2022 Volkswagen ID.4

2022 is a carry-over year for the powertrain within the first generation (the 282 hp APP550 motor arrived only for MY2024), so the volume RWD Pro runs the original 150 kW (201 hp) rear motor. That is low for a compact EV SUV; only the AWD car is stronger.

The single rear motor makes 229 lb-ft, which is modest for the segment. The AWD's 339 lb-ft is competitive but costs about $3,700 more.

The 201 hp RWD car is adequate but leisurely. The 295 hp AWD is genuinely quick at about 5.4 s, but it isn't the volume configuration.

Delivery is silent, smooth and lag-free, as you would expect from a single-motor EV. The soft throttle map and fading urgency above about 50 mph in the 201 hp car keep it below the Ioniq 5/EV6.

With a single-speed reduction gear there is nothing to hunt or shift. It is held at the low end of the top band because the car has only D (coast) and B (mild regen), with no one-pedal mode and no paddle-adjustable regen.

The 2,700 lbs maximum is a little above the Ioniq 5's 2,300 lbs and below the Model Y's 3,500. It sits low in the SUV band and applies only to the AWD.

Dual-motor AWD is offered on both trim grades (AWD Pro, AWD Pro S), unlike 2023 when the new 62 kWh Standard/S were RWD-only. It is a simple on-demand front asynchronous motor with only a Traction mode, no terrain programs.

About 8 inches of ground clearance and a Traction mode on AWD handle gravel and snow. There is no off-road trim, protection hardware or lockers, so this is pavement-oriented light duty.

The nameplate is EV-only with one battery (82 kWh) in 2022. The only choice is a 201 hp RWD or a 295 hp AWD, and there is no hybrid, combustion or performance alternative. The 62 kWh pack arrived for MY2023.

107 MPGe for the volume Pro is respectable but mid-pack for an EV SUV. The heavier Pro S and AWD trims drop to 95–102.

City is the ID.4's strongest cycle thanks to regen, but 116 MPGe is only average for an EV SUV.

98 MPGe highway is decent for a tall compact crossover.

275 miles for the volume Pro is lower-mid band for an EV SUV, though up from 2021's 260 mi. VW's launch claim was 280 mi, but the EPA record lists 275.

For 2022 VW raised the peak from 2021's 125 kW to 135 kW. That is still modest against 800 V E-GMP rivals (230+ kW), and the 170 kW upgrade came only in 2023.

VW quotes its time from 5%, not 10%; the 10–80% figure would be a minute or two shorter. Either way it is about twice the 18-minute 800 V benchmark.

This is EPA's own figure and sits near the low end of the energy-cost band.

No fuel grade to buy, an 11 kW onboard charger for an overnight Level 2 fill (~7.5 h), and three years of free 30-minute Electrify America sessions. It is held below the top because the car is CCS-only with no Supercharger access in 2022, and Plug&Charge did not arrive until MY2023.

NHTSA rates the 2022 ID.4 five stars overall, with five-star frontal and side results and four stars for rollover (10.3% risk), carried over from the 2021 launch tests of this first generation.

The 2022 ID.4 is an IIHS Top Safety Pick+ with Good ratings in every crashworthiness test, including both small-overlap tests and the updated side test.

IQ.DRIVE is standard on every 2022 ID.4 trim (Pro, Pro S, AWD Pro, AWD Pro S): Front Assist AEB with pedestrian monitoring, ACC with stop-and-go, Lane Assist/Travel Assist, Blind Spot Monitor, Rear Traffic Alert and Emergency Assist. None of the core five is locked to a higher trim.

Front Assist is Superior vehicle-to-vehicle and Advanced for daytime pedestrians, but IIHS rated the 2022 system only Basic for nighttime pedestrian detection. That fits the guidance's middle band: strong daytime results with a weaker night result.

Blind Spot Monitor, Rear Traffic Alert and rear automatic braking are standard on every trim. The blind-spot system warns but does not steer the car back, so it sits right at the top-band threshold.

