The Volkswagen ID.4 is a most curious car. Seemingly a tame vision of the future of VW’s electrification strategy, yet it seems to garner a fair bit of love and hate. To figure out why this is, I partnered with VW to get a feel for the car for 2 weeks.

The reality is VW is very serious about electrification, and for good reason. When I first heard the ID.3 EV wasn’t coming to North America, I started to wonder what VW was planning, that is until they announced the ID.4 SUV and well, the reality is the ID.4 is just a perfect size of car for the North American Market. In the U.S. sedan sales have been dwindling for some time, in favor of larger crossover SUVs, that provide more of the space Americans need, while retaining some of the ease of use and driving dynamics of a sedan.

I’ve put about 1,300 miles on the ID.4 road tripping between Northern and Southern California, and in this time, I’ve had enough time to figure out what this car truly is and what it isn’t. The ID.4 is not a fast car, not by a long shot, although there is an AWD variant if that’s more your speed. What it is then, is an amazingly high quality and comfortable cruiser.

The comfort of the ID.4 seats, or the quietness of the cabin, can’t be appreciated until an hour or two into a road trip. I found myself talking with my wife, at barely over a whisper, rather than the shouting I’m more used to, at highway speeds.

If you are looking for your next car, and need something with the space a crossover affords, why not also get your first electric car, and check out the ID.4.

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