Tested: 2021 Volkswagen ID.4 AWD Pro S Proves More Is Better

The rear-wheel-drive version of Volkswagen's ID.4 electric compact SUV is a well-equipped, well-priced electric crossover to suit the needs of many drivers. A bit of excitement is about all it's lacking, really. Oh look, here's the 2021 Volkswagen ID.4 AWD.

Priced at $44,870, the 2021 ID.4 AWD Pro gains a 107-hp front-mounted motor, for an almost 50 percent increase in power. With a combined 295 horsepower and 339 pound-feet of torque, the AWD version zips to 60 mph in a scant 5.4 seconds, lopping a very noticeable 2.2 seconds off the rear-wheel-drive model's time. No ID.4 is going to be confused with a driver's car, but the big bump in power—and the two additional wheels putting it to the ground—make for a vast improvement in driving dynamics.

When corners appear, the suspension is for the most part well sorted, especially considering the AWD's extra 223 pounds. Both axles have anti-roll bars; there are struts up front and the rear uses a multilink setup. Trying to hustle the ID.4 through hilly, twisting roads, its mass sometimes outpaces the damping, though, and you start to feel a bit like a buoy at sea—there's the initial compression followed by a compensating but softer second bob. Eventually, those with sensitive inner ears may find themselves having had a bob too many. Suffice it to say, we wouldn't suggest buying an ID.4 for canyon carving.

If you did, though, you'd find both the steering ratio and heft to be well judged. There isn't much feedback, but electric assist has made that largely par for the course these days. It's easy to place the ID.4 precisely in cornering, and there's no need to constantly correct in-lane—you just don't think about it. The best part might be the turning radius, though. Placement of the steering rack ahead of the front-wheel centerline results in an exceptional 36.4-foot figure, not quite as tight as the RWD car's 33.5 feet but still great.

In anything more than moderate braking, it's next to impossible to come to a stop smoothly, however. The pedal offers little feedback—like pushing your foot into a memory foam pillow—then, when you've found the place in the foam that seems to be slowing the car appropriately, the deceleration rate suddenly changes, and you're forced to push harder. But you're not sure how hard, because again, memory foam. Don't read that wrong; the car stops without a problem, but your passengers may not be thrilled with your driving. The phenomenon probably has less to do with the rear drum brakes (which VW says are better at regenerative braking gains) and more to do with the less than seamless transition from regenerative braking to friction braking.

Switching the gear selector into "B" maximizes energy recuperation when you're off the throttle. It's designed to offer "one-pedal driving," but it'd be swell to have a paddle or other fingertip means of adjusting the sensitivity.

All of the above-mentioned issues might not bother the average driver. Fact is, the ID.4 AWD shines as a daily driver, and much of that has to do with its interior. With no transmission tunnel, it's very roomy, with or without the front motor. There's plenty of headroom, and 30 cubic feet of cargo space behind the 60/40-split rear seats, which expands to an impressive 64 cubic feet with the seatbacks folded.

There's a playfulness about that airy interior that's charming—particularly if you've opted for the white plastics–heavy version. A purple light bar that has to have been inspired by Michael Knight's KITT runs the width of the dashboard, co-witnessing everything from upcoming turns in Navigation to the status of the battery as it charges. Gimmicky, you say? Maybe, but if you didn't get the hint from the "Play"/"Pause" accelerator and brake pedals, you're not going to get the rest of the ID.4.