Volkswagen ID.4 and ID.5 detailed for Oz – and they won’t come cheap

Volkswagen Australia is launching an all-out assault on the sub-$100K SUV market to regain ground in a segment that’s increasingly turning to EV alternatives.

The SUV onslaught will be spearheaded from mid-year by the Volkswagen ID.4 and ID.5 mid-size electric SUVs but will also encompass a new VW Tiguan 195TSI petrol variant and a more affordable updated VW Touareg with a price-leading 170TDI model.

The additional models are designed to fill the price gap between the current Tiguan Allspace (which costs as much as $63,090 plus on-road costs) and what is currently the most affordable Touareg, the $89,240 170TDI.

“There’s a very big gap in our range,” said Michelle Rowney, Volkswagen Australia product manager for passenger vehicles.

“Our SUV range in a less than a year will move from having two offers in that $60-90K bracket… to six.”

Key to the Volkswagen SUV surge is the mid-year arrival of the brand’s first battery-electric models, the ID.4 and ID.5 twins.

The Volkswagen ID.4 and its sleeker-roofed ID.5 sister model will provide the German brand with some EV firepower to take on the top-selling Tesla Model Y, while in sportier GTX form they will effectively be EV alternatives to the soon-to-be-discontinued Tiguan R performance SUV.

“We’re handing that performance back over to ID.4 GTX and ID.5 GTX, and it will embody the same strategy that we’ve always put into our performance vehicles which is performance value,” said Rowney.

While Volkswagen had teased a circa-$60,000 starting price for the ID.4, the decision to take the facelifted models with a more powerful motor and 82kWh battery means it’s more likely to start in the $75-80K range (plus ORCs), positioning it way upstream of the Tesla Model Y (from $65,400 plus ORCs) that dominates the mid-size electric SUV segment.

The ID.5 will command a modest price premium, but a $75K-plus starting price for VW’s mid-size electric SUVs will put them in the firing line of the new breed of electric SUVs including the Ford Mustang Mach-E and the upcoming Toyota bZ4X and Subaru Solterra, as well as the Kia EV6 and Hyundai IONIQ 5.

The entry-level ID.4 gets a single motor outputting 210kW/545Nm and driving the rear wheels for a 0-100km/h time of 6.7 seconds.

AC charging can be conducted at 11kW and DC charging at up to 135kW, and both the ID.4 and ID.5 will come with a Mode 2 charge cable (to plug into a home powerpoint) as well as a Mode 3 Type 2 to Type 2 adapter to take advantage of some public chargers.

To justify the anticipated premium pricing, Volkswagen Australia has packed the ID.4 and ID.5 with gear.

Both will come with 19-inch wheels, adjustable dampers, matrix LED headlights, panoramic sunroof with a sunblind, tri-zone ventilation, powered tailgate, powered front seats with memory settings, Art Velour trim and ambient lighting with the choice of 30 colours.

There’s also an IQ Drive safety assist system incorporating auto braking, active cruise control, traffic jam assist and blind spot warning.

Plus there’s a small digital instrument cluster and 12.9-inch infotainment screen incorporating Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

The only options will be paint colours and a heat pump for added efficiency.

The dual-motor ID.4 GTX and ID.5 GTX, meantime, are each expected to creep closer to $90,000 and provide an alternative to the Tesla Model Y Long Range.

The addition of a more powerful 250kW/679Nm front motor creates all-wheel drive and makes for a 0-100km/h sprint time of 5.4sec.

Changes to the equipment list include 20-inch alloy wheels, Harman Kardon audio and sports seats with red highlights and integrated head restraints.

Volkswagen isn’t revealing its sales forecasts for now, saying on that “we’re a volume brand so we’re planning those larger volumes”, although the company concedes it won’t initially upset the Model Y’s sizeable sales volumes.

From a standing start, Volkswagen is promising to eventually become Australia's biggest provider of zero-emissions vehicles by releasing five EVs by the end of 2025, including the ID.4 and ID.5, followed by the ID. Buzz people-mover and ID. Buzz commercial van late this year and ID.3 small hatch, which has been delayed until next year.

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