Volkswagen ID.4 becomes an "electric Tiguan": what does the major update entail
Kyiv • UNN
The 2027 Volkswagen ID.4 is expected to undergo a major update in design, battery, and technology, making it practically a new car. The model will receive the MEB+ architecture with lithium-iron-phosphate batteries and, likely, a new name, ID. Tiguan.
The 2027 Volkswagen ID.4 will receive significant updates in design, battery, and technology, so significant that it will practically be a new car. New features include a redesigned MEB+ architecture with lithium iron phosphate batteries, UNN reports with reference to Autoblog.
Details
The first facelift of the Volkswagen ID.4 could be critically important. Competition is intensifying like never before, and alternatives from Ford, Tesla, and Hyundai are cheaper than the ID.4, the publication writes. While it is not yet known whether VW plans to introduce a more affordable trim level for the 2027 model update, insiders say that this will not just be a facelift, but such a massive update that it is practically a new take on the compact electric crossover, which seems to explain the significant changes in the car's design, which is internally called the "electric Tiguan."
Rumor has it that it will even be named ID. Tiguan. The ID.4 will not only get a more expressive exterior, but also, thanks to an improved platform and technology, not to mention a real name, it will be able to justify its higher price, the publication writes.
The new ID.4 will receive both a "facelift" and a "Brazilian lift" of the rear, with updated optics and more aggressive bumpers at the front and rear of the compact crossover. The headlights will be larger and less rounded, losing soft edges in favor of angular lines. The headlights will remain connected by a full-width LED strip (some EV trends may never disappear), although it seems each headlight cluster will retain the tapered upper edge characteristic of the current ID.4 and other V-shaped pickups. First and foremost, it should resemble the upcoming ID. Polo, which, thanks to Andreas Mindt, received an even more expressive design, but perhaps also a significantly inflated price, the publication points out. The rear of the ID.4 will retain the full-width LED strip, but if you ignore the camouflage stickers, the new design will be more rectangular, sharper, and less sagging. Naturally, the side profile looks unchanged, but that doesn't mean it's the same car.
According to the publication's sources, the updated ID.4 will be built on the modernized MEB+ architecture with modern battery cells, including lithium iron phosphate (L-IF) batteries, which typically have a lower energy density than the current liquid-cooled lithium-ion or nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) batteries of the ID.4, but are more durable, less harmful to the planet, and safer. Thanks to new technologies, the updated ID.4 should be more efficient and have a longer range. However, according to reports, the powertrains themselves only need minor updates. But the interior...
While there are no photos yet, the interior of the next ID.4 will be proof that VW listens to its customers, the publication writes. The cabin will feature physical buttons on the steering wheel and switches on the center console, as customers have long wanted, as well as new software that includes an updated IDA voice assistant with ChatGPT. The new software will also allow for pre-heating the battery (which was not possible on ID.4 models before 2024) and, pleasantly, choosing a retro dashboard, for example, from the Golf Mk. 1.