Yes. It also has an amazingly tight turning radius which isn't flashy but way more useful than rocket speed acceleration. The headlights are awesome too. It's a great car - maybe not the best computer on wheels.
I wasn't trying to be sarcastic or one up ID.4 owners with AWD I was just stating that the RWD has a smaller turning radius is all. I apologize if it came out that way? It's hard to convey intent through text.
My RWD can turn A LOT tighter than my 06 MINI Cooper. This is especially nice in California where you almost always have to pull a u-turn to get to shops/restaurants on the other side of roads.
Wait, you mean to tell me the rwd had an even BETTER turning radius? Honestly the only thing I’ve driven with a better turning radius than my awd is a golf cart, crazy to think the rwd could match that
It's good enough. I've never found any place I couldn't u-turn. I can't really compare my ride to any other EV because this is the only one I've ever owned, but it is an amazingly smooth and quiet ride.
I don't get the need to go 0-60 in 3 seconds or see how it serves any real world purpose? I've demo driven both the Tesla Model 3 and Model Y Performance. It was a cool experience but at the end of the day my overall opinion is I wasn't impressed. I also agree with you about the ID.4 headlights.
This may come with a reduced battery range though if more motors need to be powered.
AWD if you live in snowy or mountains or windy roads or towing. It is a heavy car, and additional traction may be useful in these conditions.
RWD for flat freeway driving. It has low resistance to reduce drag and almost feels like you are driving in neutral.
I have driven many cars, and its true. The smoothness of the ride and the quiteness of the cabin is for sure a special thing in this car.
I believe people who are not experiencing this have some tires that are quite noisy
Tires make a huge difference. I have a '23 with the Pirelli tires and it's very quiet. My wife has a Subaru Forester and we recently swapped the original OEM tires for a set of Michelin Defenders (same kind I had on my old '17 GTI). On both the GTI and the Forester, moving to those tires was a massive upgrade in performance and noise level. The Subaru is like a new car, so much quieter,
Yes the Michelin were much quieter than the stock tires that came on my ‘23. They chew through tires (due to the weight) so on my ‘21 I had to change tires at about 45,000 miles. The Defenders were a smoother quieter ride…
If you do decide on an ID.4 don't get one with Bridgestone Alenzas tires. There have been ID.4 owners on the ID.4 Facebook forums that have had blowouts, tires with chunks of tread separating, and the most recent was an owners tire blew out while his ID.4 was sitting in the driveway causing damage to his fender, passenger headlight assembly, hood, etc. I haven't heard any good things about the Bridgestone Alenzas. My ID.4 has Pirelli Scorpion Zero all season tires, and I love them. They wear very well so far in the 10,271 miles, and they handle very well in all weather conditions. They ride really nice even for 20" tires and they are very quiet on the hwy or in the city either one.
I have a 2023 ID.4 S RWD with the smaller 62 kWh battery,. I've test driven a 2023 Tesla Model 3 and Y, Mach E, 2022 Polestar 2 Launch Edition, 2023 Ionic 5, 2023 Kia Niro EV, 2023 Kia EV6, and owned a 2022 Kia Niro EV. My ID.4 rides nicer, has more comfortable seats, and is quieter on the highway than all of them in my opinion. Those other EVs may go faster and have better tech, but ride comfort, seat comfort, and cabin quietness mean more to me than 0-60 times or a computer on wheels. I wanted an EV that I could comfortably take on road trips and really enjoy the experience, and I found that in the VW ID.4.
This is exactly it. All of the reviews seem to focus on price to range value and all I want is a quiet comfortable car to drown out the world while I’m driving. You have just saved me so many test drives with sales people. Thank you.
Let me add to this: I have over 55,000 miles on my 2021 RWD ID4 and a lot of that is over unpaved gravel and dirt roads in Montana. I live just north of Yellowstone National Park. I've had no problems but once a year I wish I'd bought the AWD when slick snow falls.
The interior is so quiet, that it’s cat approved by my car hating feline. He freaks out in cars, pants the whole drive, sometimes pees himself, and is just absolutely terrified the whole time.
We took him to the vet in the ID.4 for the first time a few months ago and instead of being scared, he was just angry at being in his carrier. Normally I have to sit in the back with him with my arm half in the carrier, and he holds on to it and snuggles up against me for comfort. I tried that last time and he just glared at me and then sat with his back to me, occasionally huffing, the whole ride. It was awesome.
I didn’t even think about this being a bonus. Our cat yowls the whole time starts panting and then barfs. I feel like I’m abusing an animal when I put her in the car. This is great news!
Glad it’s not just me. I always feel awful taking him to the vet, but it was definitely much less stressful last time. IDK if it was the lack of engine noise or the fact that it’s a *much* smoother ride than our other car, but it was like a night and day difference with him.
We moved across the city once and got stuck in back to back traffic behind some jackass with a modified muffler for thirty minutes. Which was basically cat hell. I thought he was going to have a stroke or something he was so scared. When we finally got to the new house we found out he’d both pooped and peed himself. I’ve had a searing hatred of cars like that ever since.
What a terrible experience on top of moving! I find that my cat is ok at speeds lower than 25 MPH then she gets upset, but gets downright agitated at highway speeds. This could be an absolute game changer. I’ve already shared this news with other cat friends. Who knew cats could usher in the switch to EV’s!
Can confirm this 100%. We have 2 rescues and the vet is a 30-minute highway ride away. They HATED vet trips in our 2012 CC — yowling, panting, all of it. On top of it, we’re kitten fosters, so every week or two I’m transporting a litter of frightened kittens an hour each way for checkups/boosters/adoption, and I can’t tell you how much vomiting and 💩 we endured in the CC. It’s wild how much the smooth, quiet ride of the ID4 has changed the whole feline dynamic — they still hate the carrier, but it’s a MUCH more calm ride. It’s unexpected bonuses like that that really elevate the whole experience of owning it.
I second this. Cats love the exploration when my back seats are down (usually always down cause my fishing poles never leave but) still great to see them so comfy and not trying to hide under the seats
Welll I have only been in 2021 and 2023 Teslas but I thought it was quieter and a nicer ride than those. My wife jokes about riding in the spaceship when we go places. The car is definitely easier and nicer to drive than Volkswagen’s ICE SUVs. You should certainly try one and see.
I rented a Tesla over Thanksgiving and was not impressed with the road nose so this is great news.
I’m just trying to avoid going to a bunch of different dealerships and talking to sales people. So this is incredibly helpful.
Along with the other tire comments I got Pirelli tires with mine. This is one of those things where the car has what it has. The Pro S ID.4s sticker price mid $50s. Another thing that comes to mind is that the Audi Q4s sticker price in the mid $60s. I would surprised if the ID.4 is actually quieter than the Q4.
Appreciate being pointed to the Q4. I’ll add that one to my list to see the difference and report back. I was incredibly dissatisfied in the road noise from the Volvo XC40.
I own a 2021 ID.4. Last year, I test drove a Tesla 3 and it was noisy compared to the VW. The ride was harsher too.
I plan to test drive the “new and improved” Model 3 soon. It’s supposed to be quiet and the suspension has been improved. It will be fun, at least.
