid off loan.

My wife gave up her beloved Jetta TDI for a Passat TDI that she wasn't smitten with. VW bought it back under dieselgate and they turned into the first car I ever gained value on!

Thankfully we're both thrilled with the ID.4!

In your case, with all the rebates and credits, I'd bet you could sell pretty easily without hurting your wallet.

 

[Huey52]

Sorry to hear that TPG. 😕
It's common to have some buyer's remorse and even more so with such a dramatically different product.
I'm on the side of appreciating the ID.4 more then I anticipated, especially as I get more familiar with all of the automation functions and decidedly different [for me] 'B' regenerative braking mode.
But I do understand that the ID.4 is not for everyone and won't meet some expectations.
All the best in your next automotive acquisition.

 

[VidMan]

The ID4 is definitely not for everyone, but I completely understand your frustrations with points 3, 5, 8, and 9 since those were compromises that were specifically made for the US version of the ID4.

 

[datwater]

There was a post on here months ago from someone in Europe who replaced the speakers in her ID.4 and added a sub. I think the post is gone but hopefully some folks can post their upgrades/mods here in the US as time goes on. I play FLAC from a USB stick and it is about what I'd expect from an "average" car stereo. Could definitely be better. Sirius? That sounds like complete crap mostly because their streams are so compressed now. I read the level of compression they use on their AAC streams now is equivalent to 96k mp3. Ugh. Good luck - I hope you feel better about it as time wears on.

 

[Curtis55]

I felt the same after I bought a new ford pinto in the old days, got rid of it 6 months later. You have to like what you get. With ID.4, Teslas, etc the upgrading of software the experiences will improve over time, but not all the things you list will be solved by that. I liked my ID.4 test drive on the demo unit.

 

[JBHorner]

There is no happy path for a regretted car acquisition. Get out early, and generally take a financial bath. Live with it, and every small issue adds more fuel to the fire. Look for the good and hopefully they will, over time, outweigh the "bad." I personally like mine, but it's no more than "like." It is a decent EV with good range. I'd be in a Tesla if I trusted their quality. But if there is one thing in my book that is worse than a regretted vehicle acquisition, it is that the regret is derived by issue after issue. I have to say that my skin just isn't thick enough that I could deal with some of the issues I've read about Teslas.

I had a RAV4EV (2012), and it was a really solid vehicle. But, it also had some significant issues related to the Tesla drivetrain. I also felt that the cabin noise was a bit unreasonable. I have to say, though, that I was never impressed with the sound system in that vehicle. And don't get me started on the infotainment system...hated it with a passion.

 

[Dana]

I think you need to realize that the ID.4 is extremely affordable for a long-range BEV. Batteries and cooling systems are very expensive. The ID.4 was made with road trips in mind, so it has an excellent cooling system unlike rivals such as the Bolt EUV, Niro, Kona, etc. It is pretty feature-packed for any car in that price range, but at the end of the day they have to hit a price point.

That's not to say that your points are invalid. They are perfectly valid. I might suggest giving it some more time. It may grow on you as you learn more about it.
There will likely be no change in its value for a while.

Haven't read that before about the ID.4 cooling system being better. Can you give further details or references? ID.4 doesn't have the shutters that some EV's have, maybe to save costs or complexity. Generally folks think the shutters are an advantage. You're probably referring to the liquid cooled part of the cooling system?
I'm not big on the Kona or Niro as they aren't on dedicated EV platforms, plus the Kona has had battery fire issues, like the Bolt. Are the battery fire issues related to cooling?

 

[TPG]

I had a RAV4EV (2012), and it was a really solid vehicle. But, it also had some significant issues related to the Tesla drivetrain. I also felt that the cabin noise was a bit unreasonable. I have to say, though, that I was never impressed with the sound system in that vehicle. And don't get me started on the infotainment system...hated it with a passion.

Interesting. Yes, the Tesla drivetrain of the RAV4EV definitely has serious problems! Nothing like driving at 70 mph and then losing all power and having to pull over very suddenly.

I found that my RAV4 was very quiet after I replaced its tires (nice Bridgestones) and its drive motor. No louder than the ID.4, maybe quieter (not much ID.4 driving yet because I cannot get it to complete its charge).

