First Drive: Volkswagen ID. 4, ID. 4 GTX and Skoda Enyaq

The folks at Volkswagen Singapore hosted select members of the automotive press at Love Handle a couple of weeks back. The purpose? For us to sample their latest electric vehicle offerings.

And the choice of venue is very apt, considering that Love Handle, like the ID cars and the Enyaq, is all about providing a familiar yet sustainable experience. As I’m nowhere near to being a food critic, let’s focus on the true stars of the show (or test drive) - Volkswagen’s all-new ID.4 and ID.4 GTX cars, and Skoda’s Enyaq.

The journalists were separated into groups of three, and assigned different cars for each of three sessions. We (my Motorist colleague Mu’tasim and current Ignition Labs writer Sean Loo) were first told to commandeer the Skoda Enyaq for the very first phase of the test drive.

A recommended route was laid out for us, that would see us bringing the cars to Clementi and 99 Bends via Keppel. Most of the journalists ended up not following the pre-planned itinerary, as they deviated from the route to complete their photo and video shoots.

First Up, the Skoda Enyaq

We were impressed immediately with the Enyaq - but not for its mechanical prowess. Despite being a future-forward electric SUV, the cabin is surprisingly, and refreshingly, simple. If you’ve spent any length of time in a Volkswagen Group product, you’d instinctively know how to operate all of the gubbins within the cabin. The only issue that we did have with the car, was that the driver’s display was a little on the smaller side.

Other than that, cabin space is generous, and excellent sound insulation makes for calm commutes. It isn’t the fastest machine off-the-line, and the brakes could do with more bite, but we can’t help but feel that these were decisions taken to discourage users from driving spiritedly.

Then It’s Into the Volkswagen ID.4

Spatially, the cars felt very similar. And why would they not? They are based on the same Volkswagen Group MEB platform. In my opinion, the overall execution of the design appears to be more cohesive in the ID.4, though my two co-drivers would beg to differ.

They are very similar performance-wise, with one major difference - the ID.4 has brakes that are slightly more responsive than its Skoda cousin. Of the three cars featured in this first drive, this would actually be the one I’d actually buy, as it feels like the most conventional of the trio.

Ending off With the ID.4 GTX

The GTX is essentially a GTI for the electric age. Unlike the previous two models we’ve driven, the ID.4 GTX is four wheel drive, with the two electric motors developing a combined 220 kW. This allows the car to be propelled from a standstill to 100 km/h in just 6.2 seconds.

On the move, you can definitely tell that this is no low-slung hot hatch. But it manages to regulate its mass very nicely still. This is partially due to its impressive traction control system, which kills any form of traction loss, but its low centre of gravity probably also contributes to its relative stability.

Volkswagen Products in an Electric Age

The ID.4 and Enyaq shows us that Volkswagen and Skoda will continue to churn out quality vehicles that are still excellent value in the era of electric cars. All three cars featured would happily do daily duties, and they’d all have enough range to make the occasional shopping trip further up North. And they all have sufficient cargo space to accommodate all of your purchases too.

All three cars are set to officially be made available for consumers later this year - we’ll provide an update when the cars are ready for public sale!

Read More: mReview: 2023 Skoda Octavia 1.0 Style - Stylish Sensibility

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