Almost 48 years ago, in 1974, Volkswagen revolutionized the world of motors by creating the legendary one Golf GTI, the first sporty compact, versatile but fun to drive. In almost 50 years, many things have changed, but the GTI badge remains synonymous with sportiness and fun for everyday life. Today, however, the GTI myth takes a new form, dedicated to electric cars. We tried it in preview Volkswagen ID.4 GTX, the first car of the house to proudly carry this new logo on the bodywork. GTX aims to be what GTI was for gasoline cars, that is combine sportiness and everyday usability, and debuts wearing a multifaceted model like ID.4. How did you manage in the Veronese hills? Let’s find out together.
The aesthetic innovations of Volkswagen ID.4 GTX: brand new wheels, black details and GTX badges
Since 1974, however, many things have changed. The Golf GTI itself, from a small sports car with just over 100 HP, is now equipped with 245 HP, while the extreme Clubsport reaches 300. In addition, the sportiness with the legendary red thread and the tartan seats has remained declined to compact sunglasses, from Polo to small Lupo and up! with GTI logo. Above all, however, Volkswagen has declined its sportiness also through power supplies that were not only petrol. Just think of the best sellers GTD, the Volkswagen diesel sports cars, and the young ones GTE, plug-in hybrids that are fun to drive. But today Volkswagen has decided to bring the magic recipe of the GTI to a new category of cars, the electric.
This is why the new GTX brand, which will represent the top of the range and most powerful version of the electric cars in the range. The starting recipe, however, will remain unchanged. Sportier but always elegant and calm aesthetics, specific interiors with unique materials and colors, more power under the hood and a driving experience capable of combining sportiness, fun and everyday usability. After our ID.4, the second car that will wear the GTX wording is next ID.5, the coupe version of the ID.4 with which it should share the 299 hp. The version most awaited by fans, however, will be the ID.3 GTX, which with its low center of gravity and already fun driving dynamics could surprise. Her arrival, however, is not yet certain: we hope that VW will give her the green light.
For now, though, let’s focus on the ID.4 GTX. So, Is this Volkswagen ID.4 GTX fun on the road like a petrol GTI? For this answer, scroll further down, because first you have to see what changes compared to the original ID.4. The differences of this GTX version are few, but they make it quite different from the traditional versions of the German electric SUV. On the peaceful and friendly lines of ID.4, the moldings in glossy black on the front appear, inside which they are set three vertical LED nuggets. The front always sports a sportier bumper, and the headlights are i Matrix LED IQ.Light standard on every GTX: equipped with the “eye” optical group, as our Fjona would say. To recognize them, just notice the horizontal light bar that joins the two headlights.
On the side, the sportier of the ID.4s proudly displays the GTX logo just below the rear-view mirrors, and gods 20-inch wheels with exclusive low-profile tires for the sportier version. In addition, the lower part of the doors is painted in body color, et al opposite roof and mirrors are always black. These details are noticeable in the black model of our test, much more with the white or red colors, the launch color. In the end, the C-pillar is painted in a third color, anthracite gray. The other detail of the model is also painted in anthracite gray, which makes it immediately distinguished from a normal ID.4. I’m talking about the rear diffuser which embellishes the rear bumper, and gives the ID.4 GTX a more muscular and important look.
Also behind, another GTX badge and a rear wing, discreet but sporty. Very beautiful then i Full LED headlights with 3D light signature and dynamic arrows, which give a beautiful luminous signature to the car. All these elements together give the ID.4 GTX an aesthetic that echoes the essence of gasoline GTIs. Sporty and dynamic, yet elegant and never tacky, managing to give dynamism and a touch of sportiness to the peaceful and family SUV lines of the “normal” ID.4.
Inside, blue and red reign: the passenger compartment of the ID.4 GTX is more serious but also sportier
If the novelties compared to a normal ID.4 are discreet and inconspicuous, within the environment it really is similar to that of ID.4, but with a touch of sportiness that makes everything more satisfying. There layout of the controls, the 5.3-inch digital instrument cluster and the10 or 12 inch infotainment touch are identical to ID.4, as is the huge availability of space both front and back. The innovations are in fact limited to the specific seats, dashboard and steering wheel.
