Volkswagen brings new electric SUVs to South Africa

These vehicles will serve as testers to help make the manufacturer's eventual EV rollout on local soil more sensible and feasible. Testing these ID.4 Pros will be media and dealers, and Volkswagen plans to offer it with a leasing offer in 2025 and launch it in 2026. Because it's slated to retail in the next two years, there's no pricing available currently.

Although the approach taken here by Volkswagen may seem strange as the manufacturer has a strong EV presence in other markets, it actually seems sensible.

Volkswagen believes that EV sales in South Africa will pick up in the coming years and that infrastructure will improve, thus making EVs more affordable which in turn will favour sales. Added to this is that the brand wants to tailor its EVs to South African road conditions, and noted that the ID.4 Pro does not fit the current criteria yet, hence a test fleet launch of these vehicles here.

The feedback and data collected from the test fleet will be relayed to headquarters, which Volkswagen will use to its advantage. It took this same approach with an ID.Buzz Cargo test fleet. The test fleets are part of Volkswagen's overall EV roadmap strategy for South Africa. But why the ID.4 for Mzansi? Well, it's an SUV for starters, which has a strong appeal here. Secondly, it's the brand's most popular selling EV globally. Lastly, Volkswagen sees its range of 500km and ride height suitable for the market.

Gina Handley, manager of product marketing for Volkswagen Africa, explained more:

It takes a lot of work to get these cars into the market. There are a lot of engineering concerns and legislation challenges. One of the things we are still working on is the gravel road conditions in South Africa and making the car conducive to it.

Driving it

We tested the ID.4 Pro Performance variant at its launch during a brutal Cape storm, where we got a sense of its drive quality and capability. Despite it not being all-wheel drive, it proved to be a well-balanced vehicle in terms of handling and driving comfort on wet roads and in strong winds. The ID.4 Pro is built on Volkswagen's 100% electric MEB platform, which also underpins the ID.3.

Powering it is a 77kWh battery that can deliver 150kW power and 310Nm of torque on the rear. Torque is sent to a two-stage one-speed gearbox, and like with most EVs, the responsiveness from the accelerator pedal is almost instantaneous. Volkswagen says the Pro Performance accelerates from a standing start to 100km/h in 8.5 seconds and reaches a top speed limited at 160km/h. The manufacturer claims a 16.5 kWh/100km for consumption, but appropriate testing would have to verify the figure.

What about range anxiety?

Volkswagen claims the Pro Performance has a maximum range of 531km, which is decent, and with more charging stations gradually popping up over time the range offered here is likely to be sufficient for daily commutes and even longer journeys (granted the network between cities expands).

Better accessibility to charging stations would be favourable for an ID.4 Pro Performance owner as it can charge from 0% to 80% in 40 minutes from a 150kW DC station. With a home wall box, ID.4 models are charged with 11kW power.

Exterior and interior

The ID.4 Pro Performance stands out on the road due to its unusualness here. This coupled with the nation's love for the Volkswagen brand caught the eyes of many on our short stint with it. It's a mid-sized SUV, so it's not small but does have a hefty look to it. Volkswagen also said that its design is on the sportier side and we concur.

On the inside, there's a generous amount of space for all occupants, thanks to the architecture of the MEB platform. The interior design is straightforward and nothing feels overdone. Volkswagen pointed out that the seats are also 100% animal-free. A 5.3-inch display occupies the dash in front of the driver, which was odd at first as newer cars are built with big digital dash screens for the driver. However, it neatens up the overall look and it displays and we found it less distracting to the eye while driving.

Some features

The ID.4 Pro Performance has a number of features. Starting with the inside, it comes with a 10-inch infotainment system, 30 different colours of ambient lighting, adaptive cruise control, a smartphone tray for charging, a heated steering wheel, and split-folding rear backrests with load-through hatch and centre armrest. The exterior has LED headlights, LED daytime lights and roof rails. Safety-tech features include park assist, front assist, lane assist, and pedestrian monitoring.

Final thoughts

The ID.4 Pro Performance overall is a good car, but its pricing would give a better indication of how it competes against competitors. For the time being, its package and Volkswagen's method for its local EV rollout are well thought out. It's also exciting to know that South Africa's second best-selling car brand is in fact making a move on the local new energy vehicle scene. Time will only tell how everything pans out.