More app functionality: let me stream on the display while charging or parked!

 

When I'm parked I've streamed a movie on the screen from a usb stick. I use an adapter from usb A to usb C. Worked well.

 

I'll start this with a couple of my recommendations:

• widen the narrow armrests by an inch or two.
• put garage door opener buttons on the mirror as a standard feature
• reduce the volume of the pedestrian warning sound a little. It would be really nice if the sound only came on when a nearby person was detected.

VW has limited leeway on that last bullet due to government regulation. If they're above the minimum volume, they could reduce it. Otherwise, as long as the car is "in gear" and could start moving, or is moving at <= 30 kph, the sound is required.

 

I completely welcome the pedestrian warning at the volume it is currently at. After driving a Bolt for 2 years before the ID.4 and stopping twice just prior to hitting someone stepping back from the back of the SUV that they were loading and in front of me (going about 2 mph on asphalt - super stealth mode in Bolt) in a parking lot, we need to be sure that others know we are approaching in our ID.4.

 

The rear camera doesn't work all that well in the dark.

 

When you have the camera up in the bottom right of screen you can access camera settings. I made some brightness/contrast adjustments, and the result is marginal but improved. I hate how fisheyed / distorted the camera appears though.

 

• Option to turn off the "creep".
• Option to allow "B" mode to come to a complete stop without touching the brake.
• Option for auto brake hold.

 

I second all of them. Make an option for One Pedal Driving and have it come to a complete stop without the creep.

 

Is this going to become an open letter or form for us to bombard VW? Or is this just shouting into the Void? I'm open to assembling a consolidated list of the various wants/needs, but if we want to make this work, perhaps @sparkyr can do some edits to the OP with emobility's email address and some guidance for writing the message.

 

VW is definitely lurking here. If we bombard them directly, the messages will get lost in the noise. Thoughtfully crafted letters from the collective membership of this forum would be powerful. As the dust settles from the launch, I could even see a small group conference call being something eMobility would be interested in.

 

it would probably be beneficial if this thread focused on software stuff, since that is what VW has the ability to update?

ill add another one: make the carnet app not suck. The we connect app in Europe seems far superior. We don’t even have the remember where you parked functionality.

 

Agreed, probably one of the things I’m most disappointed with so far in my first few days of ownership has been the app. Doesn’t refresh, almost no functionality, would love to have phone as key.

 

1. Request the traditional knobs and buttons of traditional VWs.
2. Simple and solid tech/electronics.
3. 350-400 mile range.

 

3. 350-400 mile range.

 

I would like to see VW commit to continuous OTA software improvements, just like Apple and Google continue to improve their operating systems, or Tesla their software.

There's a lot of low-hanging fruit I'm sure VW will improve (e.g. the wasteful way the battery heated even for short trips, a very safe charging curve with low c-rate, slowness of the UI, etc), I'm not worried about that.

I am worried if VW will give us new software options like one-pedal driving (or at least a hold mode) and UX/UI improvements. The ID.4 infotainment system seems to made by two different teams that didn't talk to each other: on one hand there's a nice and smooth 3D animation of car where you just click on the part of the car you want to interact with and the same is true for the active security features interface that's actually an image of the car on a road with other cars. It's slick and pretty well thought out.

Then there's a part of the system that seems to be designed by a team that never has touched an iPad or iPhone. The keyboard is designed by them (try to find the backspace button, it took me ages to figure out it was in the text box, not on the keyboard) and also the main menu (same shape and color for all icons? Seriously?). This part of the UX is very much inspired by old in-car entertainment systems, instead of an iPad like interface like on the Tesla. The fact that the screen defaults to a menu instead of useful contextual information like Tesla is a mistake in the first place.

I think VW needs to rethink the UX of the infotainment system. It will be a huge challenge since you also don't want to confuse the people who already gotten used to the existing system.

 

I would like to see VW commit to continuous OTA software improvements, just like Apple and Google continue to improve their operating systems, or Tesla their software.

There's a lot of low-hanging fruit I'm sure VW will improve (e.g. the wasteful way the battery heated even for short trips, a very safe charging curve with low c-rate, slowness of the UI, etc), I'm not worried about that.

