Looks like the VW ID.4 is popular

[gulfcoastguy]

Seen the recall on Tesla Model Y's? Something to do with improperly torqued bolts near the tie rods. Nothing like losing tire camber at highway speed. For the extra 10K that they charge I think that they could invest in a QC/QA department.

 

[turbobrick240]

Yeah, apparently they recalled about 440 Model Y after 3 were discovered with the issue. Thankfully, no accidents resulted from it. There was some other recall related to a piece of roof trim too I believe. Recalls happen. My VW wasn't immune from them either.

I'm sure you'll be pleased with your ID4, gulfcoastguy. Other than the brakes, it's been getting excellent reviews.

 

[El Dobro]

According to VW drum brakes are used in the back because actual physical brakes are seldom used. Most braking is by regeneration, converting the energy back to electricity and storing it for reuse. They were afraid disc brakes would rust from disuse. I believe it is twist beam suspension in the front and multilink in the back.

To keep the rear discs shiny on the Bolt and Spark, occasionally I'll put the cars in neutral, which turns the regenerative braking off, and use the brake pedal going down hills.

 

[RabbitGTI]

Less drag from drums and better for occasional use.

 

[turbobrick240]

That's the pitch anyhow. It's really a cost savings measure. The most technologically advanced EV's available today all use rear disc brakes without issue. But more of a concern than the drums themselves is the description of mushy brake feel in the reviews I've read. Hopefully that is something VW will address quickly.

 

[turbobrick240]

I put a $100 deposit down on the AWD version just because my work situation has me traveling far less (and by plane when I do). Figure there's no harm since it's refundable. 302hp/348tq and 0-60 in 5.8sec isn't bad at all for a crossover. The tax credit and hatchback is what leaned me closer to this vs a Tesla.

It looks like $7k tax credits will be back on offer for another round of 400k Tesla and GM EVs. So that shouldn't be a determining factor.

Congress May Give Tesla Buyers 400,000 More $7,000 Tax Credits | The Motley Fool

www-fool-com.cdn.ampproject.org

 

[adjat84th]

Not surprised. I don't care for the interior of the Teslas, and I don't want to get something quicker than my Golf or I'll never drive it!
We'll see how it all shakes out, betting on the dual motor ID.4 not coming till late this year.

 

[gulfcoastguy]

I wouldn’t be to sure about extending the tax break back to Tesla’s. That would likely require a tax increase just to make the world’s richest man richer.
of more concern is the legal case between LG and SKI battery makers. The legal decision is that SKI’s new plant in Georgia can only make batteries for Ford for 4 years and for VW for two. GM and Tesla are throwing a party over that.

 

[turbobrick240]

I think the extended tax credit legislation will sail through fairly effortlessly with Democrats in control of the house, senate, and executive branch. It shouldn't much matter if that happens to also benefit the man responsible for sending our astronauts to space.

In addition to his good relationship with Herbert Diess, Musk founded Tesla with the mission statement of accelerating our transition to more sustainable means of transport. So I doubt he is feeling much schadenfreud over the struggles of VW and other automakers to ramp up their EV programs. The total addressable market for EVs is so large that it isn't a zero sum game, and won't be for quite some time.

 

[gulfcoastguy]

It’s easy to be friendly when you’re eating their lunch.

 

[turbobrick240]

It's a gigantic buffet. Nobody need go hungry. Naturally, consumers will gravitate toward the tastiest dishes.

 

[oilhammer]

I like simple dishes. Maybe bland, but it keeps me fed and is cheap.

 

[turbobrick240]

Same here. I'll take shepherd's pie over sushi and avocado toast every time. That's the great thing about a good buffet- there's something for everyone.

 

[Metal Man]

On the drum/ disc brake issue. I have two 19 E Golfs and one thing you notice with them and a common forum complaint or question is about rear brake noise. You can hear them at low speeds, nothing obnoxious, just the friction between the pads and rotors. So I wonder if that entered into the equation a little, assuming maybe the drums are quieter.

 

[gulfcoastguy]

That is a possibility. Nice to hear from the owner of a battery powered VW. Say did you get close to the promised range per charge?

 

[Metal Man]

The government says it's good for 125 miles. In the summer that's easy to beat if you drive conservetly. Everything goes against an EV in the winter and depending on how warm you want it inside you can cut the range drastictly. The difference in range between 20F and the 40F we had yesterday is huge on an EV.

 

[turbobrick240]

Lots of new reviews on the recently arrived 1st edition ID4. Doug DeMuro seems quite impressed by it. It's about time legacy auto made an affordable EV with decent specs and good looks. Things are about to heat up in the EV marketplace.

Doug DeMuro Reviews 2021 Volkswagen ID.4, It’s Full of Quirks and Features

Now available to order in the United States from as low as $39,995, the Volkswagen ID.4 for the 2021 model year has also impressed Doug DeMuro

www.autoevolution.com

 

[IndigoBlueWagon]

I made a new year's resolution in 2020 to never watch a Doug DeMuro video again. My life is better for it

 

[oilhammer]

"Affordable" LMAO.... yeah, sure. I guess for some.

