Off-roading is cool, and VW is looking for ways to show that its new ID.4 all-electric SUV can be cool, too. It’s created a new off-road version of the fun VW D.4 that sheds the scruffy lines of regular SUVs and elevates them to create an EV that looks like it can take on the next leg of a rally. Could this beefier concept preview a new ID.4 SUV?
Volkswagen calls it ID.XTREME, an off-road concept car
VW answered the question no one was asking; What happens when you turn an electric SUV into a beefy SUV? The basics are simple, with VW adding a “performance unit” to the rear axle and tweaking the car’s software to give this four-wheel-drive EV crossover off-road capability. The upgrades added 87 horsepower, for a total of 382 horsepower.
New system and software tweaks mean this crossover concept can now accelerate from 0-62 mph (or 100 kph) in 5.3 seconds. That’s more than three seconds faster than the standard ID.4 in rear-wheel-drive version. The new ID.XTREME is also 30mm taller, 20mm wider and has 18-inch wheels. In some ways it echoes VW’s EV Baja racer.
But, for an off-road vehicle designed to wade through water and mud, VW missed the obvious pun in this concept’s name: why not call it X-STREAM instead of XTREME?
Can the regular ID.4 go off-roading?
Any car is an SUV if you are off road. But, the ID.4 isn’t specifically designed for off-roading, though it is available with all-wheel drive. The base ID.4 starts at $37,495 and comes as a rear-wheel drive crossover. The move to all-wheel drive requires the ID.4 AWD Pro trim, which starts at $46,295. The Pro is almost as fast as the new ID.XTREME, with a 0-60 time of 5.7 seconds.
This crossover is designed for five people to come and go in comfort, not bomb the nearest fire road. It has very car-like 6.7-inch headroom, which won’t be of much use on the road. But, it is enough to get around the city. Although the stock car has a range of about 260 miles, or 324 for the updated ID.4 Pro, VW gave no range specs for the new ID.XTREME concept.
What parts of the new ID.XTREME could make it to the ID.4?
Concept cars like the ID.XTREME often provide a preview of new features designers are considering for upcoming iterations of a car. In this case, it looks like VW is testing new interior items. You could possibly use it to update the GTX appearance package, or perhaps the ID.BUZZ truck. However, automatic week notes that since the ID.4 is made in Tennessee, VW could make a market-specific ID.4.
On the ID.XTREME, the center of the rear seat was removed to accommodate a folding hatch. Up front, VW added a fixed console and some different trim. VW also used the concept to show its ability to change the sound to suit its character.