Volkswagen is touting a high-performance edition of its ID.4 electric SUV. The company says this exact model won’t come to the U.S., but something very much like it will.
In Germany, the new version retails for 50,415 Euros (about $61,000) – probably higher than what we can expect when something similar arrives stateside.
The ID.4 was recently named World Car of the Year by a jury of journalists from 29 countries, including our own Richard Homan. An all-electric midsize SUV with seating for five, the ID.4 boasts a 250-mile range and comes with three years of free charging at Electrify America’s recharging stations.
In its current guise, it employs one rear-mounted electric motor making 201 horsepower — more than enough to meet the day-to-day needs of most drivers. But Volkswagen traditionally produces high-performance editions of some cars. It appears the company isn’t going to miss the chance to build one for its first electric vehicle (EV).
Enter: the ID.4 GTX.
The GTX adds a second motor, on the front axle this time, bringing total power to 299 horsepower. VW claims a 0 to 60 mph time of 6.2 seconds. While that’s a respectable amount of punch, it’s not particularly impressive given that EVs generally accelerate faster than gasoline-powered cars. The base-model Ford Mustang Mach-E, for instance, manages a similar time for about the cost of the base-model ID.4 – and the high-performance versions of that car do it in less than four seconds. The similar Tesla Model Y Standard Range gets there in 5.2 seconds.
The dual-motor setup means the GTX is all-wheel-drive, giving it more grip for both hard acceleration and poor weather conditions.
The GTX looks much faster than the standard ID.4. New front and rear bumpers and a roofline spoiler give it a rakish appearance the base car doesn’t share. The gray contrast-color roof is handsome. And X-shaped taillights add a subtle hint of style. Inside, the ID.4 GTX gets a blue leatherette dash and door inserts, and red contrast-color stitching on the seats.
VW representatives tell us the ID.4 GTX won’t come to the U.S. in exactly this guise, and likely not under that name. But a dual-motor performance version is in the works for us.