I found the sound of high bitrate MP3s on a USB stick to be quite good in the RAV4 and nearly unlistenable in the ID.4 (OK, I am a bit of an audiophile but a cheap one). I liked the infotainment system of the RAV4 because you could select album, artist, track in different ways and cannot do that on the ID.4. Plus the ID.4 infotainment is incredibly buggy - cannot reliably set volume, screen freezes, goes dark, cannot complete an overnight charge on L2, etc. I have no confidence that VW will ever adequately fix those problems.

I'm thinking hard about selling the ID.4 for what I can (likely taking a $10K bath) and then getting a cheap Bolt or something until a well-executed, mid-priced EV finally comes along eventually.

 

[xcaliburinhand]

Plus the ID.4 infotainment is incredibly buggy - cannot reliably set volume, screen freezes, goes dark, cannot complete an overnight charge on L2, etc. I have no confidence that VW will ever adequately fix those problems.

That sounds pretty frustrating and I would not be all that happy experiencing the same. However, it may be a luck of the draw (or I guess bad luck of the draw is more fitting). I have had no issues with charging or the infotainment system. I would be hesitant to chalk those issues up as an ID.4 issue and more of a small number of ID.4s issue.

Have you scheduled your Double Check service or a diagnostic? I would be interested in what your service tech might find.

 

[TPG]

That sounds pretty frustrating and I would not be all that happy experiencing the same. However, it may be a luck of the draw (or I guess bad luck of the draw is more fitting). I have had no issues with charging or the infotainment system. I would be hesitant to chalk those issues up as an ID.4 issue and more of a small number of ID.4s issue.

Have you scheduled your Double Check service or a diagnostic? I would be interested in what your service tech might find.

Interesting - I had thought that these problems were widespread given the many reports on this forum. You are lucky!

I have had enough experience with car dealerships and service centers to expect the Double Check to be a huge waste of time. I was the first ID.4 delivery at my dealer, and I suspect their service department will offer to check my oil and will not know how to plug it in to charge. I do plan to show them a list of software bugs and am looking forward to the dumb look I will receive in return, if only for my own amusement.

 

[Michael SD]

I suspect their service department will offer to check my oil and will not know how to plug it in to charge.

That would be very surprising since VW dealers ought be very familiar with the eGolf by now.

 

[Hot Soup]

That would be very surprising since VW dealers ought be very familiar with the eGolf by now.

Less than 15,000 egolfs were sold in North America.

 

[TPG]

That would be very surprising since VW dealers ought be very familiar with the eGolf by now.

OK, they may figure out how to plug it in, but I suspect that the Double Check will only be useful for gross mechanical problems and not software ones.

 

[TPG]

Less than 15,000 egolfs were sold in North America.

That is a lot of cars compared to the 2500 Toyota RAV4 EVs made and sold (California and worldwide) - my previous car.

 

[Polyphonic]

Haven't read that before about the ID.4 cooling system being better. Can you give further details or references? ID.4 doesn't have the shutters that some EV's have, maybe to save costs or complexity. Generally folks think the shutters are an advantage. You're probably referring to the liquid cooled part of the cooling system?
I'm not big on the Kona or Niro as they aren't on dedicated EV platforms, plus the Kona has had battery fire issues, like the Bolt. Are the battery fire issues related to cooling?

From what I've seen the ID.4 curve is nearly flat at 125 kW. In other EVs you will see a quick peak, and then a drop off. I have an e-tron which has a completely flat curve (150 kW) to 80%, and approaching full charge it's still nearly 50 kW. The top buffer on my vehicle is 4% (100% on the screen = 96% in actuality), whereas the latest models have a small 1-2% top buffer. So the extreme high charge curve isn't possible without extreme cooling measures...or frying the batteries

I would imagine the (few) fire incidents in the EV world are related to battery management.

What are shutters?

 

[ericy]

I would imagine the (few) fire incidents in the EV world are related to battery management.

For the longest time, Hyundai and LG were pointing fingers at each other, but it is starting to sound like a manufacturing defect in making the batteries that could result in fires.

I don't know if it is the same issue that some Bolts have.

 

[ExCivilian]

That would be very surprising since VW dealers ought be very familiar with the eGolf by now.

I leased an eGolf from 2016-2019 and can confirm they never did figure out how to plug it in during that time and were always concerned about my "refusal" of oil changes.