I am worried if VW will give us new software options like one-pedal driving (or at least a hold mode) and UX/UI improvements. The ID.4 infotainment system seems to made by two different teams that didn't talk to each other: on one hand there's a nice and smooth 3D animation of car where you just click on the part of the car you want to interact with and the same is true for the active security features interface that's actually an image of the car on a road with other cars. It's slick and pretty well thought out.

Then there's a part of the system that seems to be designed by a team that never has touched an iPad or iPhone. The keyboard is designed by them (try to find the backspace button, it took me ages to figure out it was in the text box, not on the keyboard) and also the main menu (same shape and color for all icons? Seriously?). This part of the UX is very much inspired by old in-car entertainment systems, instead of an iPad like interface like on the Tesla. The fact that the screen defaults to a menu instead of useful contextual information like Tesla is a mistake in the first place.

I think VW needs to rethink the UX of the infotainment system. It will be a huge challenge since you also don't want to confuse the people who already gotten used to the existing system.
[/QUOT]

I totally agree on the keyboard improvement. Who designed the "VW KEYBOARD" that is different from most popular ones in use? Even Steve Jobs' number-less Ipad/Iphone keyboard is much less pain than the one in ID.4.

 

VW has committed to OTA updates every 12 weeks, or so they said when they publicly talked about the ID.4's OTA functionality (that came with software 2.1).

 

I know. 12 weeks is a good start. I do hope they'll be able to increase the frequently over time, or at least issue hot fixes in-between if necessary.

VW hasn't committed to what will be updated though. I really hope they'll go all the way and try to improve the car through software in every way possible, just like Tesla does. That requires a very different mindset than what VW is used to and from the current state of the software it isn't clear to me that VW has the right mindset. If anything it seems like two team are battling each other over who has control over the infotainment screen.

 

I don't know that VW wants to be Tesla and be releasing software updates regularly. I know quite a few folks who get frustrated with Tesla because features and functionality are "constantly changing and moving around." Tech-y people like it, but your average consumer very likely isn't a fan of things that are consistently changing, seemingly just for the sake of change. Given VW's targeted audience for the ID.4, I suspect they'll be much more methodical with their updates.

 

I agree, I literally said that it would be a challenge because of exactly that. But VW made the decision to bring a product to market that it's really ready for prime time yet with the intention to fix the issues later. And the UX is a real issue. If you follow the German BatteryLife videos you can see they're already improving the UX by adding a trip reset button (that originally was hidden three layers down in a menu under "car interior" ) . I just hope they'll continue to do that, and hopefully in a way that doesn't confuse existing drivers.

 

Move the steering wheel heating icon to the main screen alongside the seats.

 

Well, if you push on those seats that only brings up the climate control menu, where you have to find the seats again and push on them. Somebody else suggested that you should be able to adjust from the main screen directly. Then, yes, I would say add the steering wheel. ;-)

 

Coming from a Chevy Bolt, I already miss the battery information: Charging rate, kwH used when pressing the go pedal or how much is being recovered when showing. (The green/blue bar is ok for starters, but I want more.) The actual SOC in kw of the battery. I really appreciated the Bolt having the graph next to the speedo. In fact add SOC info to the binnacle. There's plenty of room.

I agree with a steering wheel heater toggle next to the seats. I'd also like to add a fan toggle in that area too. Just a quick tap to turn heat on or off.

And, of course stop hold.

 

Coming from a Chevy Bolt, I already miss the battery information: Charging rate, kwH used when pressing the go pedal or how much is being recovered when showing. (The green/blue bar is ok for starters, but I want more.) The actual SOC in kw of the battery. I really appreciated the Bolt having the graph next to the speedo. In fact add SOC info to the binnacle. There's plenty of room.

I agree with a steering wheel heater toggle next to the seats. I'd also like to add a fan toggle in that area too. Just a quick tap to turn heat on or off.

And, of course stop hold.

Not sure if you have gotten a reply, but the power used (kW/h) and current usage (kW) is available on the home screen.

