Volkswagen has given the ID.4 electric SUV a 91 hp power boost and resurrected an old badge for its sportiest ID model yet. The 295 hp ID.4 GTX sits above the 201 hp ID.4 that’s just arrived in showrooms, and can sprint from zero to 62 mph more than 2 seconds faster. This extra punch hasn’t come from simply up-sizing the rear motor. While the standard ID.4 gets by with a single 201 hp motor driving the rear wheels, the GTX gets the same setup, but adds a second motor to the front axle for a total of 295 hp. In addition to dropping the 62 mph time from 8.5 seconds to 6.2 seconds, VW has also raised the electronic speed limiter from 99 mph to 112 mph.
Neither of those figures is going to give
a Golf R sleepless nights, but they do instantly answer one of our biggest ID.4
gripes: it’s big on sensible, but short on sizzle next to rivals like the Ford
Mustang Mach-E and Tesla Model Y. Entry-level ID.4s in some markets get a 58 kWh
battery, but the GTX comes with the 77 kWh pack that’s fitted to all ID.4s sold
in North America. While the standard ID.4 is rated at 310 miles on the European
WLTP cycle (250 miles EPA), the heavier – though again, VW doesn’t say by how
much – GTX can only managed 298 miles.
The GTX still charges at the same 125 kW
rate as the standard 201 hp car, which isn’t as fast as some of the most
advanced electric cars like the Porsche Taycan or Hyundai’s new Ioniq 5. But VW
says it’s still speedy enough to add 186 driving miles in around 30 minutes.
Does the GTX badge sound familiar? VW has used it before on various models in
different markets over the last 40 years, including the Mk2 Scirocco coupe.
From now on it will be used only on sporty versions of VW’s ID electric cars,
but maybe not the outright sportiest: we hear Volkswagen could be working on an
ID.4 R.
The GTX gets VW’s IQ.Light LED Matrix
headlights as standard, plus a gloss black spoiler and intake grilles. Inside,
it sets itself apart with 30-color interior ambient lighting, red stitching and
a heated steering wheel. It also rolls on 20-inch wheels as standard, but can
be upgraded to 21s.
But we’d suggest you consider ticking some
other options while you’re there selecting the bigger rims. It appears that an
un-optioned GTX is stuck with the same slow steering ratio and comfort-biased
suspension used on the base car. But go for the Sports package and you get 15mm
lower suspension and progressive steering, whose ratio gets faster the more
lock you apply, just like on a Golf GTi. Want the extra poise but worried about
ruining the ride comfort? Sports Plus adds DCC adaptive dampers. US and UK
prices for the ID.4 GTX haven’t been revealed, but in Germany it costs € 50,415
(US$ 60,623) before government grants, making it around € 6000 (US$ 7200) more
expensive than the Pro, the most affordable single-motor ID.4 fitted with the
77 kWh battery pack.