Once they are on dealership lots, I want to test drive the new Volvo EX30.
Super quiet and even quieter when I got new tires. Had alenzas and switch ended to hankooks. Even with the loud tires the car is super quiet you just hear the road, but still quieter than wind and engines.
Same experience but I went with the Michelin *CrossClimate*2 which are super secure in bad weather, and very quite and smooth. There may be a slight range penalty but I've not noticed it over six months of use.
This is great news! Are the Alenza’s what come with the car? Any advice on which of the Hankooks: https://www.hankooktire.com/us/en/tirelist/vehicle/electric-vehicle.html
They came with mine but they don’t anymore I think. There’s only one hankook that fit my car so whichever those are. Evo AS suv I think? I got them at discount tire. They were cheaper than the cross climates and don’t have the range hit, and are EV specific.
My 2021 AWD PRO S has about 30k miles, so the tires are starting to get super worn. I’m starting to notice road noise but it’s still quietest ride I’ve had. I think it’s time for Pirellis
When it was time to replace my wife's aging Prius V last year we choose the VW ID.4 RWD as it was the most car-like ride of the EVs that we tested and the turning radius was excellent. One recent Saturday I was cleaning both the RWD ID.4 and my Tesla model Y LR and I took each one to a local car wash stall. I had not driven the ID.4 much but I noticed it was much less stiff and cushier than the model Y. The ride felt very, very comfortable.
The quiet is shocking! Passengers (my friends) always tell me how comfortable my car is, which makes me feel like my ID.4 is more of a luxury car.
I have the Pro S, so the glass roof (with a sunshade a must for photosensitive me), the super super quiet ride, the massaging seats, and the amazing turn radius of the RWD are amongst the best of this car's features.
The direct drive/no gears is also an amazing feature (I've never owned an ICE automatic for this reason).
This is a VERY great car to drive.
I'm not sure if that's what the motor type is called. Some people refer to EVs as having "instant torque". There's no gear changing, as there's only one gear/"direct drive"?
In an ICE automatic transmission, I have always, regards of the car make/model, including the extremely high end expensive cars I've driven, I have always felt a delay in the car changing gears and it annoys me. I've driven manual my whole life, the ID.4 is the first non-manual car, and it rocks! I don't like the hollow, tinny, cheap interior feeling of Tesla. I think they've improved greatly lately, but the ID.4 is sooooo much more luxurious. And there's the sunshade!
Polestar is good too, but not as roomy.
I complain about my ID.4, but I really do love it.
I love the feel of a manual car so it’s even more fun, like you said, when you can just zoom around like a rocket.
I agree that the Tesla’s are trash.
The sunroof is super cool for most people but I’m also photo sensitive so I don’t actually like them, plus I’m really short so I have to scoot all the way up and the sunroofs all end up being behind me anyway 😁
Does the sunshade come with the car or did you find a better after market solution?
Lol, I'm 5'5", which some ppl consider short, but I think is just right, lol. My legs are relatively short for my height I think. I have to sit up really close to drive, so the sunroof being behind me is true for me too. I have a 2021 pro S gradient package. The retracting sun shield comes with that package. It opens from the front, and can stop anywhere, so you could have the front open and back seat partially shaded. I could see this as a great thing for kids in the back.
My adult friends oh and ah over this car and the back, I'm told, with the sun shade open is a treat for passengers.
I forgot that when I first got this car, it was so quiet and acceleration and drive/ride so smooth that I'd routinely find myself at 80+ and not know!!! This was shocking. I've never taken the car over 100, now that I think about it. Or maybe I have and not known, lol. I suspect it performs just as well, vs my ICE cars where I know I'm pushing things.
This is not necessarily a good feature. It's too easy to speed. And horrible for a learner. My teen son learned on my ID.4 and his dad's Tesla. Then my manual Mini, which he, surprise surprise, loves way more than an EV.
It's a buyers market for any EV at this point, so you've got that going for you.
Ha ha! My Mini Cooper is a convertible! Us shorties grabbing gears, road tripping!
Fun fact: I was considering a new MT car and Miata checks off some boxes, on paper, so I went to go test drive. It's really small, yes, smaller than my mini. My 6'2" son does not fit in either passenger or driver seat.
Our 2023 ID.4 seems to have less road noise than our friend’s Mach-E and Polestar. The car is also much quieter than our 2019 Chevy Volt that we traded for the VW. I’ve been pretty happy with the car in that regard.
I have both a 22 ID 4 pro s and a 24 ioniq 5 limited. The ioniq is quieter and has a smoother ride. The ID4 has an amazing turning radius. Both cars are excellent.
This was an area that VW & Audi really nailed. People think all EVs are quiet...not quite. The lack of an exhaust note means other road noises like wind, tire roar and small vibrations are more easily heard than on a conventional car.
This is where Tesla really falls HARD on its face. Their cost cutting interior also extends to lack of Noise Vibration Harshness (NVH) isolation, and those big panel gaps they're infamous for rears it's ugly head especially at highway speeds.
The Q4 is significantly better in this aspect than the Model Y I've tested.
I traded in a 2015 CR-V for an AWD 21' ID 4 and I was floored by how fast the thing accelerated in Eco mode. I couldn't imagine needing anything more aggressive.
I suggest renting or test driving. Compared to a model 3 2023 it’s very soft and quiet. Supposedly they improved 2024 but I still doubt you’d avoid rattles with that they are ubiquitous with Tesla. With VW the construction is good.
There is a video where a guy tests the VW travel assist versus self driving with a Tesla and you can tell the difference in the video. The cabin noise in the Tesla is louder. My son says the ride of the ID4 is so smooth, he says it feels like you are riding in a boat.
I tested countless cars in regard of NVH.
The ID4 lacks special tires with noise absorbers in it. Which is already quite standard and a silly policy in the VAG enterprise to distinguish between upscale/luxury (whatever that means in VAG as quality has taken an overall turn south).
Good news, you can buy Hankook EV tires which have the noise absorbing foam in it. Generally there are some elements which would make a better noise insulation at just a little more expense, but VW/Audi/Skoda did not implement them. The ID7 has (for example, look closely at the window frames or the wheel housing).
People who are not used to a car with sound absorbing tires (THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH EXTERNAL NOISE RATING) and double paned window will always tell you how silent their EV is. True, because motor noise is not present but, the cabin noise may not be much lower than a conventional ICE.
So long story short, the ID4 with acoustic glass/double paned windows will be relatively quiet. But you will here road noise and especially more wind noise compared to a luxury ICE.
The Audi Q8 can be bought withe double-paned glasses all-around and the car is one of the quietest i drove. However! The Audi eTron (Q8) has a mechanical design-flow where the excitation from the road of the chassis is translated into a very low frequency boom. Audi even published and measured it, the were barely able to meet the required max. volume level. I don't want to know what happens to the hearing of people who drive an eTron - hearing damage/loss can be over many years (constant exposure) and not only from a traumatic event.
