Volkswagen ID.4

There's an entry-level 52kWh ID.4 model available with the brand's Pure 170PS motor (which goes up to 224 miles between charges).

The bigger-battery 77kWh variants come with Volkswagen's latest APP550 Pro Performance electric motor, first seen on the ID.7, which delivers 286PS and puts out a massive 75% more torque than the original model's motor (up from 310 to 545Nm).

There's a dual-motor AWD 4MOTION variant too - which might avert the need to stretch to the top sporty ID.4 GTX 4MOTION flagship sporty derivative, which puts out 340PS, enough to get you to 62mph in 5.4s.

Despite the APP550 motor's extra torque, Volkswagen's managed to make the upgraded 286PS powerplant more effcient in recent times: the rear-driven ID.4 77kWh variant is now supposed to make it up to 351 miles between charges - or 325 miles in 4MOTION form and 321 miles in GTX guise.

The battery is a reworked version of the 77kWh unit that featured at this ID.4's original launch in 2021 and has gained a new charging management system.

The brand claims that the steering now has greater feedback than before too. Otherwise, the whole ID.4 experience should be familiar if you've tried one previously.

If you haven't, there's a bit to adapt to if this is your first experience of EV motoring.

No gearstick, no handbrake, no ignition key and just the sound of silence as the fixed ratio transmission blends an almost endless wave of torque into meaningful and surprisingly rapid forward progress.

Like Volkswagen's original post-war Beetle, base versions of this car are rear-driven and when you drive such an ID.4 in town, you quickly realise the real advantages of placing the powertrain - the electric motor and its associated single-speed auto gearbox - on the back axle, thereby freeing up the front wheels for steering duties; the result is a London taxi-like 10.2-metre turning circle.

Beyond the city limits, that drive format allows for a near-50:50 almost perfect weight distribution which, together with the low centre of gravity provided by the central battery pack placement, helps disguise the portly weight this SUV must carry around.

Traction through the turns is excellent and body roll is checked by firm damping cleverly engineered for suppleness over poor surfaces.

All of which ought to provide the recipe for a decently sporting EV - and in some ways it does. There are four drive settings common across the model line-up - 'Comfort', 'Sport' and 'Individual'.

Plus you get an 'Eco' setting that, to maximise range, you'll need to frequently use in combination with the available 'B' regenerative braking function, which slows the car significantly when you come off the accelerator.

The GTX models has an extra 'Traction' mode too.

There are no significant exterior visual changes to this ID.4.

As before, it shares many styling cues with its ID.3 hatch stablemate but it's a slightly bigger thing, 4,584mm long, 1,852mm wide and 1,612mm tall.

To give you some perspective, that makes it a little longer and wider than Volkswagen's more conventional Tiguan mid-sized SUV.

Full-LED headlights are standard and top models get big 20 or 21-inch wheels. The big difference lies inside, where there's a new bigger 12.9-inch infotainment central touchscreen, with simpler menus, a more intuitive control structure and a more responsive IDA voice assistant.

This offers fresh functions, including cloud-based weather information and the status of sporting events or stock market prices.

Volkswagen has (at last) illuminated the cabin temperature control sliders.

Plus the driving mode selector has been moved to the steering column and the optional augmented reality head-up display system has been enhanced.

You still have to put up with a very small (5.3-inch) instrument display. Overall, build quality is generally good but cheaper plastics still betray the cost cutting necessary to undergird all that sophisticated EV technology.

As previously, the interior design has an airy but minimalist and rather clinical feel which Volkswagen has tried unsuccessfully to lift by imprinting 'Play' and 'Pause' symbols on the two footwell pedals. At the back, as before, there's comfortable space for a couple of adults (it'd be a squash for three).

And there's a very decently-sized 543-litre boot, extendable to 1,575-litres with the rear seat folded.

A tonne of weight can be towed too if you specify the optional tow bar.

The three most affordable versions of the ID.4 now qualify for the government's £1,500 Electric car Grant - which makes this car look usefully more affordable.

With that grant deduction in place, the ID.4 range kicks off with a base 'Pure Essential' 52kWh model that uses a 170PS motor and costs around £37,000 - with around £2,500 more for a plusher 'Match'-spec version.

Otherwise, your ID.4 will have a 77kWh battery and the VW Group's latest 286PS APP550 motor.

If you want this bigger-battery powertrain with the government grant, you'll have to stick with base 'Pro Essential' trim, which with grant deduction costs around £37,000.

To have your ID.4 77kWh model with plusher 'Pro Match' trim takes this VW over the government grant's £42,000 cost cap - which is why that plusher variant looks so much pricier, up at nearly £45,000.

The dual motor 77kWh Pro 4MOTION models start from around £46,000, while the top sporty GTX 4MOTION variant costs from just over £52,000.

The GTX is the only variant that can be had with Volkswagen's (now improved) DCC adaptive damping system. All ID.4s come with full-LED headlamps, LED tail lights, rain sensing wipers, all-round parking sensors, heated windscreen washer jets and an alarm.

Inside, all versions feature the 'ID.Light', a wide, narrow light strip under the windscreen that assists the driver by flashing or moving in different colours to draw attention to various functions.

There's also an 'Air Care Climatronic' 2-Zone air conditioning system, a leather-trimmed and a heated multi-function steering wheel.

The upholstery is a smart alcantara-like 'Art Velours' microfleece and the front seats are heated, plus there's an auto-dimming rear view mirror, an electric auxiliary air heater, a wireless smartphone charger and an ambient lighting set-up with up to 30 colour options.

As we said in our 'Driving' section, driving range with more recent versions of this ID.4 has increased significantly to as much as 351 miles thanks to the new APP550 motor.

The other significant change is an increase in charging speed to 175kW - though the base 52kWh 170PS model can still only charge at at just 145kW. To achieve the quoted range figure, you'll need to frequently use the provided 'Eco' drive mode setting, ideally in combination with the available 'B' regenerative braking function, which slows the car significantly when you come off the accelerator.

Whatever ID.4 model you select, your charging regime should be quite straightforward.

There's a 'We Charge' app that helps you find and use over 150,000 public charge points.

An AC1-phase 7.4kW garage wallbox would replenish the 77kWh battery from zero in about twelve hours.

Out and about at a DC3 100kW charge point, it'll take no more than around 30 minutes to recharge your ID.4 with enough direct current to cover the next 137 miles. You should also make savings in BiK payments (there's the usual 3% EV rating), as well as exemption (until the 2026 review) from road tax and ULEZ/congestion charging.

Volkswagen says that its aim is to make sure that the battery pack lasts as long as the car and, sure enough, that battery pack is warrantied to have at least 70% of its usable capacity after eight years or 100,000 miles.

This still isn't yet a mainstream Volkswagen model, but the day isn't very far off when it will be.

When that happens, we can only hope that EVs will have become rather more affordable than they are now.

But if this ID.4 sells globally in the kind of numbers Volkswagen is hoping for, that's unlikely to happen.

Like all brands, the Wolfsburg maker will charge what customers show they're prepared to pay. So is this ID.4 worth its sticker price? We weren't entirely certain when we tried this car in its original form, but this updated version's greater power, longer range and improved cabin make it a much more credible alternative to established mid-sized class EV rivals. Ultimately, if all you care about in a Crossover EV of this kind is value and driving range, this probably won't be your first choice.

But if your priorities are a little broader than that, this ID.4 might well have your number.