So if you want S+, you are forced to take AWD as well.

 

With many other EV's cutting prices why go for a VW ID.4.

 

A question and an observation:

Like one of the Electrek commenters, I continue to puzzle why higher-trim EVs come with ever-bigger wheels. Other than the fact that the bigger wheels probably look better, what advantage(s) do they offer? They seem to offer the disadvantages of 1) poorer range and 2) less availability/higher prices of tires that fit them.

And I'm amused at the Electrek commenter that thinks ID.4s are reliable.

 

A question and an observation:

Like one of the Electrek commenters, I continue to puzzle why higher-trim EVs come with every-bigger wheels. Other than the fact that the bigger wheels probably look better, what advantage(s) do they offer? They seem to offer the disadvantages of 1) poorer range and 2) less availability/higher prices of tires that fit them.

And I'm amused at the Electrek commenter that thinks ID.4s are reliable.

Yeah, I don't get it. I would have preferred 18" wheels. But marketing says it looks cool and folks would prefer an EV that looks good to one with more range. <shrug>.
I also do not understand the lack of flexibility for options for a car in the $50k+ segment. It seems that other markets get many ala cart options.
In '22, I would have liked to get Kings Red, but it meant living with the 20" wheels and light brown interior. And I would have loved to trade the moonroof for a HUD.

 

Bigger wheels also have a harsher ride due the shorter sidewall. I'd prefer 17's.

the 2025 looks much the same with changes coming midyear? the stop sale must have been to blame?

 

I really dislike they have gone to 20" wheels for more trims including all AWDs, and only 21" for plus.
So many advantages to 19" vs 20":
12 miles better range (from VWs EPA tests in 2022)
3x as many choices of tires at lower prices.
less chance of curb rash.
smoother ride.

 

https://di-uploads-pod16.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/emichvw/uploads/2025/02/VW-ID4-MY25-Price-and-Order-Guide-for-CW06-2025-2.pdf

Found this 2025 ID.4 USA buyers guide.

new mountain lake blue exterior colour, optional black package and additional features starting week 13 including auto dimming driver exterior mirror.
Kirk

 

Dealers still have some 2023s and 2024s that are mostly Standard and S, meaning 2023 hardware/software. Raising the price for 2025 may help sell them, but I think they may have Osborne Effected 2025s by announcing mid year changes, which will probably include NACS.

 

I'm guessing the mid-year NACS adoption will be via an included adapter. Maybe the port change won't happen until the 2026 models arrive?

 

ID.4 reliable? I'll second that comment. No reliability problems approaching 40k. I don't count our slew of recalls as a reliability issue, just a minor annoyance. And we continue to see similar sentiments in this forum, despite the bevy of problem posts that I consider mostly outliers.

Nobody is pulling wool over anyone's eyes re: wheel size options. The majority of buyers clearly put a premium on larger wheels being expected due higher trims. Neither VW nor electrification will turn that boat. Giving the buyer an easier-to-choose option would be great, however.

I appreciate they are finally adding a dimming side mirror. Should be standard equipment on any car that also has an auto dimming rear view mirror.

 

I agree - it’s been a very reliable car over three years - no issues aside from a couple recall appointments and some initial quality niggles in our first production run car (squeaky seatbelt and misaligned cargo area cover replaced under warranty).

But I also agree with the wheel issue - I love the fact that our 21 has 19” wheels. But VW isn’t alone there - my parents recently bought an Equionx EV and to get the top trim they wanted (ventilated seats + 360 camera) they had to take 21” wheels as well…

Edit: if you read that buyers guide linked above, it looks like 20” are optional on the Pro S Plus.

 

It may have been reliable for you, but not for me.

Considering the efficiency gained with 19" vs. 20" wheels, I am surprised they don't offer a 17" wheel to really grab the range title back.

 

It may have been reliable for you, but not for me.

I acknowledge some of us have had reliability issues. But I'm speaking for myself

I don't understand what's "amusing" (according to @Atlant ) that an individual owner commented that the ID.4 has been reliable.

 

The 2024’s will be heavily discounted, in any competitive market, and the 2025’s seem to offer few improvements. If I was in the market I would look for a 2024 that has had all of the recalls done.

 

I'd love to see how that Mountain Lake Blue looks. Perhaps a nonmetallic blue similar to Dusk Blue?

 

They’ve got competition problems, however… this does nothing to address the fact that the Mach E and the Equinox offer longer ranges and more standard equipment, such as heat pumps, for less money.

 

But then they charge a steep subscription fee for their Travel assist that works on far less roads. I don't like subscriptions to hardware I already bought, but that seems to be the way everyone is moving.

 

I’ll have to see it before I believe they’re going to ship a Plus version with folding mirrors and 360° cameras. And if they do it looks to be $8,000 more than a Tesla Model Y Long Range.