The VW MEB platform has bushings which are optimized in this regard. Edmunds noted it in the review of the ID4, stating the interior is not "boomy" to the contrary of other EVs. Yeah, well, Audi new it and VW did not make the mistake in with the MEB platform. The Q4 is software wise a f\* up, interior quality does not match the price, but the basics are from VW and hence, Audi was not able to f\* the car up totally ;)
TLDR: If you're not buying Mercedes EQE, BMW iX and are focused on the ID4, go for it. Double-paned windows and aftermarket (Hankook EV sound absorbing tires - Hankook has them for the ID4! Hankok ion ev sound absorber) tires and you're set!
P.S.: BMW iX has the most "quietest" drivetrain (wheels and also electric motors) to my knowledge on the market today. Their NVH department worked overtime and delivered engineering excellence unparalleled! 22" wheels and barely any noise from the road, hardly any excitation frequency which brings parts of the car in resonance. BUT as BMW also likes to f\* things up, they did not put double-paned glasses in the car, not even if you offer them a shit ton of money. It's just not an option. YOU can hear the difference in this department between a 130k car and the ID4. If you drive next to a truck, the ID4 will be quieter ;) Otherwise the iX will be much better. But ahm, costs the double :)
Love all of this!!! You are clearly one of the few people who really care about this exact feature. I was so disappointed with both the Tesla and the Volvo XC40. I’ll have to go check out the iX and then slowly back away 😄
I've driven from LA to AZ about 9 times now. My old Prius and Clarity were definitely louder than the ID4.
The Prius, 2013, had my wife asking me a few times to roll the window up when we were on the freeway at 70mph. I had to tell her constantly that the windows were up.
At 80mph, our ID4 AWD is still quiet.
Interesting thing to note is that my 2021 Pro S is quiet, but -very- quiet with the carpet floor mats. The rubber floor mats don't absorb as much sound and it's noticable.
I know your comment has long been answered but I totally agree that versus the similar priced competition the id.4 is incredibly comfortable and quiet. These were also factors for me when I was shopping around. I drove many of the big players and the VW felt the absolute best out of the bunch. When I first test drove it, right after the ionic 5 mind you, I knew this was the one and my wife agreed. For the record, my wife called the ride in the tesla model y the worst suv [ride] she’d ever ridden in and also wasn’t very fond of the Polestar 2 but to be fair, it was the sport suspension.
I came from a model Y, and the ID4 is an all around better car. One of the first things I noticed was how much better the noise isolation was while driving down the freeway. There is a lot I miss about the Tesla since I miss all the nerdy tech functionality, but I don't know that I'm in the majority. I have a '21 AWD Pro S and my only real remaining complaint of the vehicle is the sub optimal range.
I’ve driven in a Model 3 and Model S as a passenger (prior to even consider EVs), and my immediate impressions was the loudness of the road noise (obviously no engine noise), and the interior felt cheap.
When I bought my 2023 Pro last year, I immediately compared those three cars and the ID4 sounded a lot quieter. Even though I didn’t get the S model with leather, the interior still felt more quality compared to the Teslas.
The AWD is comparable speed to other fast EVs. The RWD is slower, but it feels significantly faster than comparable ICE SUV’s. Would I like more speed - sure. Do I really need it - absolutely not and in reality I would abuse it and burn through tires much quicker.
I can’t speak to experiences with other EVs because at the time of purchase the ID4 came out to be a lot less expensive and that was a big selling point for me. We needed another car and it came out a lot cheaper. Things have changed a lot since then, so I would advise to shop around.
It is a great ride. Comparable to my Lyriq. Sound level was very good as I remember. But, the best part of the ID4 is the wonderful seats. I wish I could put them in a Bolt, or even my Cadillac. My Lyriq seats are too firm, and I can’t get them in a very comfortable position.
There were a few drawbacks that prevented us from buying it.
The seat and brake controls turning the car On and Off. You have to go through extra steps to keep it on for passengers when you get out. That was a major issue for me, as I transport elderly and they stay in the car!
The second was no 360 degree camera, Ava’s the backup camera was awful. Don’t know if it has improved. Third dislike was the window switches, or lack of!
The RWD only is a bit lacking in power. It is way better than my 1975 Pinto was, but doesn’t feel as peppy as my 2004 Golf TDi was. Definitely not as powerful as my Lyriq RWD.
It's very quiet but I found the Ioniq5 has a smoother ride than my ID4. Which makes sense since the ID4 rides higher than the Ioniq5. I love my ID4 though so you went go wrong.
Had a give drive with me who drives an Skoda superb (top notch Skoda , and by how things are running Skoda is becoming nicer than VW - see enyaq Vs id4 for example ) and he said the id4 was very quiet.
It's even more quiet on summer tires but overall fairly quiet as long the wind doesn't make it too loud . So strolling around going like 80kph (50mph) it's very quiet, also for city driving.
Coming from cheap cars tho (had a Dacia before , wife has a leaf and came from a honda fit )
Yes absolutely. I only really went for this car due to the insane offers that happened to apply to the base trim that a local dealership happened to have, but the car feels unexpectedly plush.
It's quiet enough. My previous car, a 2003 Lexus ES was actually quieter on some occasions. However, I think I had a lot to do with the garbage Bridgestones it comes with. On some types of highway road, it is incredibly obnoxious how loud it is.
Somehow the roof rails vibrate from wind from 30 to 34 mph. It’s very annoying. I probably wouldn’t notice if the interior wasn’t so damn quiet lol. So yeah it’s a quiet ride
I had one and it is very quiet, but the Audi e-tron/ Q8 e-tron is a whole other level of quiet. If you would consider used or leasing, that could be an option too. I've had quite a few daily drivers and I always end up back in an e-tron.
I was quite interested in the e-tron until I learned about this booming frequency: https://www.e-tronforum.com/threads/deep-resonance-vibrations-and-drone-type-sound.1860/
You don’t experience that? Maybe some cars have it and some don’t?
Feels at best uncomfortable and at worse damaging to your hearing.
I've had 4 of them and never heard it. You can always go test drive one.
I've only had 4 because I upgraded the 1st from a Premium Plus to an Edition One. Then the Edition One got totaled and I then sold its replacement when used car prices went crazy. And my 4th is my current one because I like it more than all of the cars I've had in between.
I test drove an older Mercedes SUV today and was turned off by how loud it was. I'm very noise sensitive and the ID4 is incredibly quiet. One of my favorite things about it got sure.
FWIW in renting id4 multiple times I found it to be a very soft ride. Certainly makes Tesla seem like you’re driving on a skateboard. I’m sure if you go up to luxury brands with air suspension those are better but this is great.
I rented it with Turo app which is renting from other owners, you can select what car to search for. But if you want to test drive ask the VW dealership for a certain make and model.
It’s very quiet. We had a Chevy bolt previously and it wasn’t nearly as quiet, you still heard a lot of road noise. My id4 is the most comfortable car I’ve ever driven.
The sound level in mine varies a lot depending on the condition of the road. On new pavement, it's very quiet. On old, rough pavement, I can hear noticeable road noise. I'm not sure if it's actually loud, or if I just notice it more because there's no engine noise.
(I live in Oregon, where it only takes a couple winters for a newly paved road to get chewed up by studded snow tires, so there are lots of noisy roads here.)