Standard Travel Assist lane centering is generally steady on marked highways, with typical wander on faded lines or tight curves. The capacitive wheel detects hands without needing steering torque, which cuts down on nag alerts.

Full-speed-range ACC with stop-and-go works together with lane centering under Travel Assist. Driver-initiated assisted lane change did not arrive until 2023, so the 2022 car scores a little below that year.

The 2022 ID.4 offers no hands-free highway driving; Travel Assist is a Level 2 hands-on system.

The Pro S LED projector lamps with curve adaptation rate Good, but the volume Pro trim's LED reflector lamps rate only Acceptable. This is the usual split where the better lamps come only on upper trims.

The upright greenhouse and low cowl give good forward and side sightlines, but thick rear pillars and a small back window limit the view behind. The 360-degree Area View camera is only on upper trims, so the volume car relies on the standard rearview camera.

IIHS rates the LATCH hardware Good, and the flat rear floor and large rear door openings make car seats easy to install. Only two positions have full LATCH hardware; the center seat has a tether anchor only.

Every 2022 ID.4 (Pro, Pro S, AWD Pro, AWD Pro S) is a two-row, five-passenger compact SUV. No third row or six-seat layout is offered in the US.

Front headroom is generous for a compact SUV because the roofline stays flat over the front seats. The volume Pro has the solid roof, which the framework rule uses; the glass-roofed Pro S gives up about half an inch.

Front legroom is the ID.4's weakest interior measurement. It trails the Ioniq 5 (41.7 in) and EV6 (42.4 in) because the dash is pushed rearward over the high battery floor.

Second-row headroom is above the compact-SUV midpoint despite the battery floor, because the roof does not taper hard over the rear bench. The glass-roof Pro S gives up about 0.7 in.

The 108.9-in wheelbase gives adult-usable rear legroom, though it is nearly two inches short of the Ioniq 5 (39.4 in) and EV6 (39.0 in), and the bench neither slides nor reclines.

There is no third row on any 2022 ID.4. It scores in the bottom band, as the item rule requires for two-row SUVs.

About 30 cu ft behind the rear seats beats the Ioniq 5 (27.2) and EV6 (24.4), but it scores low against a band built for the whole SUV segment. There is no front trunk to add to it.

With the seats folded it holds more than the Ioniq 5 (59.3) and EV6 (50.2), but it is still modest for an SUV in absolute terms.

Storage is competent rather than clever. The car has a flat floor, deep door bins, a two-level center console, underfloor stowage and a pass-through; the adjustable cargo floor is a Pro S item. There is no frunk, so the charging cable has to live in the cargo bay, and there is no 120V outlet.

The volume Pro has heated, power-adjustable cloth front seats that reviewers find supportive on long drives. The Pro S steps up to 12-way power seats with memory and massage. The rear bench is well shaped, but the battery floor leaves taller adults sitting somewhat knees-up.

Ride comfort is the ID.4's signature strength. The suspension soaks up broken pavement well, and the volume Pro's 19-inch wheels ride more gently than the Pro S's 20s, which make sharp impacts busier.

There is no powertrain noise and wind noise is well controlled. Tire roar on coarse pavement is more noticeable than in the Ioniq 5 at highway speed.

Unusually for the class, the base Pro includes heated front seats, a heated steering wheel and dual-zone automatic climate with rear vents, and remote preconditioning works through the app. The Pro S adds massage seats. Heated rear seats were not confirmed for the 2022 lineup, and ventilated seats are not offered.

For 2022 the US lineup was 82 kWh only, so it started at the Pro RWD. The cheaper 62 kWh Standard did not arrive until MY2023, and the price was up from 2021's $39,995 Pro launch figure.

The Pro S, with its panoramic roof, larger screen and upgraded interior, is taken as the typically equipped configuration. Supply-constrained 2022 cars often sold with dealer markups above MSRP.

Scheduled EV service is light. Early-build ID.4s (2021–2022 imports from Zwickau) had a documented run of 12V-battery, software and door-panel/handle issues, so this adds a repair allowance above CarEdge's scheduled-service-only figure, putting it at the top of the compact-EV class range.