I seats they have more pronounced side panels and a sportier and more particular aesthetic: they are covered in imitation leather and black Alcantara with red stitching, and have the GTX logo embroidered on the back. The steering wheel is covered in black leather with red stitching, and on the third race it has the GTX logo and a red color detail. Already this detail differentiates it from the other ID.4s, which may have a candid white steering wheel, but the biggest novelty is the central fascia of the dashboard, covered in dark blue soft-touch material with red stitching. This part, the only one in the soft material of a carefully assembled dashboard, is the one that most changes the aesthetics of the interior of the Volkswagen ID.4 GTX.
In fact, despite the few changes on a technical and aesthetic level, this color combines elegance and sportiness. And that is exactly what VW wanted to achieve when it chose this color combination. Midnight blue represents electric mobility, respect for the environment, while red, of course, represents the sphere of sportsmanship. The dark blue-red combination is also echoed on the doors, and gives a different glance to the interior. Then the aluminum pedals with the symbols Pause on the brake and Play on the accelerator: aah, the typical German sense of humor … The environment is minimal, technological and bright thanks to the large windscreen and panoramic glass roof. What is certain is that if you are looking for a lot of sportiness, the environment is more refined but does not differ too much from a normal ID.4.
However, if from an aesthetic point of view this may be a sin for some, on the other hand for habitability and practicality it is an enormous value. The large, regular 543-liter trunk it is in fact identical to the other ID.4, and the space for things and people in the passenger compartment is immense. In Tiguan dimensions, in fact (it is 4.58 m long, 1.85 wide and 1.61 high) it offers an interior space like Touareg, with rear passengers having tens of cm of space available. Finally, on a technological level, it incorporates the excellent characteristics of the other ID.4s. To get to know it better, I refer you to the DrivingFjona video where we get to know the German electric SUV better.
The biggest innovations are under the skin: four-wheel drive, 299 HP and solutions that help in committed driving
Aesthetically, therefore, the ID.4 GTX adds a few and targeted changes to the original recipe, without putting too much emphasis on sportiness. The biggest news, in fact, are right under the skin. Based on the MEB platform, the modular basis of all Volkswagen Group electric cars, Volkswagen ID.4 GTX stands out from its siblings by a extra dose of power and all-wheel drive.
In fact, if the most powerful of the ID.4 reaches 204 HP, it has only one rear rear engine and sprints from 0 to 100 km / h in about 9 seconds, Volkswagen ID.4 GTX adds around 100 bhp, a second front engine and a lot of acceleration. The power, thanks to the two engines, reaches i 299 hp, or 220 kW, and all-wheel drive thanks to the presence of two engines. To the main rear motor, permanent magnet synchronous, the ID.4 GTX adds a smaller asynchronous front motor. This solution, less efficient in exploiting energy, is however more lively, has more power for the same size and is suitable for use only when needed.
In most situations, the ID.4 GTX uses the main rear engine. In situations of poor grip, when all performance is required or in a road full of curves, however, the front engine gives the car excellent traction and much better performance than the 204 HP version. If the full speed self-limited was in fact raised from 160 to 180 km/h, 0-100 km / h acceleration is really fast, with a time of 6.2 seconds. To contextualize the data, ID.4 GTX is one tenth faster than a 245 hp Golf 8 GTI. Not bad, considering the mass and size involved!
To be able to manage mass and dimensions at best, Volkswagen ID.4 GTX uses a suspension 2 cm lower, with lowered and stiffened suspension and the electronically controlled shock absorber system DCC. Like any self-respecting sports Volkswagen, we also find the Drive Profile selector for driving modes. On the ID.4 GTX, there are 5 driving modes: Eco, Comfort, Traction for difficult surfaces, Sport and Individual. In Individual, it is possible to set the response of the engine, steering and above all shock absorbers, choosing from 15 positions, from the softest to the hardest.
In addition, the Volkswagen ID.4 GTX uses other ingenious solutions to maximize driving pleasure. First, it comes standard progressive steering, which makes the steering more dynamic and responsive, and there is no lack of XDS + system, also seen on other cars of the Casa del Popolo. This system simulates the operation of a mechanical self-locking differential, applying micro-clamps to the brakes to allow the car to better download the power to the ground. The XDS + system uses the same principle to make a system available to the driver Torque Vectoring, always acting on the individual brakes to maximize agility, stability and driving precision. If, on the other hand, you want to drive “dirty”, the traction control ESC has a Sport mode which leaves some degree of freedom to the rear.
But how does the Volkswagen ID.4 GTX go on the road? Sporty but polite, with reference silence and traction
But so how do you drive …