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By Jonathan Crouch

Would you really want a zero emissions hot hatch? Jonathan Crouch looks at the improved Volkswagen ID.4 GTX.

Ten Second Reviewword count: 53

Volkswagen wants to show us that family hatchback driving enjoyment needn't be incompatible with full EV motoring. And for proof, established its GTX performance EV sub-brand with this car, the ID.4 GTX. It's an interesting confection, now offered with more power and slightly greater EV mileage. Whether it really works is another question.

Backgroundword count: 226

It's nearly fifty years since Volkswagen started its near iconic GTI sub-brand with the Golf GTI in 1976. Along the way, there have been some offshoots from this winning hot hatch formula - like the diesel Golf GTD line that started in 1982; and more recently, the Plug-in Hybrid Golf GTE line that began in 2014. What we have here though, is by far the most significant of these; the birth of 'GTX', Volkswagen's all-electric performance brand. Here, we have that badge attached to the first model introduced in that line, the ID.4 GTX, launched in 2021, then improved in late 2023 to create the car we look at here. You can have all the same battery mechanicals matched with slightly swoopier looks (and an even higher price tag) with the ID.5 GTX if you want. Either way, we're told that this is 'performance electric mobility combining sustainability and sportiness'. Doesn't sound as exciting as we'd hoped. We can't help thinking that a dinkier, lighter ID.3 GTX would be a better platform for this approach (as the CUPRA Born has proved), but Volkswagen has yet to productionise a really fast ID.3, so let's look at what we have here: Golf GTI-like acceleration; the kerb weight of a Land Rover Defender; a £50,000 price tag; and a futuristic mindset. Tempted? If you are, you'll need this review.

Driving Experienceword count: 246

This improved ID.4 GTX model gets the brand's latest APP550 drive unit, which has upped power to 340PS, 41PS more than this model had at launch. And the sprint time to 62mph has improved to 5.4s. Driving range has improved too - up from 309 to 317 miles. Otherwise, the mechanical formula here is much as before. Basically, the usual VW Group compact EV rear-driven formula is embellished with an extra motor on the front axle, which brings the twin benefits of extra power and, with torque at both axles, all-wheel drive. Disadvantages lie with extra weight and a subsequent reduced driving range from the 77kWh usable-capacity battery compared to the single motor ID.4 model. You'll find the same Dual Motor mechanical formula in top versions of the Skoda Enyaq and the Audi Q4 e-tron and their coupe spin-offs. What's different here though, is that Volkswagen has lowered the suspension for hot hatch duties, dropping it by 15mm over the standard models. Combine that with the XDS differential you get on a standard ID.4 for extra cornering traction and (if you pay extra) 'DCC' adaptive damping and the result is a surprisingly keen confection, aided by near-perfect 50:50 weight distribution. Which is just as well given the fact that this car has to overcome the drawbacks of its enormous 2.2-tonne kerb weight. That doesn't stop it being decently quick mind you. And cornering is helped by 20-inch wheels with wide 235-section front and 255-section rear tyres.

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