Thanks to the folks on r/VWid4owners sub we now have a full EV stable with the Pure Grey 2023 VW ID.4 Pro S AWD flanking my 2015 BMW i3.
I got a lot of great feedback about which model year to get and the lease information. We ended up doing the lease and I’ll buyout as soon as we get an account number. We were able to get $2100 off MSRP, the $7500 lease credit of course, and I negotiated an additional $2000 on our trade which also helped negate some of the excise tax. All in all I was really happy with the deal and how easy it was to deal with the dealer we bought from (previously bought a Golf R from them). It helped that there are 5-6 VW dealers within 30 minutes of us so I could legitimately shop their offers amongst them. The last unknown is whether I’ll get double taxed on the lease buyout in this state (MD) but the dealers all told me I would not so here’s hoping.
I was really sleeping on this car when looking at models to buy. It’s fantastic. So quiet inside compared to our previous MX-5 and my i3. In addition even with similar exterior dimensions it feels substantially more open and airy inside than the Mazda, especially with the roof shade open!
All the concerns about laggy software seem to have been overblown or resolved in the new software. It seems perfectly adequate to me and does what I need it to do. All the bells and whistles are nice though I do wish it had the power mirrors and rear seat heaters…but alas.
Planning to take it down to NC in a couple weeks so we’ll see how that goes. We previously drove my i3 down there (it has the REx) so this should be a breeze by comparison.
The only issue is the car net is just refusing to work. Pretty annoying, I even took it back to the dealer which solved half the problem (getting it online) but they still can’t get the features set up for whatever reason. It’s with car net IT now and they will get back to me eventually. I really only want it so I can remotely precondition the climate in the car. For now I can just go do it manually before we head out the door. Hopefully it will resolve soon! (Leaving this section in but shortly after I posted this in the ID.4 sub I got an email and text from VW and car net started working).
A couple early additions from me as a new owner: *The Spiegen screen protector is pricey but totally worth it. I peeled off the factory film, used the included frame to align the new screen protector and it went on perfectly with just 1-2 tiny bubbles that came out easily. [ Spigen Tempered Glass Screen… https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09HSQLJ7T?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share ]
*Bought the mini-USB mirror power tap for the dashcam. I know someone sells an integrated one but we just bought a Nexar one and are happy with the quality so for $23 bucks this seems better than fishing the power cord through the headliner etc. [ SimpleUSBCable 12V to MiniUSB Two-Prong Universal Dashcam Adapter https://a.co/d/fWRiz5L ] *Bought some cases for the keys…whose idea was it to make everything out of piano black. It looks great for precisely 10 seconds. Had the same issue with my Golf R. [ kwmobile Key Cover Compatible with VW Golf 8 – Black/Red https://a.co/d/fNEHfaz ]
*Bought a 3D printed no-drill front license plate bracket and backup camera shield on Etsy. Luckily they didn’t drill my front bumper like they did the rear. [ https://www.etsy.com/listing/1319332937/no-drilling-frontrear-license-plate?ref=share_v4_lx ]
*Got some meguiars wipes to try to keep the interior dust and fingerprints in check but it seems to leave some bluish residue that I have to come behind with microfiber. Maybe just a microfiber with Windex is the move.
That’s it for now.
