Our editor heads south for the ultimate late-summer road trip with Volkswagen’s all-electric ID.4 GTX
Few things round out a New Zealand summer quite like a road trip. And while our summer lacked a whole lot of sunshine, on the last official weekend of the warmer months, my partner and I made a pact to make the most of it—so we took to the road, and headed south.
Things were a little different than the usual: I was behind the wheel of the Volkswagen ID.4 GTX, one of the marque’s latest in their line of electric vehicles (which was a huge win in this climate). I’d heard great things about the car, mainly on performance and ultra-modern comforts, and only a mere 45 km down the Southern Motorway, I was convinced: this was the kind of car I needed in my life, road trip or not.
Our journey began as all good summer roadies should—throwing the bags in the boot, stocking up on snacks and getting a playlist sorted. There’s a good sound system in this car, by the way. Harmon Kardon speakers are an upgrade to this model, and one that truly do make long drives that bit better.
The ID.4 GTX, as it should be, is the kind of vehicle that handles the road with ease. I put the car to its paces on the Waikato Expressway, and it had a surprising amount of uptake that I’d never really expect in an electric vehicle. But then, maybe my ideas of what cars like this are and how they drive were outdated. And as with all good road trips, detours down windy shingle roads were certain, where the all-wheel drive navigated the tricky turns with unexpected ease, delivering us to destinations where swimming holes and real fruit ice creams were plenty.
Beyond the places the car could take us, driving the ID.4 GTX became an experience in itself. Ultra-modern was the brief for this interior, and Volkswagen really has pulled out all of the stops here: the enlarged sunroof really put us right in the centre of our surrounds (and was very vibe through patches of rain) and the large touch display becomes a centralised hub of all the capabilities of the car on offer.
And as this is a performance car, first and foremost, the seats themselves draw on racing cues, ensuring the long journey ahead could be undertaken with comfort and solid support. The steering wheel (heated by the way), is designed to help handle the car with ease, and to alleviate any potential range anxiety—although we really felt next to none—the battery percentage can be displayed on the front dashboard at all times, helping the driver gauge their output (and see how the regenerative braking can really add a little extra range). And, intuitive start, once we got the hang of it, meant there wasn’t even any need for the push of a button—the car wakes up intuitively when both driver and keys are in the front seat, and all you need to do is put your foot on the brake to begin the journey.
We spent the night in our favourite place, tucked away in a divine suite at Hilton Lake Taupō, and when it came time to leave the next morning, recharging to get on the road couldn’t been easier. We’d checked out of the hotel, and decided to take a little look around town—EV right of way makes finding premium parking space that much easier, and we tapped our keys on the charger, returning 45 minutes later laden with bags and iced coffees (this is where the sensor-activated boot opening came in really handy) to a fully recharged battery, which boasts a mighty 519km range—more than enough to see us back to the city, with a few detours along the way.
The weather turned somewhat gloomy as we dipped back into the Auckland region, and traffic—as expected—began to back up. We were comfortable, though: good music, some road trip snacks on hand, and when the thought of the final stretch of road got too painful and tiresome, the in-seat massagers were switched on to help lighten the load a little.
This is the kind of car that makes you want to go on more roadies, escape the city on a Friday after work—not only because it instils an innate sense of adventure in you, but simply because, a car like this is too good not to be driven.
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