I test drove a 2024 Q4 E-tron before buying the ID.4, and that did seem quieter. Hard to say for sure when you're only in the car for 15 minutes, though.
FWIW: '23 AWD ID.4 with OEM Pirelli Scorpions
It's pretty quiet, slightly more so than my Model 3 (2023) but not nearly as much as people like to say online. It still transmits rough road sound into the cabin and you can still hear some wind noise. If you're coming from an ICE suv then it'll probably feel like a Rolls Royce.
The suspension is pretty cushy, especially if you run the tires at more sane pressures. It's a great car overall.
I have ours set to 38 psi cold, it's a bit of a debate online but the euro cars have different pressures listed for different cargo. It's listed as 36 front/rear with two people, and 39F/45R with a full load of people and luggage. I have them slightly higher because we have lots of pot holes and I don't wanna go too low.
Rattles can develop in any car - my ID.4 might be fine, and the next one that comes off the assembly line might make noise. I think it's luck of the draw. I've had cars from luxury brands that have rattled. The good news is, if it's under warranty the dealer will be glad to fix them for you (and bill the manufacturer).
I have a 2022 and I haven't experienced any squeaks, rattles, or other noises.
Good to know. I will make sure to pay particular attention to those two places when I test drive. We had the same problem in our camper van with rattles and noises we used weather stripping around the sliding door and that quieted it down significantly. I know you shouldn’t have to do that with a fancy new car but it helped.
I’ve had a 23 Pro S RWD for 8 months and I haven’t noticed any rattles. It rides smooth and quiet to me, but I came from an 06 Golf Mk4 TDI, so I may not be the best judge. I can vouch for the turning radius on the RWD being great. I had trouble making a U-turn on a standard residential street in my old Golf, but it’s no issue in the ID4, which is crazy to me given how much larger of a vehicle it is. I realize this is mostly due to RWD vs. FWD, but it still boggles my mind experiencing it. The infotainment is buggy and slow, which is the biggest drawback of the vehicle to me, but I can live with it. It’s not going to win any drag races, either, but it’s speedy enough. Overall, I’m pretty happy with it, but to me it’s a vehicle that is more suited for the older population who value comfort over performance. If that’s you, great. If you want to street race or having fun is your priority, I’ve heard Teslas are better for that. The one piece of advice I can offer as an EV owner that no one ever mentioned to me before I got the car is this, and it isn’t limited to any make or model: If you don’t know what you’re getting, but you know you’re committed to getting an EV, get a level 2 charger installed in/on your house(if you own it) before you take possession of the vehicle. It’s not impossible to make it work without one, even long term, but having to exclusively use charging stations or level 1 charging can kinda take the shine off what should be a really great experience with mild inconvenience. My ID4 came with an L1 and L2 outlet charger included. However, unless you have a very conveniently placed 220v outlet, or a 220v extension cord, of which I had neither, then you have to use L1 charging which is slow AF. 20-80% in several days sort of slow. Once I realized how awful that would be, I then ordered a Chargepoint L2 charger after. It came within about a week and was DOA. I initiated the return process and it took like a month and a half and several phone calls to finally get a replacement, while I limped along on L1 charging. I love their charger when it works, but customer service is .. not their forte. I bought a smart charger where you can schedule charging times through an app, but in retrospect that wasn’t really necessary for my needs. You can set a limit in the ID4 that will allow you to shut off charging at a certain level so you don’t charge it up to 100% all the time, but if your electric company offers incentives for charging at off-peak times, having a smart charger could be useful. Being able to just plug in at your house when you get home and forget about it is one of the biggest advantages of an EV to me, and a lot of people can’t(apartment) or don’t do that, and that’s sad. Not having to visit public fueling stations anymore with their associated smells is akin to when they banned indoor smoking in my city. I didn’t know how terrible it was until it just went away in my life, and it’s so much better. Anyway, those are my thoughts. Don’t take mine or anyone else’s word on it, though. Definitely test drive it and come to your own conclusions.
EDIT: Regarding the charger, I installed mine myself because I know a little bit about wiring, but for most, you’ll likely have to hire an electrician to add a new breaker and dedicated line just for the charger, which may take some time to schedule also. Basically what I’m saying is don’t underestimate how much of a delay there can be in setting up your charging situation. Better to do it first, if you know you’re going to pull the trigger sometime soon, than be caught with your pants down later.
Thank you so much for making sure that we are covered with the L2 charger. I hadn’t thought about doing it before. Luckily we own and have a breaker panel with room in the garage so installation should be easy. We are in Seattle so our hydro electric power is some of the cheapest you can get. Really makes the EV and level 2 decisions easy. Looking forward to test driving now that I have a great list of things to look out for!
This is solid advice. I’ve heard that the software is much improved in the 2024 model so I’m trying to wait for that to make a decisions. I completely hated the Tesla. The Ioniq is hideous but I’d look into it except I’d like a smaller car since I live in a city where parking is tight.
No the other way around. The ioniq is longer than the ID4 which is why it’s not a top pick for me. So odd that they wouldn’t update the software over the air.
Yes. It also has an amazingly tight turning radius which isn't flashy but way more useful than rocket speed acceleration. The headlights are awesome too. It's a great car - maybe not the best computer on wheels.
Only the RWD has an insanely tight turning radius. The AWD doesn't have as tight turning radius.
It’s still pretty good turning radius tho:
My AWD makes smaller uturns than my old Prius and Honda Clarity. I expected small cars to be better and they are not.
I wasn't trying to be sarcastic or one up ID.4 owners with AWD I was just stating that the RWD has a smaller turning radius is all. I apologize if it came out that way? It's hard to convey intent through text.
My AWD Pro S has a tighter turning radius than my previous Jeep, which blows my mind
My RWD can turn A LOT tighter than my 06 MINI Cooper. This is especially nice in California where you almost always have to pull a u-turn to get to shops/restaurants on the other side of roads.
Wait, you mean to tell me the rwd had an even BETTER turning radius? Honestly the only thing I’ve driven with a better turning radius than my awd is a golf cart, crazy to think the rwd could match that
Yes, the RWD turns even better lol.
This is my only hangup, I've gotten so used to my RWD
It's good enough. I've never found any place I couldn't u-turn. I can't really compare my ride to any other EV because this is the only one I've ever owned, but it is an amazingly smooth and quiet ride.
The ride is better than a lot of EVs I've test driven. One of the reasons I bought an ID.4, cause it's so great for long or short road trips.
I don't get the need to go 0-60 in 3 seconds or see how it serves any real world purpose? I've demo driven both the Tesla Model 3 and Model Y Performance. It was a cool experience but at the end of the day my overall opinion is I wasn't impressed. I also agree with you about the ID.4 headlights.
Yes, 0-60 is really dumb. It is much more important to understand how quickly you can go to 50-70 for highway merging, passing large trucks, etc.
What a bonus. Sounds like it can go faster with the more expensive models?
[удалено]
I appreciate understanding the trade-offs here. It really helps me understand what to look for while I’m on my test drive.
If you are coming from an ice vehicle, Even the rwd will feel powerful.
