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Two of the most popular electric vehicles in the world, the Volkswagen ID.4 and ID.5, have just gotten updates and are now available better than ever in the UK.
So, the first question is: what’s changed?
First of all, max range has gotten a boost to 339 miles (546 km), and I’m sorry, but if you need more range than that, then you need to reconsider your life choices and hydrate more. That’s especially the case in the UK, where driving more than 300 miles would often result in driving into the ocean or driving in circles. The ID.4 got an increase in range of about 10.5 miles (16.9 km), going up to 337 miles (542 km), while the ID.5 got a range increase of 11.8 miles (19 km), up to 339 miles.
Secondly, torque is improved — a lot. With the new drive unit the ID.4 and ID.5 are getting, torque is increased by a whopping 75%. It has gone from 310 Nm to 545 Nm. We’re still not talking an ID.4 Plaid or ID.5 Insane Mode or anything, but these comfortable family cars can now go from 0–62 mph in 5.4 seconds. That is plenty fast, and I don’t know how much sense there is in making consumer cars go quicker.
With more range and more power comes faster charging as well. The flagship electric models from Volkswagen (until the ID.7 hits shores at least) can add 110 miles in a charge in just about 10 minutes. That’s often not enough time to use the bathroom and get a coffee or snack. In terms of max power, the charging rate has gone up from 135 kW to 175 kW.
Naturally, the ID.4 and ID.5 also got infotainment improvements. (You can’t have a model upgrade without infotainment improvements.) The touchscreen is a bit larger, rising to 12.9 inches. Volkswagen also says it’s a “[more] intuitive menu structure and controls.” And that includes “illuminated sliders for cabin temperature.” The augmented reality head-up display — which is an option, not standard — has reportedly been improved as well. The IDA voice assistant has also been improved. It “responds even more precisely to natural voice commands and offers new functions, including cloud-based weather information and the status of sporting events or stock market prices. ”
A new Harman Kardon sound system improves the speakers and sound quality in the EVs.
And, perhaps most important of all but left for last, there’s a new color available — Costa Azul blue metallic.
Lovely!
Images courtesy of Volkswagen UK
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