Australia-bound 2024 Volkswagen ID.4, ID.5 electric SUV upgrades unveiled, here next year

The 2024 Volkswagen ID.4 and ID.5 electric SUVs are due in Australian showrooms next year as updated models with improved performance and overhauled cabin technology to address criticisms of the existing versions.

Volkswagen in Germany has announced key upgrades for the Tesla Model Y-sized Volkswagen ID.4 – and its coupe-styled ID.5 sibling – that will be available from Day One when both cars arrive in Australia in July 2024.

They are running changes to the vehicles – rather than mid-life facelifts, which are not due for another two years or so given the ID.4 and ID.5 launched in Europe in 2021 and 2022 respectively.

Prices are yet to be announced, however Volkswagen Australia executives have said the company is targeting the top seller in the category, the Tesla Model Y ($65,400 to $92,020 plus on-road costs).

Leading the upgrades are more powerful electric motors in the two variants bound for Australia: a 210kW rear-wheel-drive model, and a 250kW all-wheel-drive GTX performance version.

The 210kW/545Nm rear-wheel-drive ‘Pro’ variant has increased power and torque from its predecessor’s 150kW/310Nm, thanks to a new-generation electric motor and updated battery software.

Driving range is now rated at up to 550km for the ID.4, up 17km, and 556km for the ID.5, up 11km – all according to European WLTP lab-test protocols.

The battery capacity is unchanged at 77kWh (usable), with the improvements derived from the new electric motor and an updated battery management system.

The top speed in these rear-wheel-drive models is now 180km/h.

Meanwhile the GTX – which is all-wheel drive, but sits below R in VW’s performance-car hierarchy – now develops 250kW, up from 220kW/545Nm previously, good for 5.4-second 0-100km/h acceleration times (down from 6.2sec), and unchanged 180km/h top speeds.

Available in Europe is a 210kW Pro 4Motion all-wheel-drive model, as well as a cheaper ID.4 Pure with a 125kW electric motor and 52kWh battery, but these will not be available in Australia initially.

DC charging power in the GTX models has risen from 135kW to 175kW, good for adding 178km of claimed driving range in 10 minutes of charging.

The rear-wheel-drive versions remain at 135kW, despite the mechanically-identical Skoda Enyaq 85 rear-wheel drive – which benefits from the same upgrades, due in Australia next year – offering the higher 175kW limit.

A battery pre-conditioning system allows the battery pack to be warmed to the optimal temperature en route to the charging location for quicker charging times, while the optional adaptive suspension has been updated “for an even greater spread between comfort and dynamics.”

Inside, the ID.4 and ID.5 adopt a 12.9-inch touchscreen (up from 12 inches) running Volkswagen’s new-generation software with a new layout claimed to be easier to use.

After criticism of the technology in the ID.4, ID.5 and other new VW Group models – acknowledged by VW’s global boss – the touch-sensitive sliders below the touchscreen for audio volume and air-conditioning temperature are now illuminated.

However – despite what VW claims is “new operating logic” – the ID.4 and ID.5 persist with touch-sensitive steering wheel controls, which Volkswagen has begun to drop from its latest models following customer complaints.

These touch-sensitive buttons have been subject to criticism for being difficult to use while the driver’s eyes remain on the road, and for being both too difficult to press accurately, and too easy to press accidentally.

The gear selector has been removed from a rocker-style switch on the side of the instrument cluster, to a stalk behind the steering wheel.

Other interior changes include “enhanced” instrument and head-up display software, a smarter voice assistant, and a new 10-speaker, 480-watt Harman Kardon premium sound system.

More details are due closer to the Australian arrival of the 2024 Volkswagen ID.4 and ID.5 in July next year.

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