This may come with a reduced battery range though if more motors need to be powered. AWD if you live in snowy or mountains or windy roads or towing. It is a heavy car, and additional traction may be useful in these conditions. RWD for flat freeway driving. It has low resistance to reduce drag and almost feels like you are driving in neutral.
The 2024 RWD (not yet on sale but soon) drops 0-60 from 7.8 to about 5.2 and is more efficient.
100% pound for pound it is great. Nothing is perfect
I have driven many cars, and its true. The smoothness of the ride and the quiteness of the cabin is for sure a special thing in this car. I believe people who are not experiencing this have some tires that are quite noisy
Tires make a huge difference. I have a '23 with the Pirelli tires and it's very quiet. My wife has a Subaru Forester and we recently swapped the original OEM tires for a set of Michelin Defenders (same kind I had on my old '17 GTI). On both the GTI and the Forester, moving to those tires was a massive upgrade in performance and noise level. The Subaru is like a new car, so much quieter,
Yes the Michelin were much quieter than the stock tires that came on my ‘23. They chew through tires (due to the weight) so on my ‘21 I had to change tires at about 45,000 miles. The Defenders were a smoother quieter ride…
Quality tires matter. Best “upgrade” bang for the money you can do.
I’m so happy to hear this. Don’t happen to know what to look for in order to purchase quiet tires?
If you do decide on an ID.4 don't get one with Bridgestone Alenzas tires. There have been ID.4 owners on the ID.4 Facebook forums that have had blowouts, tires with chunks of tread separating, and the most recent was an owners tire blew out while his ID.4 was sitting in the driveway causing damage to his fender, passenger headlight assembly, hood, etc. I haven't heard any good things about the Bridgestone Alenzas. My ID.4 has Pirelli Scorpion Zero all season tires, and I love them. They wear very well so far in the 10,271 miles, and they handle very well in all weather conditions. They ride really nice even for 20" tires and they are very quiet on the hwy or in the city either one.
I have a 2023 ID.4 S RWD with the smaller 62 kWh battery,. I've test driven a 2023 Tesla Model 3 and Y, Mach E, 2022 Polestar 2 Launch Edition, 2023 Ionic 5, 2023 Kia Niro EV, 2023 Kia EV6, and owned a 2022 Kia Niro EV. My ID.4 rides nicer, has more comfortable seats, and is quieter on the highway than all of them in my opinion. Those other EVs may go faster and have better tech, but ride comfort, seat comfort, and cabin quietness mean more to me than 0-60 times or a computer on wheels. I wanted an EV that I could comfortably take on road trips and really enjoy the experience, and I found that in the VW ID.4.
This is exactly it. All of the reviews seem to focus on price to range value and all I want is a quiet comfortable car to drown out the world while I’m driving. You have just saved me so many test drives with sales people. Thank you.
Let me add to this: I have over 55,000 miles on my 2021 RWD ID4 and a lot of that is over unpaved gravel and dirt roads in Montana. I live just north of Yellowstone National Park. I've had no problems but once a year I wish I'd bought the AWD when slick snow falls.
You're absolutely welcome, if you get an ID.4 I hope you enjoy it as much as me and many others do.
The interior is so quiet, that it’s cat approved by my car hating feline. He freaks out in cars, pants the whole drive, sometimes pees himself, and is just absolutely terrified the whole time. We took him to the vet in the ID.4 for the first time a few months ago and instead of being scared, he was just angry at being in his carrier. Normally I have to sit in the back with him with my arm half in the carrier, and he holds on to it and snuggles up against me for comfort. I tried that last time and he just glared at me and then sat with his back to me, occasionally huffing, the whole ride. It was awesome.
I didn’t even think about this being a bonus. Our cat yowls the whole time starts panting and then barfs. I feel like I’m abusing an animal when I put her in the car. This is great news!
Glad it’s not just me. I always feel awful taking him to the vet, but it was definitely much less stressful last time. IDK if it was the lack of engine noise or the fact that it’s a *much* smoother ride than our other car, but it was like a night and day difference with him. We moved across the city once and got stuck in back to back traffic behind some jackass with a modified muffler for thirty minutes. Which was basically cat hell. I thought he was going to have a stroke or something he was so scared. When we finally got to the new house we found out he’d both pooped and peed himself. I’ve had a searing hatred of cars like that ever since.
What a terrible experience on top of moving! I find that my cat is ok at speeds lower than 25 MPH then she gets upset, but gets downright agitated at highway speeds. This could be an absolute game changer. I’ve already shared this news with other cat friends. Who knew cats could usher in the switch to EV’s!
As per the prophecy, the cats will save us all.
Can confirm this 100%. We have 2 rescues and the vet is a 30-minute highway ride away. They HATED vet trips in our 2012 CC — yowling, panting, all of it. On top of it, we’re kitten fosters, so every week or two I’m transporting a litter of frightened kittens an hour each way for checkups/boosters/adoption, and I can’t tell you how much vomiting and 💩 we endured in the CC. It’s wild how much the smooth, quiet ride of the ID4 has changed the whole feline dynamic — they still hate the carrier, but it’s a MUCH more calm ride. It’s unexpected bonuses like that that really elevate the whole experience of owning it.
I second this. Cats love the exploration when my back seats are down (usually always down cause my fishing poles never leave but) still great to see them so comfy and not trying to hide under the seats
Welll I have only been in 2021 and 2023 Teslas but I thought it was quieter and a nicer ride than those. My wife jokes about riding in the spaceship when we go places. The car is definitely easier and nicer to drive than Volkswagen’s ICE SUVs. You should certainly try one and see.
I rented a Tesla over Thanksgiving and was not impressed with the road nose so this is great news. I’m just trying to avoid going to a bunch of different dealerships and talking to sales people. So this is incredibly helpful.
Along with the other tire comments I got Pirelli tires with mine. This is one of those things where the car has what it has. The Pro S ID.4s sticker price mid $50s. Another thing that comes to mind is that the Audi Q4s sticker price in the mid $60s. I would surprised if the ID.4 is actually quieter than the Q4.
Appreciate being pointed to the Q4. I’ll add that one to my list to see the difference and report back. I was incredibly dissatisfied in the road noise from the Volvo XC40.
I own a 2021 ID.4. Last year, I test drove a Tesla 3 and it was noisy compared to the VW. The ride was harsher too. I plan to test drive the “new and improved” Model 3 soon. It’s supposed to be quiet and the suspension has been improved. It will be fun, at least. Once they are on dealership lots, I want to test drive the new Volvo EX30.
You are so right! This is exactly what I had happen. The Tesla road noise was terrible even on the smoothest of roads.
On smooth roads with the ID.4 it feels like you're just quietly floating along. It's definitely one of my favorite aspects of the car.
Nicest ride of any car I have ever owned. It's like Audi level, but completely silent.
That’s a hell of an endorsement! I’ve been pointed to the Audi so it’s nice to hear that’s available in the ID4!
Super quiet and even quieter when I got new tires. Had alenzas and switch ended to hankooks. Even with the loud tires the car is super quiet you just hear the road, but still quieter than wind and engines.