 

In my area, there are still some new 2023 ID.4s sitting on some dealer lots. In addition, there are many 2024 ID.4 models still in transit to many dealer lots. I am sure the latter had their door handles replaced at the plant after waiting for parts. The 2023 models are simply stale inventory.

 

We have nothing Chicago area - Not Indiana nor Michigan or lower Wisconsin either

 

A few things I noticed from the 2025 buyer's guide:
-12.9" screen with backlit sliders is now standard on ALL trims!
-Active ventilated front seats are now standard on ALL trims (!!!)
Both definitely positive things!

The only real benefits to the Pro S Plus are:
folding mirrors
360 deg. overhead area view cameras
heated outboard rear seats
3-zone climate control
premium HK audio with sub and amp
21" wheels (negative, not a benefit IMHO)
silver roof rails and accents (also negative IMHO)

Maybe it's worth paying an extra $3k over the Pro S for all of those things, but if you don't need AWD then it's an extra $7k. No Thanks.

WTF do only AWD models come with heated windshields?

 

A few things I noticed:
-12.9" screen with backlit sliders is not standard on ALL trims
-Active ventilated front seats are now standard on ALL trims (!!!)
Both definitely positive things!

The only real benefits to the Pro S Plus are:
folding mirrors
360 deg. overhead area view cameras
heated outboard rear seats
3-zone climate control
premium HK audio with sub and amp
21" wheels (negative, not a benefit IMHO)
silver roof rails and accents (also negative IMHO)

Maybe it's worth paying an extra $3k over the Pro S for all of those things, but if you don't need AWD then it's an extra $7k. No Thanks.

WTF do only AWD models come with heated windshields?

The HK audio is a minus to me. I detest subwoofer, and i would turn it off or disconnect it.

I like the folding mirrors. But that alone isn't worth the awd "upgrayedd".

 

There's 8k dollars off and zero percent financing on the VW Canada website. I wonder what the dealerships are giving now. The 5k dollar gov't rebate has gone away... I really wonder what the sales are like. Seems like EV sales need a rebate here or they fall off a cliff. Boy, the Tesla dealer at the mall was completely empty this weekend.

 

I'm assuming the 2nd line about the backlit sliders is a typo?

Yes, sorry! I meant to say it is now available instead of NOT available.

Wait!! I just went to look at the Plus package again, and it was not available in the ID.4 builder on vw.com. I wonder if they are getting ready to flip over to 2025?

The Plus package hasn't been available for the ID.4 for most of 2024, if it ever was available for '24 models.

As for the heated windshield in AWD - they are all heated - it's just a matter of how <tongue firmly in cheek>. I mean, who buys a RWD if there is that much snow and ice around that the heated windshield matters!!!

Lol, smartass Most people don't really need AWD; they need snow tires. I'm in NC, so I don't need either really, but it is definitely frustrating that only AWD comes with the tow package. You can't even retrofit it without serious wiring work (which I am doing; stay tuned).

Now I'm kinda glad I did because now that I have the 3.5 software installed I'm going to call NPG back and enable those magic eyeballs!!!

Do you have the ability to post a scan of your car parameters/coding before and after they enable the eyeballs? We're working with a vendor right now to enable that and they are having trouble doing it. So far I have completely broken my headlights. High beams don't work at all, and low beams are pointed at the ground 3 ft. in front of the car 😱

 

Yes, sorry! I meant to say it is now available instead of NOT available.


The Plus package hasn't been available for the ID.4 for most of 2024, if it ever was available for '24 models.


Lol, smartass Most people don't really need AWD; they need snow tires. I'm in NC, so I don't need either really, but it is definitely frustrating that only AWD comes with the tow package. You can't even retrofit it without serious wiring work (which I am doing; stay tuned).


Do you have the ability to post a scan of your car parameters/coding before and after they enable the eyeballs? We're working with a vendor right now to enable that and they are having trouble doing it. So far I have completely broken my headlights. High beams don't work at all, and low beams are pointed at the ground 3 ft. in front of the car 😱

Most people don't really need AWD; they need snow tires. I'm in NC, so I don't need either really

Yeah, I'm in Chicago and have owned 2 different 2wd pickups for the last 25 years and there was once it took me another 2 minutes to get out of an alley. Otherwise have never even had the throught "AWD would've helped there."

 

Supposedly it makes a substantial difference. It's older at this point, but according to the numbers that Tesla submitted to the EPA in 2022 or 2023 (?) moving from 20" to 18" wheels adds 50 miles to the Model 3 range at 65mph, and moving from 19" to 18" makes a 25 mile difference.
Here's a thread here discussing it:

https://www.vwidtalk.com/threads/18-wheels-tires-for-ride-comfort.12315/?u=3032

I'd wager that the difference is smaller with the ID.4 due to it being a larger car with a higher drag coefficient, but still substantial.