The ID.4 is among the steepest-depreciating SUVs. A 2022 car bought near or above MSRP in a supply-short market then met the 2023–2024 EV price war and new-car credits, which pushes its retention below the floor of the SUV band.

VW's New Vehicle Limited Warranty is longer than the 3/36 norm but shorter than Hyundai and Kia's 5/60.

This is the industry-standard EV battery term. VW offers no 10-year EV drivetrain coverage like Hyundai and Kia.

The perks were generous for 2022: three years of unlimited 30-minute Electrify America DC fast-charging sessions at no cost, Carefree Maintenance for the first two scheduled services, and roadside assistance for the warranty term. That is better than Ford's, Tesla's or Toyota's offerings at the time.

$47,025 volume-trim price minus its estimated resale value after 5 years (36% retained, or about $16,929) leaves about $30,096 in depreciation. Add the projected $4,900 in 5-year maintenance and repairs, and owning this vehicle for 5 years costs about $34,996 in total.

Consumer Reports rates the 2021–2023 ID.4 well below the average new car, at about 29/100. Battery and charging faults, electrical problems and infotainment software (black or frozen screens, spurious alerts) drive that rating, and the 2022 model year shares them.

Volkswagen has sat in the bottom third of Consumer Reports brand rankings and below the industry average in J.D. Power VDS for several years. Electronics and infotainment drive most of the complaints, and the ID. family makes that worse.

Seven NHTSA campaigns cover MY2022, fewer than MY2021 or MY2023, and none of them is a high-voltage battery fire or cell-defect recall. They still include doors that can open while driving because water reaches the handle electronics, plus repeated software recalls for the instrument cluster, gear indicator and rearview camera display. There are also widespread TSBs for 12V battery drain and infotainment software.

MY2022 uses the original MEB powertrain: an APP310 rear motor (201 hp Pro, with dual-motor AWD Pro) and the 82 kWh (77 kWh usable) LG pack. Drive units rarely fail outright, and this year avoided the 2023–2025 HV battery overheating and cell-electrode recalls. CR still names charging and battery as the main trouble area, and 12V no-start faults are common, so this sits below the mid band.

This is the pre-refresh cabin: hard plastics on the doors and lower dash, unlit capacitive temperature and volume sliders, and the slow 10-/12-inch infotainment. Reviewers called it cheap for the price next to the Ioniq 5 and EV6.

The 2022 US cars were imported from Zwickau, Germany, before Chattanooga production began for MY2023, and they avoided most of that launch year's assembly recalls. The out-of-spec door handles are still a build-quality defect, and owners report scattered trim rattles and software-related initial-quality complaints.

Volkswagen's roughly 600–650 US dealers cover metro areas adequately but are thinner in rural areas than Toyota or Chevrolet. EV competence varies by dealer, and owners reported long waits for software and recall repairs.

ID.4-specific parts (HV modules, drive unit, door handles, head unit) are effectively dealer-only, with little aftermarket support, and out-of-warranty high-voltage repairs are costly. Routine EV maintenance is cheap, which partly offsets this.

The volume Pro uses a 10-inch center display, and the 12-inch unit is reserved for the Pro S. VW made the 12-inch screen standard across the lineup only for MY2023.

The 2022 car shipped on the early ID. Software (2.x, then 3.0), the roughest version of a system already criticized for lag, reboots, deep menus and unlit capacitive touch sliders for temperature and volume. It is the weakest ID.4 year for infotainment, below the 2023 car on 3.1.

Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto (App-Connect) are standard on both 2022 trims, alongside standard wireless phone charging. Owners report occasional wireless drop-outs on the early software.

Built-in navigation is standard even on the base Pro (Discover Pro), and the 'Hello ID.' natural-language voice control can run climate and navigation. On the 2.x/3.0 software both were slow and inconsistent, and most owners default to phone projection.

The volume Pro has VW's base speaker system, which is adequate but unremarkable. Reviewers describe the Pro S as gaining an upgraded Harman Kardon system, but the 2022 trim walk for it was not confirmed against VW's order guide.