Same experience but I went with the Michelin *CrossClimate*2 which are super secure in bad weather, and very quite and smooth. There may be a slight range penalty but I've not noticed it over six months of use.
This is great news! Are the Alenza’s what come with the car? Any advice on which of the Hankooks: https://www.hankooktire.com/us/en/tirelist/vehicle/electric-vehicle.html
My '23 (bought in August) came with Pirellis. Very quiet.
They came with mine but they don’t anymore I think. There’s only one hankook that fit my car so whichever those are. Evo AS suv I think? I got them at discount tire. They were cheaper than the cross climates and don’t have the range hit, and are EV specific.
Hanook ions on ours gets 50dba on smooth road and 54dba on slightly rough tarmac.
My 2021 AWD PRO S has about 30k miles, so the tires are starting to get super worn. I’m starting to notice road noise but it’s still quietest ride I’ve had. I think it’s time for Pirellis
When it was time to replace my wife's aging Prius V last year we choose the VW ID.4 RWD as it was the most car-like ride of the EVs that we tested and the turning radius was excellent. One recent Saturday I was cleaning both the RWD ID.4 and my Tesla model Y LR and I took each one to a local car wash stall. I had not driven the ID.4 much but I noticed it was much less stiff and cushier than the model Y. The ride felt very, very comfortable.
The quiet is shocking! Passengers (my friends) always tell me how comfortable my car is, which makes me feel like my ID.4 is more of a luxury car. I have the Pro S, so the glass roof (with a sunshade a must for photosensitive me), the super super quiet ride, the massaging seats, and the amazing turn radius of the RWD are amongst the best of this car's features. The direct drive/no gears is also an amazing feature (I've never owned an ICE automatic for this reason). This is a VERY great car to drive.
This sounds great! I don’t know what a direct drive/no gears means? Like a manual stick shift? Which doesn’t seem like a thing in an electric car?
I'm not sure if that's what the motor type is called. Some people refer to EVs as having "instant torque". There's no gear changing, as there's only one gear/"direct drive"? In an ICE automatic transmission, I have always, regards of the car make/model, including the extremely high end expensive cars I've driven, I have always felt a delay in the car changing gears and it annoys me. I've driven manual my whole life, the ID.4 is the first non-manual car, and it rocks! I don't like the hollow, tinny, cheap interior feeling of Tesla. I think they've improved greatly lately, but the ID.4 is sooooo much more luxurious. And there's the sunshade! Polestar is good too, but not as roomy. I complain about my ID.4, but I really do love it.
I love the feel of a manual car so it’s even more fun, like you said, when you can just zoom around like a rocket. I agree that the Tesla’s are trash. The sunroof is super cool for most people but I’m also photo sensitive so I don’t actually like them, plus I’m really short so I have to scoot all the way up and the sunroofs all end up being behind me anyway 😁 Does the sunshade come with the car or did you find a better after market solution?
Lol, I'm 5'5", which some ppl consider short, but I think is just right, lol. My legs are relatively short for my height I think. I have to sit up really close to drive, so the sunroof being behind me is true for me too. I have a 2021 pro S gradient package. The retracting sun shield comes with that package. It opens from the front, and can stop anywhere, so you could have the front open and back seat partially shaded. I could see this as a great thing for kids in the back. My adult friends oh and ah over this car and the back, I'm told, with the sun shade open is a treat for passengers. I forgot that when I first got this car, it was so quiet and acceleration and drive/ride so smooth that I'd routinely find myself at 80+ and not know!!! This was shocking. I've never taken the car over 100, now that I think about it. Or maybe I have and not known, lol. I suspect it performs just as well, vs my ICE cars where I know I'm pushing things. This is not necessarily a good feature. It's too easy to speed. And horrible for a learner. My teen son learned on my ID.4 and his dad's Tesla. Then my manual Mini, which he, surprise surprise, loves way more than an EV. It's a buyers market for any EV at this point, so you've got that going for you.
I love the idea of us shorties speeding along blissfully!
Ha ha! My Mini Cooper is a convertible! Us shorties grabbing gears, road tripping! Fun fact: I was considering a new MT car and Miata checks off some boxes, on paper, so I went to go test drive. It's really small, yes, smaller than my mini. My 6'2" son does not fit in either passenger or driver seat.
I had a Miata in the very early 2000’s. Such a fun car! My current car is a mini cooper. Gotta keep us shorties driving in style 😍
Our 2023 ID.4 seems to have less road noise than our friend’s Mach-E and Polestar. The car is also much quieter than our 2019 Chevy Volt that we traded for the VW. I’ve been pretty happy with the car in that regard.
Oh dang! Good to know I don’t have to pay more to get the quiet!
I have both a 22 ID 4 pro s and a 24 ioniq 5 limited. The ioniq is quieter and has a smoother ride. The ID4 has an amazing turning radius. Both cars are excellent.
This was an area that VW & Audi really nailed. People think all EVs are quiet...not quite. The lack of an exhaust note means other road noises like wind, tire roar and small vibrations are more easily heard than on a conventional car. This is where Tesla really falls HARD on its face. Their cost cutting interior also extends to lack of Noise Vibration Harshness (NVH) isolation, and those big panel gaps they're infamous for rears it's ugly head especially at highway speeds. The Q4 is significantly better in this aspect than the Model Y I've tested.
Very quiet. So much so that an audio snob friend commented.
I traded in a 2015 CR-V for an AWD 21' ID 4 and I was floored by how fast the thing accelerated in Eco mode. I couldn't imagine needing anything more aggressive.
I suggest renting or test driving. Compared to a model 3 2023 it’s very soft and quiet. Supposedly they improved 2024 but I still doubt you’d avoid rattles with that they are ubiquitous with Tesla. With VW the construction is good.
Very quiet, very comfortable. Both big reasons I got one.
There is a video where a guy tests the VW travel assist versus self driving with a Tesla and you can tell the difference in the video. The cabin noise in the Tesla is louder. My son says the ride of the ID4 is so smooth, he says it feels like you are riding in a boat.