More recent posts are saying that the Highland Model 3 LR has a 341 mi. range with 18" wheels and 305 with 19" wheels, but I think the 19" wheels may come with Summer tires vs. LRR tires on the 18"??? I'm not sure. Maybe wheels size only accounts for half that difference, but it's still substantial at 18 - 20 miles.

At speeds over 70 mph, wind resistance starts to make much more of a difference than wheels size or rolling resistance.

Of course your mileage may vary

 

I wouldn’t trust any numbers from Tesla! I have friends that have them and they can never come close to their numbers…

Also, I suspect tires make a much bigger difference than wheels.

 

I’ve briefly tested the ventilated seats in the Buzz and I could feel them working but of course it’s not warm enough to need them yet. I’ll see what I think in a few months.

The upgraded audio system does have a control slider for the subwoofer (there are more sliders in the equaliser overall. I can get a photo once the new shark fin is on). I did end up turning it down.

I am hard of hearing and even I think the Harmon Kardon system is better than the stock one. I’m happy with it so far.

Will probably do the matrix lights this spring or summer.

 

Three critical features my Polestar has that I am now addicted to… 360 cameras, ventilated seats, and premium audio If we ever got another ID.4, it would have to be a Plus… but our 21 is great, no issues, and hopefully we’ll keep it a long time. Also, our leather steering wheel doesn’t peel, and it does have power folding mirrors which means it fits in our old garage.

 

Yuck. This just affirms my decision to keep my German-made '21 RWD Pro-S.

 

Me too. 69,000 miles on the clock and still working great.

The only big gripe I have is the inability to turn the radio off and have it stay off. Yes, I have tried every trick I have read on this site and nothing works. It comes back on at level 3 each and every time. VW, Please let me kill this noise maker.

 

I like to refer back to this (now 15 year old) article from Car & Driver where they performed about as methodical test of the effect of different wheel sizes as could be expected, except that they did it on a lightweight Golf and stopped at 19". 10% drop in fuel economy / range across four steps up in wheel size isn't catastrophic, but it's also significant enough to measure and it's unambiguous. Averaged out, that's about 2% difference per inch increase of wheel size, or five miles of range on the ID.4 if the data carries over.

Effects of Upsized Wheels and Tires Tested

Plus-Size Models: Testing the performance effects of upsizing wheels and tires.

www.caranddriver.com

This Green Car Reports article from 2020 also looked at tire width (independent of wheel diameter) and mentions a similar but smaller effect.

Here's how tire and wheel choice affects electric vehicle range

In addition to the usual advice about tire rolling resistance and width, calculations show the impact wheel diameter itself can have on EV range.

www.greencarreports.com

 

I like to refer back to this (now 15 year old) article from Car & Driver where they performed about as methodical test of the effect of different wheel sizes as could be expected, except that they did it on a lightweight Golf and stopped at 19". 10% drop in fuel economy / range across four steps up in wheel size isn't catastrophic, but it's also significant enough to measure and it's unambiguous. Averaged out, that's about 2% difference per inch increase of wheel size, or five miles of range on the ID.4 if the data carries over.

Effects of Upsized Wheels and Tires Tested

Plus-Size Models: Testing the performance effects of upsizing wheels and tires.

www.caranddriver.com

View attachment 37676

This Green Car Reports article from 2020 also looked at tire width (independent of wheel diameter) and mentions a similar but smaller effect.

Here's how tire and wheel choice affects electric vehicle range

In addition to the usual advice about tire rolling resistance and width, calculations show the impact wheel diameter itself can have on EV range.

www.greencarreports.com

I believe those numbers. My Polestar would have gone from 320 to 307 I had optioned the 20” wheels, a 4% drop, but they came with higher performance tires.

 

Not the GM-branded ones. The Honda Prologue and Acura ZDX, which are built by GM (based on the Blazer EV) but have design and software work done by Honda, still do.

 

Bigger wheels are better in snow and mud on back roads. Such as what we live on.

 

I’m not sure bigger wheels = bigger overall tire diameter. I’m pretty sure they’d keep diameter the same. And lower profile tires on bigger wheels have bigger contact patches for better performance in summer - but worse traction in snow.

 

Bigger wheels usually come with wide tire widths which are a liability on snow and mud.

Contact patches are a function of vehicle weight and tire pressure. The shape of the contact patch can be modified somewhat via tire width of if the tire tread. However increasing or decreasing wheel size doesn't change the total area of the patch, and since often lower profile tires call for higher pressure, the size of the contact patch shrinks.