SPY PICS: Volkswagen ID.4 SUV spotted in the snow

The all-new Volkswagen ID.4 electric SUV has been caught cold weather testing, dressed as an Opel in an attempt to shake off spy photographers.

Wearing a front and rear-end pinched from the Europe-only Opel Grandland, the cunning disguise of the mule spotted in the snow in Lapland couldn't fool the snappers, especially since the prototype battery-powered SUV still sports identical lines to the ID Crozz concept last seen back in 2017 at the Frankfurt motor show.

On sale in Europe in 2021, the ID.4 SUV is expected to touch down in Australia in 2022 around the same time as the closely-related ID.3 hatch and is set to become the German car-maker's best-selling EV.

Thought to measure in at around 4625mm long, 1891mm wide and 1609mm tall, with a wheelbase of 2773mm, the VW ID.4 is shorter and lower but wider than the Tiguan, yet will offer the interior space of an SUV one size bigger thanks to its all-new MEB platform.

Clearly ditching the original concept's sliding apertures for a pair of conventional doors, the ID.4 spotted here is thought to be close to production, Opel grille aside.

Set to rival small electric SUVs like the upcoming Kia e-Niro and the pricier Tesla Model Y, the Volkswagen ID.4 is rumoured to command a modest premium over the circa-€30,000 ($A48,000) Volkswagen ID.3 hatch, which it shares its MEB architecture, battery pack and rear-mounted electric motor.

No specs have been released, but it’s thought that it will also come with the ID.3’s 45, 58 and 77kWh lithium-ion battery packs that provide for a range of 330km, 420km and 550km respectively.

The entry-level model will be offered with a 110kW electric motor while the bigger battery versions get the punchier 150kW/310Nm motor.

There's no word on performance but, like the ID.3, the top speed of battery-powered SUV will be limited to 180km/h.

Later on, an all-wheel drive version is also expected, as well as a sportier coupe version that will feature rakish rear lines.

With a near perfect 48:52 weight distribution and all its battery mass positioned low in the chassis, the Volkswagen ID.4 -- like the hatch -- is expected to deliver class-leading dynamics when it eventually arrives Down Under.