Sandy Munro Checks Out Why The Volkswagen ID.4 Has No Frunk

Is the space under the hood well utilized?

Volkswagen ID.4 (source: Munro Live)

Mark Kane

By: Mark Kane

Apr 10, 2021 at 12:24pm ET

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The newly launched 2021 Volkswagen ID.4 has no front trunk (frunk) like many other EVs on the market. But why, especially since the first version is rear-wheel drive, without the front-drive unit?

Munro Live's Sandy Munro finds the frunk a great solution, already proven in his cross-country Tesla Model 3 trip, so after the brief walkthrough of the ID.4, he decided to peek under the hood.

As it turns out, the hood is pretty short. It's also heavy - not only made of steel, but also with a European approach to minimize the impact on a pedestrian, which also adds weight. Many other manufacturers are now selecting aluminum to lower weight and make the opening more convenient, although it might be more expensive in the end.

Volkswagen ID.4

Inside, the front of ID.4 is filled with stuff, like in the "good old days." Some of the solutions under the hood are good, like the HVAC case (usually located inside the vehicle cabin), which makes it easier to replace the filter.

Other things are not necessarily the best. Sandy Munro finds the overall vehicle over-engineered. There are also specific things like the movable inlet of the washer fluid bottle, to enable firefighters to cut the cables behind it (if they actually know about it). Another thing was the old school fuse box, with about 18 fuses and not much description on it.

Sandy Munro was also terrified that there is a cross beam, above the positive terminal of the 12V battery, but he concluded that it's non-conductive so safe to hook up.

What do you think?

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It's difficult to tell whether space was well utilized because it's always an equation with many factors, including the overall cost, and time of development.

Volkswagen ID.4 - based on the MEB platform

We know that the Modular Electric Drive Toolkit (MEB) was launched in a hurry to switch most of the Volkswagen Group to EVs and it must address many segments, as well as all-wheel drive options. Another thing is that there might be other priorities, like a better turning radius and possibly some other things about we don't know yet.

More about Volkswagen ID.4

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