Though electric cars are more efficient and accessible than ever, they are probably not anyone’s first thought when planning on going off-roading. Not only are they often cars that are lower to the ground, but no one wants to get to the middle of nowhere and not have any charging stations handy. Volkswagen, however, is not deterred. Two of their ordinary ID.4s were just slightly modified to compete in long distance desert races. And though their placement at the finish line wasn’t anything to write home about, the fact that these commuter friendly electric ID.4s actually made it to those finish lines across hundreds of miles of desert is impressive. Our friends over at Car and Driver were given the opportunity to take the two ID.4s out for a spin in the desert outside of Palm Springs. And just to keep things interesting, VW brought along a ‘69 Beetle so they could see how far VW has come.
Making a Volkswagen ID.4 Ready for an Off-Road Desert Race
First off, let’s take a look at our two ID.4s. The ID.4 in general is an all-electric crossover SUV with a range of about 250 miles that was first produced by Volkswagen for North America in 2021. Our first desert-seeking ID.4 first got its tires sandy when it made it across the finish line at the end of the 1400 mile long Rebelle Rally in America’s desert Southwest. The Rebelle ID.4 is an all-wheel drive model that Car and Driver said was only upgraded with specialized tires, “skid plates, stronger suspension arms and a repositioned radiator.”
The second competitor—this time just a rear wheel drive model—completed the National Off-Road Racing Association’s Mexican 1000 which took place on the Baja Peninsula in Mexico. This second car had a few more mods, including “a two-inch body lift, larger tires, a reinforced suspension with rally-inspired coil-over shocks, and a stripped interior fitted with a roll cage.” Both of these cars were provided to Car and Driver to be driven in the desert with a surprise guest that couldn’t help but make the other two look even better by comparison—a 1969 Volkswagen Beetle.
Volkswagen’s Still Got It—But Look at Where They’ve Been
And though this Beetle is a far cry from the super modern all-electric ID.4s, unlike the ID.4s, this Beetle was actually kitted out for desert racing, with a roll-cage installed, much higher ground clearance an upgraded suspension and all of the communication and navigation tech gear one could want. It is important to note, however, that properly equipped does not exactly equal better.
When driving the three cars around in the desert the all-wheel drive ID.4 was the standout. Its 295 hp had enough power to let the driver have some more fun whipping around the corners, and the modern computer intelligence kept an eye on what each of the wheels were doing, making sure that the power was where it needed to be to keep things moving. The 201 hp rear-wheel drive option’s additional off-road upgrades made some rougher terrain easier, but was still less fun overall.
The Beetle, however, was in a class all its own. The ID.4 desert driving experience was electric-motor quiet and filled with the comforts of modern suspension and windows that close. The Beetle, in all of its 4-speed, 75 hp, many windows not present glory, was a bit different. As you may have guessed, in comparison to the ID.4s, the Beetle was loud, dirty, and underpowered. But at around half of the weight of the ID.4s, it took to the sand with aplomb, tootling over top of the sand that the ID.4 would sink right into. Which is good, cause the steering and braking abilities of the Beetle were more suggestion than promise.
VW Wants You to Rethink Off-Roading, But Is It Realistic?
Every time gas prices inch ever higher, more and more people are starting to consider switching to hybrids or fully electric vehicles. And there are a lot of pros to these types of vehicles (not the least of which is the savings on gas), but there are also some serious cons. If you were paying attention earlier, you may have noticed that the off-road races that the ID.4s participated in were 1400 and 1000 miles long respectively, and that the average range of the ID.4 was somewhere around 250 miles. Which seems like kind of a logistical problem.
Luckily for these racers, Volkswagen was able to supply them with power mid-race by means of a huge generator truck. Which seems like it probably would have been run by gas. And will probably not be available next time you want to take your ID.4 on a jaunt around the Baja Peninsula. Though the ID.4s are great cars, when given the choice it seems like the underpowered Beetle might possibly be the better choice for desert off-roading adventures. Sure, you will probably get some sand in your teeth, and your back is definitely going to hurt when you are done, but if you run out of gas, a friend with a gas can will fix your problem. No massive generator truck required.