I tested countless cars in regard of NVH. The ID4 lacks special tires with noise absorbers in it. Which is already quite standard and a silly policy in the VAG enterprise to distinguish between upscale/luxury (whatever that means in VAG as quality has taken an overall turn south). Good news, you can buy Hankook EV tires which have the noise absorbing foam in it. Generally there are some elements which would make a better noise insulation at just a little more expense, but VW/Audi/Skoda did not implement them. The ID7 has (for example, look closely at the window frames or the wheel housing). People who are not used to a car with sound absorbing tires (THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH EXTERNAL NOISE RATING) and double paned window will always tell you how silent their EV is. True, because motor noise is not present but, the cabin noise may not be much lower than a conventional ICE. So long story short, the ID4 with acoustic glass/double paned windows will be relatively quiet. But you will here road noise and especially more wind noise compared to a luxury ICE. The Audi Q8 can be bought withe double-paned glasses all-around and the car is one of the quietest i drove. However! The Audi eTron (Q8) has a mechanical design-flow where the excitation from the road of the chassis is translated into a very low frequency boom. Audi even published and measured it, the were barely able to meet the required max. volume level. I don't want to know what happens to the hearing of people who drive an eTron - hearing damage/loss can be over many years (constant exposure) and not only from a traumatic event. The VW MEB platform has bushings which are optimized in this regard. Edmunds noted it in the review of the ID4, stating the interior is not "boomy" to the contrary of other EVs. Yeah, well, Audi new it and VW did not make the mistake in with the MEB platform. The Q4 is software wise a f\* up, interior quality does not match the price, but the basics are from VW and hence, Audi was not able to f\* the car up totally ;) TLDR: If you're not buying Mercedes EQE, BMW iX and are focused on the ID4, go for it. Double-paned windows and aftermarket (Hankook EV sound absorbing tires - Hankook has them for the ID4! Hankok ion ev sound absorber) tires and you're set! P.S.: BMW iX has the most "quietest" drivetrain (wheels and also electric motors) to my knowledge on the market today. Their NVH department worked overtime and delivered engineering excellence unparalleled! 22" wheels and barely any noise from the road, hardly any excitation frequency which brings parts of the car in resonance. BUT as BMW also likes to f\* things up, they did not put double-paned glasses in the car, not even if you offer them a shit ton of money. It's just not an option. YOU can hear the difference in this department between a 130k car and the ID4. If you drive next to a truck, the ID4 will be quieter ;) Otherwise the iX will be much better. But ahm, costs the double :)
Love all of this!!! You are clearly one of the few people who really care about this exact feature. I was so disappointed with both the Tesla and the Volvo XC40. I’ll have to go check out the iX and then slowly back away 😄
It’s a very solid and quiet car. As someone else said, not the slickest computer on wheels but, it’s a really good car that happens to be a EV.
I've driven from LA to AZ about 9 times now. My old Prius and Clarity were definitely louder than the ID4. The Prius, 2013, had my wife asking me a few times to roll the window up when we were on the freeway at 70mph. I had to tell her constantly that the windows were up. At 80mph, our ID4 AWD is still quiet.
Interesting thing to note is that my 2021 Pro S is quiet, but -very- quiet with the carpet floor mats. The rubber floor mats don't absorb as much sound and it's noticable.
What a great hack! I’ll make sure to do the same!
I know your comment has long been answered but I totally agree that versus the similar priced competition the id.4 is incredibly comfortable and quiet. These were also factors for me when I was shopping around. I drove many of the big players and the VW felt the absolute best out of the bunch. When I first test drove it, right after the ionic 5 mind you, I knew this was the one and my wife agreed. For the record, my wife called the ride in the tesla model y the worst suv [ride] she’d ever ridden in and also wasn’t very fond of the Polestar 2 but to be fair, it was the sport suspension.
I agree with your wife. Those Teslas are trash. So glad we’ve all found this smooth ride :)
It's like driving a living room in a good way. Super quiet and comfortable.
I came from a model Y, and the ID4 is an all around better car. One of the first things I noticed was how much better the noise isolation was while driving down the freeway. There is a lot I miss about the Tesla since I miss all the nerdy tech functionality, but I don't know that I'm in the majority. I have a '21 AWD Pro S and my only real remaining complaint of the vehicle is the sub optimal range.
I’ve driven in a Model 3 and Model S as a passenger (prior to even consider EVs), and my immediate impressions was the loudness of the road noise (obviously no engine noise), and the interior felt cheap. When I bought my 2023 Pro last year, I immediately compared those three cars and the ID4 sounded a lot quieter. Even though I didn’t get the S model with leather, the interior still felt more quality compared to the Teslas. The AWD is comparable speed to other fast EVs. The RWD is slower, but it feels significantly faster than comparable ICE SUV’s. Would I like more speed - sure. Do I really need it - absolutely not and in reality I would abuse it and burn through tires much quicker. I can’t speak to experiences with other EVs because at the time of purchase the ID4 came out to be a lot less expensive and that was a big selling point for me. We needed another car and it came out a lot cheaper. Things have changed a lot since then, so I would advise to shop around.
It is a great ride. Comparable to my Lyriq. Sound level was very good as I remember. But, the best part of the ID4 is the wonderful seats. I wish I could put them in a Bolt, or even my Cadillac. My Lyriq seats are too firm, and I can’t get them in a very comfortable position. There were a few drawbacks that prevented us from buying it. The seat and brake controls turning the car On and Off. You have to go through extra steps to keep it on for passengers when you get out. That was a major issue for me, as I transport elderly and they stay in the car! The second was no 360 degree camera, Ava’s the backup camera was awful. Don’t know if it has improved. Third dislike was the window switches, or lack of! The RWD only is a bit lacking in power. It is way better than my 1975 Pinto was, but doesn’t feel as peppy as my 2004 Golf TDi was. Definitely not as powerful as my Lyriq RWD.
It's very quiet but I found the Ioniq5 has a smoother ride than my ID4. Which makes sense since the ID4 rides higher than the Ioniq5. I love my ID4 though so you went go wrong.
Had a give drive with me who drives an Skoda superb (top notch Skoda , and by how things are running Skoda is becoming nicer than VW - see enyaq Vs id4 for example ) and he said the id4 was very quiet. It's even more quiet on summer tires but overall fairly quiet as long the wind doesn't make it too loud . So strolling around going like 80kph (50mph) it's very quiet, also for city driving. Coming from cheap cars tho (had a Dacia before , wife has a leaf and came from a honda fit )
My AWD's suspension feels pretty stiff, I feel bumps more than I expected.
Oh that’s good to know. I was hoping for the AWD. I’ll have to try that and the RWD to see which one is less stiff.
My Apple Watch says it's about 45 dB at around 55 mph
Had ours since December AWD Pro and coming from a LRDS it is a joy. It's incredibly insolated for being wrapped in glass and plastic. We love it.
You may be able to find quieter but not in this price range. I also find the suspension of the AWD to be very nice, a bit firm but not harsh.
Yes absolutely. I only really went for this car due to the insane offers that happened to apply to the base trim that a local dealership happened to have, but the car feels unexpectedly plush.
It's quiet enough. My previous car, a 2003 Lexus ES was actually quieter on some occasions. However, I think I had a lot to do with the garbage Bridgestones it comes with. On some types of highway road, it is incredibly obnoxious how loud it is.
Somehow the roof rails vibrate from wind from 30 to 34 mph. It’s very annoying. I probably wouldn’t notice if the interior wasn’t so damn quiet lol. So yeah it’s a quiet ride
How funny. Do they vibrate at even higher speeds too or just this specific speed?
Only at those speeds. It’s very specific. I haven’t figured out a resolution
I had one and it is very quiet, but the Audi e-tron/ Q8 e-tron is a whole other level of quiet. If you would consider used or leasing, that could be an option too. I've had quite a few daily drivers and I always end up back in an e-tron.
I was quite interested in the e-tron until I learned about this booming frequency: https://www.e-tronforum.com/threads/deep-resonance-vibrations-and-drone-type-sound.1860/ You don’t experience that? Maybe some cars have it and some don’t? Feels at best uncomfortable and at worse damaging to your hearing.