 

[turbobrick240]

I hear that. I've never spent over $25k on a vehicle myself. But considering that the average price Americans pay for new cars/trucks is ~$35k....., the ID4 is within that range after the federal tax credit. And the cost of ownership should be considerably less than a similarly priced combustion vehicle.

 

[IndigoBlueWagon]

Regarding total ownership cost, I think what remains to be seen is what an ID-4 or any current EV will be worth in 5 years when its battery life is well below the then improved industry norms, and all the electronics look like they came from an aging Texas Instruments device. Owners may get killed on resale value. Most reviewers maintain that EVs should be leased, not purchased, for this reason. Which, of course, means you don't get the tax credit.

I seriously doubt there are many new EV buyers out there...yet...who are making that purchase decision to save money.

 

[turbobrick240]

Hey, that's a low blow against TI. Visually, my '82 99/4A was well ahead of its time, lol. And Parsec was a pretty kickass early video game.

As far as resale values go, the Teslas at least have maintained their value better than just about anything from legacy auto thus far. Going forward, I think the EV industry will see fairly standard depreciation in vehicles.

 

[oilhammer]

I still have my TI 99/4A (and all my game cartridges) in my basement. I even have the voice module.

 

[turbobrick240]

That voice module was cutting edge for the time. "Nice shooting, pilot!"

 

[Rob Mayercik]

TI99/4A? Was a bit ahead of its time - a 16-bit machine when everyone else was still 8-bit.

Still have the one my father bought in 1980 and all the cartridges we accumulated (though Extended BASIC and Logo II are a bit flaky), as well as the speech module, aftermarket expansion memory, and joysticks. Many happy hours spent playing Parsec, TI Invaders, Pole Position, Moon Patrol....

 

[oilhammer]

I taught my self Basic on that machine, which at the time was similar enough to other systems' Basic (the Radio Shack TRS80 "Trash Eighty", for instance) that I could cause all sorts of commotion in school. I think had I not been so into cars, I would probably be in a very different place in my life now had I stayed with computers. Although I really have no regrets, and of course in some ways the computers and cars have come together anyway. Which is sort of why I cringe at some of the absurdity and complexity that is completely needless in some of today's cars.

I think back to how simple Bosch L-jet was.... *sigh*....

 

[Rob Mayercik]

Geez, your school sounds like mine - other than a couple of Commodore 64s, the only school computers I encountered were the old TRS-80s (couple of the model 2, but mostly the Model 3/4 units that were keyboard, monitor, and disk drive(1 or 2) all in a single "box".

And yes, seemed like different computer companies had their own dialects of BASIC back then (as evidenced by the "Micro Adventures" books, where you had to enter/debug/run BASIC programs as part of following the plot of the books, they had adaptions for Apple, Commodore, Amiga, TI, etc..)

 

[IndigoBlueWagon]

As far as resale values go, the Teslas at least have maintained their value better than just about anything from legacy auto thus far.

You do realize that's a very low bar. Last night I stumbled on a video of a guy who had recently bought a '10 335d. The car he got was probably $55K new, he paid $10K ten years later. Most luxury cars depreciate like that. I recall that Tesla benchmarked the resale value of the Model S against the S-Class Mercedes. Not much risk in that, as values of those cars, along with BMW 7 Series and Audi A8s, plummet once the cars are out of warranty.

 

[turbobrick240]

Geez, your school sounds like mine - other than a couple of Commodore 64s, the only school computers I encountered were the old TRS-80s (couple of the model 2, but mostly the Model 3/4 units that were keyboard, monitor, and disk drive(1 or 2) all in a single "box".

My elementary school had a single Apple II in the library. We would play Oregon Trail any chance we got. It was all about the hunt from what I recall. Having to use a boot disk seemed laborious coming from the TI. There was a pricing war between the cheaper Commodore 64 and the 99/4A that sent TI for the exits. I remember going into a Kmart with my dad and filling up a cart with $50 TI consoles at the height of the price war. Pretty funny looking back. They were quality units even if they weren't really designed for the 16 bit architecture.

 

[turbobrick240]

You do realize that's a very low bar. Last night I stumbled on a video of a guy who had recently bought a '10 335d. The car he got was probably $55K new, he paid $10K ten years later. Most luxury cars depreciate like that. I recall that Tesla benchmarked the resale value of the Model S against the S-Class Mercedes. Not much risk in that, as values of those cars, along with BMW 7 Series and Audi A8s, plummet once the cars are out of warranty.

The bar may be low for luxury brands, but I include Honda and Toyota under the legacy auto umbrella. There's almost no point in buying a two or three year old Model 3 when you can get a brand new one for nearly the same price. But if some major battery breakthrough emerges, I could see a significant depreciation of older EV tech happening I suppose.