The only cluster is the column-mounted 5.3-inch ID. Cockpit, which is digital but small and barely configurable. That is an outlier in a class where 10–12-inch reconfigurable clusters are common.

VW promised over-the-air updates at launch, but the 2021–2022 cars first had to visit a dealer for the 3.0/3.1 software before OTA could work, and the rollout was slow and patchy. Later OTA releases reached these cars, but some fixes still needed dealer reflashes.

The VW app (Car-Net) offers remote lock/unlock, climate preconditioning, vehicle locate, charge scheduling and state-of-charge monitoring. There is no phone-as-key, and owners report frequent connectivity drop-outs and refresh lag.

The ports are USB-C, front and rear, and wireless phone charging is standard on the Pro. There is no 120V household outlet and no vehicle-to-load, which the Ioniq 5 and EV6 both offer.

Keyless entry is standard, the car has no start button (it wakes when the driver sits down with the key), and remote climate works through the app. The hands-free Easy Open and Close power liftgate is a Pro S feature, so the volume Pro has a manual tailgate. There is no phone-as-key.

The volume car has a rear-view camera and park-distance sensors. No 360-degree Area View appears in any 2022 trim summary checked; in the US it was listed as a Pro S Plus item only from 2023.

No head-up display is offered on the US 2022 ID.4. The augmented-reality HUD sold in Europe never came to the US.

The flat rear floor, wide bench and tall door openings make buckling kids in easy, and 30.3 cu ft behind the bench takes a full-size stroller. It is held back by 37.6 in of rear legroom, a bench that neither slides nor reclines, and only two full LATCH positions.

IQ.DRIVE is standard on every 2022 trim, and the car is both an IIHS Top Safety Pick+ and a five-star NHTSA car. The gaps are a Basic nighttime pedestrian AEB rating, the Acceptable-rated reflector headlights on the volume Pro, and no hands-free assist.

The compliant ride, quiet cabin and good luggage space with the seats up make it a comfortable four-up tourer. Rear amenities are thin: no confirmed heated rear seats, no sunshades and no entertainment. The 275-mile range and a 135 kW charging peak also add longer stops to a family day.

Smooth, silent torque, a soft ride and standard stop-and-go Travel Assist make it low-effort in traffic. There is no one-pedal mode, only D and B, and the laggy early infotainment with unlit touch sliders turns simple tasks such as adjusting the temperature into a distraction.

At 107 MPGe combined and about $700 a year in electricity at EPA's 15,000 miles, the volume Pro is very cheap per mile, with no oil changes and little brake wear. VW out-of-warranty repairs cost more than the EV norm.

The rear-drive car turns in about 33.5 ft, tighter than almost any compact SUV, and the footprint is manageable. Rear three-quarter visibility is restricted, and no 360-degree camera was offered for 2022.

The AWD car is rated to tow 2,700 lbs with the factory hitch, but the volume RWD Pro has no US tow rating. With 64.2 cu ft of maximum cargo, no bed and no frunk, it suits light errands, not real work.

Consumer Reports rates the 2021–2023 ID.4 well below average, driven by 12V, software and electrical faults. MY2022 is better than its neighbours on recalls, with 7 campaigns and German (Zwickau) assembly. There is no work trim or hard-wearing interior.

There is no 120V outlet and no V2L, so it cannot power tools from its pack. Beyond an available factory hitch on AWD, cargo tie-downs and underfloor storage, there are no work-focused provisions.

Comfortable seats, a good ride and standard Travel Assist make the miles easy. Range and charging set the trip time, though: 275 miles for the Pro RWD (245–262 on other trims), a 98 MPGe highway rating and a 135 kW peak that needs about 36 minutes for 5–80% leave it well behind the Ioniq 5 and EV6. Three years of free Electrify America sessions help with cost.

About 8 in of ground clearance and AWD with a Traction mode, offered on both 2022 trim grades, handle forest roads and snow, and the AWD can tow a small camper. There is no off-road trim or underbody hardware, and no V2L for camping.