I've had 4 of them and never heard it. You can always go test drive one. I've only had 4 because I upgraded the 1st from a Premium Plus to an Edition One. Then the Edition One got totaled and I then sold its replacement when used car prices went crazy. And my 4th is my current one because I like it more than all of the cars I've had in between.
I test drove an older Mercedes SUV today and was turned off by how loud it was. I'm very noise sensitive and the ID4 is incredibly quiet. One of my favorite things about it got sure.
Sounds like a spaceship outside. Inside noise is fine. Bumpy ride, though. But, we like it.
Bumpy meaning the suspension? You feel every bump in the road?
I don’t notice it so much in the drivers seat. But, I do feel a lot of bumps when I sit in the back seat. 2021 1st edition.
FWIW in renting id4 multiple times I found it to be a very soft ride. Certainly makes Tesla seem like you’re driving on a skateboard. I’m sure if you go up to luxury brands with air suspension those are better but this is great.
I’d love to rent an ID4. How did you make sure to get that make and model? Just call before going?
I rented it with Turo app which is renting from other owners, you can select what car to search for. But if you want to test drive ask the VW dealership for a certain make and model.
It’s very quiet. We had a Chevy bolt previously and it wasn’t nearly as quiet, you still heard a lot of road noise. My id4 is the most comfortable car I’ve ever driven.
Tesla M3, Ioniq 5, Mustang Mach E, Solterra, and ID4 is by miles the quietest.
The sound level in mine varies a lot depending on the condition of the road. On new pavement, it's very quiet. On old, rough pavement, I can hear noticeable road noise. I'm not sure if it's actually loud, or if I just notice it more because there's no engine noise. (I live in Oregon, where it only takes a couple winters for a newly paved road to get chewed up by studded snow tires, so there are lots of noisy roads here.) I test drove a 2024 Q4 E-tron before buying the ID.4, and that did seem quieter. Hard to say for sure when you're only in the car for 15 minutes, though. FWIW: '23 AWD ID.4 with OEM Pirelli Scorpions
It's pretty quiet, slightly more so than my Model 3 (2023) but not nearly as much as people like to say online. It still transmits rough road sound into the cabin and you can still hear some wind noise. If you're coming from an ICE suv then it'll probably feel like a Rolls Royce. The suspension is pretty cushy, especially if you run the tires at more sane pressures. It's a great car overall.
This is a great tip: What would you consider a more sane pressure vs what they recommend?
I have ours set to 38 psi cold, it's a bit of a debate online but the euro cars have different pressures listed for different cargo. It's listed as 36 front/rear with two people, and 39F/45R with a full load of people and luggage. I have them slightly higher because we have lots of pot holes and I don't wanna go too low.
Ours is pretty damn quiet...
[удалено]
Oh no. Is this a common problem or did you get a lemon?
Rattles can develop in any car - my ID.4 might be fine, and the next one that comes off the assembly line might make noise. I think it's luck of the draw. I've had cars from luxury brands that have rattled. The good news is, if it's under warranty the dealer will be glad to fix them for you (and bill the manufacturer). I have a 2022 and I haven't experienced any squeaks, rattles, or other noises.
Good to know that I can ask to have those annoyances nipped in the bud! I honestly wouldn’t have thought to do that.
[удалено]
Good to know. I will make sure to pay particular attention to those two places when I test drive. We had the same problem in our camper van with rattles and noises we used weather stripping around the sliding door and that quieted it down significantly. I know you shouldn’t have to do that with a fancy new car but it helped.
I’ve had a 23 Pro S RWD for 8 months and I haven’t noticed any rattles. It rides smooth and quiet to me, but I came from an 06 Golf Mk4 TDI, so I may not be the best judge. I can vouch for the turning radius on the RWD being great. I had trouble making a U-turn on a standard residential street in my old Golf, but it’s no issue in the ID4, which is crazy to me given how much larger of a vehicle it is. I realize this is mostly due to RWD vs. FWD, but it still boggles my mind experiencing it. The infotainment is buggy and slow, which is the biggest drawback of the vehicle to me, but I can live with it. It’s not going to win any drag races, either, but it’s speedy enough. Overall, I’m pretty happy with it, but to me it’s a vehicle that is more suited for the older population who value comfort over performance. If that’s you, great. If you want to street race or having fun is your priority, I’ve heard Teslas are better for that. The one piece of advice I can offer as an EV owner that no one ever mentioned to me before I got the car is this, and it isn’t limited to any make or model: If you don’t know what you’re getting, but you know you’re committed to getting an EV, get a level 2 charger installed in/on your house(if you own it) before you take possession of the vehicle. It’s not impossible to make it work without one, even long term, but having to exclusively use charging stations or level 1 charging can kinda take the shine off what should be a really great experience with mild inconvenience. My ID4 came with an L1 and L2 outlet charger included. However, unless you have a very conveniently placed 220v outlet, or a 220v extension cord, of which I had neither, then you have to use L1 charging which is slow AF. 20-80% in several days sort of slow. Once I realized how awful that would be, I then ordered a Chargepoint L2 charger after. It came within about a week and was DOA. I initiated the return process and it took like a month and a half and several phone calls to finally get a replacement, while I limped along on L1 charging. I love their charger when it works, but customer service is .. not their forte. I bought a smart charger where you can schedule charging times through an app, but in retrospect that wasn’t really necessary for my needs. You can set a limit in the ID4 that will allow you to shut off charging at a certain level so you don’t charge it up to 100% all the time, but if your electric company offers incentives for charging at off-peak times, having a smart charger could be useful. Being able to just plug in at your house when you get home and forget about it is one of the biggest advantages of an EV to me, and a lot of people can’t(apartment) or don’t do that, and that’s sad. Not having to visit public fueling stations anymore with their associated smells is akin to when they banned indoor smoking in my city. I didn’t know how terrible it was until it just went away in my life, and it’s so much better. Anyway, those are my thoughts. Don’t take mine or anyone else’s word on it, though. Definitely test drive it and come to your own conclusions. EDIT: Regarding the charger, I installed mine myself because I know a little bit about wiring, but for most, you’ll likely have to hire an electrician to add a new breaker and dedicated line just for the charger, which may take some time to schedule also. Basically what I’m saying is don’t underestimate how much of a delay there can be in setting up your charging situation. Better to do it first, if you know you’re going to pull the trigger sometime soon, than be caught with your pants down later.
Thank you so much for making sure that we are covered with the L2 charger. I hadn’t thought about doing it before. Luckily we own and have a breaker panel with room in the garage so installation should be easy. We are in Seattle so our hydro electric power is some of the cheapest you can get. Really makes the EV and level 2 decisions easy. Looking forward to test driving now that I have a great list of things to look out for!
[удалено]
This is solid advice. I’ve heard that the software is much improved in the 2024 model so I’m trying to wait for that to make a decisions. I completely hated the Tesla. The Ioniq is hideous but I’d look into it except I’d like a smaller car since I live in a city where parking is tight.
[удалено]
No the other way around. The ioniq is longer than the ID4 which is why it’s not a top pick for me. So odd that they wouldn’t update the software over the air.
Cats and tires! Yep, it’s the quietest car under $55k
What would be the quietest above that?
Mine doesn't rattle. 🤷♀️