 

The AR HUD of the European models should be added as an option to the American models, even if for a nominal fee. It's the one thing I hate so far about the ID.4 that I feel could really easily be fixed from VW's perspective. If they want to remove it for cost savings, then the correct way to do it is make it an optional feature but opted-out by default, not to remove it entirely. If it's to save on cost, let us the costumers take on that cost if we still want it.

 

Oh there is nothing nominal about the HUD. The more we dug into this the more we realized there are significant surrounding costs. But I do agree there should have been an option somewhere to allow that option. Same for 360 cameras and the like.

 

I picked up my ID.4 over the weekend, and am still enthused. I'll share some observations in the next few days. But right off the bat, there's been something driving me crazy. Perhaps I'm missing it, but shouldn't there be a button - physical or first level display, to identify the nearest charging stations? I can navigate to it, but this would seem to be an important feature. What am I missing?

 

Um, no. The nearest charging station is your house.

You probably do not want the absolutely closest charging station. What charging network do you prefer? Do you want L2, 50 KW DC, or 100+ kW DC? What amenities do you want nearby? Best to either plan your trip in advance or else search on Plugshare or google maps.

Does your ICE car show you the nearest gas station?

 

1) Regen brake paddle behind the steering wheel (like my Volt has).
2) Illuminated buttons along the bottom of the infotainment screen (so we can see them at night).
3) Rear window control buttons that are separate from the front window control buttons.
4) MORE POWER (this one is the most important- seriously VW- give the ID4 more HP).
5) LESS HAPTIC (what's wrong with traditional buttons, knob, dials, and switches?)

I also think the ID4's little brother (the ID3) should be sold here in America, but that's a much different request.

 

I almost forgot!
6) Make the color DUSK BLUE available on ALL MODELS. Why is it only available on the premium version?

 

• Overhaul CarNet for the ID.4...in features, price, and responsiveness.
• Figure out how to add ID Light to Android Auto / Carplay Maps, given wheel display can show turns.
• Add option to allow B driving mode to be default.

 

Add option to allow B driving mode to be default.

It will do this in Sport mode and I'm fairly sure you could also create a custom driving mode that does this but not other "sport" things.

 

Interesting discussion thread.
After the first 200 miles, I am just super-happy with the car. I guess I am more focused on the big things... Anyhow, of course I do hope that VW will make even better electric cars in the future - they certainly did that with the Golf over the decades... All the best, Klaus

 

-Discover how to overcome "family range anxiety". That's a big one.

-Make the gray interior available on more exteriors, like the blue and the red. I think that would attract more "family appeal". Black interiors can get very hot and hurt children's legs in shorts.

-360 deg cameras.

-Exploit "family" options that are available on the Tiguan, CRV, RAV4, CX-5, Escape, Equinox.

-Get more NA women's input , less "gear-head" input. I don't think think the NA market is really known by EU marketing.

-Maybe incorporate some of our suggestions into the Tennessee assembly plant.

-Don't impinge on the Audi e-tron.

 

This is nitpicking, but the volume control on the steering wheel should be up/down, station change should be left/right.

 

I agree with many of the comments here, particularly the Blue exterior option on the Pro series, the need for a more accessible fan speed control, and the tune/volume orientation on the steering wheel. For me, it really irks me that if I want Sirius satellite radio I need to order the Pro S. Seriously? I need to spend $4500 over the Pro just to get satellite radio?!?

 

Excellent point. You can get Sirius radio on a Kia Soul and Kia Forte and not just on the premium trim levels.

 

Replace this image on the Owner's Portal:

 

Make that color scheme available on cars we can buy!

 

Folder view when playing media from a USB source.

 

Would love for Netflix, YouTube, etc on native/CarPlay/android auto.
Anyone know if a chrome cast would work?

 

VW please include a charging cable that can plug into a standard NEMA 14-50 240V outlet. The included 120 V cable is pretty much useless. I could then recharge at various places on the road such as campsites, peoples garages, etc.

 

The NEMA 14-50 is what you plug your L2 wall charger to not your ID.4.
I don't know anyone who has a NEMA 14-50 in their garage.

 

A mute button on the steering wheel.

 

YES, would be really great to not have to reach for the power button on the infotainment to pause music.

 

I just received the VW ID.4 survey (not to be confused with dealership) and included many of the items cited in this thread. Recommend all do so.