Volkswagen ID.4 review: interior, dashboard & infotainment
The ID.4’s interior is perhaps its biggest letdown, with all too many cheap-feeling plastics and ergonomic oversights sitting alongside a frustrating infotainment system
Similar to many of Volkswagen’s latest models, there aren’t many buttons in the cabin of the ID.4. Things like the air-conditioning are all controlled through the touchscreen on the dashboard or via touch-sensitive buttons. But although this all looks neat and has a futuristic feel, it can be frustrating when you’re driving – especially given the climate controls aren’t illuminated in the dark. A tiny gear selector on the centre console and buttons on the steering wheel are the only 'real' controls in the car.
Volkswagen ID.4 dashboard
There are some signs of cost-cutting when it comes to materials used in some places, but generally the feel is of a well built and nicely designed cabin. The lack of buttons does have a plus point as it does look very modern inside. The materials inside contrast with the screens and touch panels, though, as there are a few too many hard, scratchy plastic surfaces. It’s not unpleasant, but we'd expect better in a car at this price – the Skoda Enyaq iV boasts a more premium-feeling interior, despite costing less.
We also think it’s a shame that the light and bright interior colour options offered at launch are no longer available; the ID.4’s cabin is now solely dressed in grey and black, which doesn’t quite feel as futuristic as the now-discontinued white two-tone interior.
Equipment, options & accessories
The regular ID.4 range comprises two trim levels: Life Edition and Style Edition. As standard, the ID.4 Life Edition gets 18-inch alloy wheels (19-inches on Pro and Pro Performance cars), LED headlights, a heated windscreen, front seats and steering wheel, as well as dual-zone climate control, a wireless phone charging pad, a powered bootlid, front and rear parking sensors and a reversing camera.
Above this, the ID.4 Style Edition adds Matrix LED headlights, a panoramic sunroof, tri-zone climate control, rear privacy glass and an adjustable boot floor for around £3,500 extra – personally, we’d save the money and stick with the standard Life Edition model.
Buyers can spec the ‘Sports Package’ which adds stiffer, sportier suspension, whilst the ‘Sports Package Plus’ adds an adaptive setup that can stiffen or slacken-off to provide a more dynamic or comfortable drive as required. A heat pump is a worthy option box to tick as it makes heating the cabin more efficient in the colder months, thus improving range. Electric memory seats can also be added for around £1,000 as part of the ‘Interior Style Plus’ package.
Infotainment, apps & sat nav
The interior is dominated by an infotainment system, which operates mostly from a large 10-inch central touchscreen. We found the system to be less than intuitive, feeling a little clunky and complex – you may need to take some time to get to know it. There's also a smaller readout in front of the driver, while the augmented-reality head-up display on our test car was functional, offering overlaid stopping-distance and sat-nav information. The wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto work well on the screen, which is handy given how troublesome and laggy VW’s software can be.