The 30.3 / 64.2 cu ft hold is the largest among the mainstream compact EVs, with underfloor storage and a factory hitch available on AWD for racks. There is no frunk, so cables and dirty gear share the cabin, and the adjustable load floor is a Pro S item.

The suspension is tuned for comfort. Cornering is secure and predictable with early understeer and noticeable roll, and reviewers call the handling 'floaty'. The low battery mass keeps it from feeling nervous, but it is less agile than the E-GMP rivals and the Mach-E.

The steering is light, accurate and easy at parking speeds, but it is heavily filtered and gives almost no road feedback.

Braking is adequate, but the pedal is soft and the car uses rear drum brakes. The regen choice is binary: D coasts and B gives stronger lift-off regen but never brings the car to a stop.

Delivery is silent, linear and free of shifts. The 2022 car uses the original 201-hp rear motor with a deliberately soft throttle map that runs out of urgency at highway speeds, so the volume RWD Pro feels leisurely rather than punchy.

There is no combustion noise or vibration, and the motor emits only a faint whine under load. Tire roar is a cabin-quietness matter and is scored in cat4.

With no engine ahead of the front axle, the rear-drive ID.4 turns tighter than nearly any compact SUV. That clamps the item at the top of the 34–42 ft band.

The seating position is high and commanding, with a flat floor and easy step-in. The controls are the ID.4's weak point: capacitive steering-wheel pads, unlit haptic sliders for temperature and volume, a rotary shifter pod on the cluster, and two window switches plus a REAR toggle for four windows. Thick rear pillars also limit the view over the shoulder.

Rear drive and the tiny turning circle make it pleasant in town. The 201-hp RWD car is leisurely (about 7.7 s to 60), with numb steering and a comfort-first chassis, so it feels like an appliance next to the EV6, Ioniq 5 and Mach-E. The 295-hp AWD is livelier but is not the volume car.

Every 2022 ID.4 Pro comes with IQ.DRIVE (Travel Assist, adaptive cruise, lane keeping), a digital cockpit, wireless CarPlay/Android Auto, heated front seats and 19-inch alloys. The Pro S adds the panoramic roof, the larger touchscreen and power seats. That is competitive with the Mach-E and Ioniq 5, though base Pro buyers lose features against the Pro S.

The Pro S RWD costs $47,025 for 275 miles of range and a roomy cabin. Until the IRA took effect in August 2022, the then-available $7,500 federal credit improved the effective price, but imported (Zwickau) cars lost eligibility afterwards. Dealer markups were common, the 201 hp RWD car is slow, and the Ioniq 5 charges far faster for similar money.

The lineup was four configurations, Pro and Pro S each in RWD or AWD, all on one 82 kWh battery and spanning about $42.5K–$50.7K. There was no lower-priced entry battery until MY2023's 62 kWh Standard.

US sales reached 20,511 in calendar 2022, up 22.5%, but import supply limits held them back (Q1 2022 suffered). That made it a credible non-Tesla EV but far behind the Model Y and the Mach-E's volume.

VW is a familiar mainstream brand with no EV halo in the US to match Tesla's. The ID.4's early software problems and recalls, along with weak residuals, have dented perception.

In 2022 the market was supply-constrained, so most ID.4s sold at or above MSRP with few factory incentives. The $7,500 federal credit was the main buyer benefit until the IRA's North American assembly rule removed it for these imported cars in August 2022. Leftover-stock discounts came only in 2023.

This is the second model year of the generation that launched in the US in 2021, on the dedicated MEB EV platform. The DC peak rose from 125 to 135 kW, and no redesign was imminent, but the MY2024 motor and infotainment upgrade made 2022 hardware superseded within two years.

It was well reviewed for space, ride and comfort, holds the 2021 World Car of the Year title and earned an IIHS Top Safety Pick+ for 2022. Reviewers faulted its slow infotainment and touch controls, and it usually trailed the Ioniq 5 and Model Y in comparisons.