2023 Volkswagen ID.4 vs 2024 Mazda CX-90

The Volkswagen ID.4 is still relatively new to the marketplace (it debuted for the 2021 model year) but VW is already making some important updates to keep it competitive and fulfill goals set when this compact electric SUV first launched.

The 2023 Volkswagen ID.4 adds a new base model and a smaller 62-kilowatt-hour battery pack alongside the carryover 82-kWh to increase affordability. VW will also begin sourcing cars for its United States dealerships from the same Chattanooga, Tennessee, factory that builds the gasoline-powered Atlas and Atlas Cross Sport. The automaker has been discussing this since the ID.4 was unveiled, but at first cars for the U.S. came from Zwickau, Germany.

The 2023 ID.4 retains single-motor rear-wheel drive (RWD) and dual-motor all-wheel drive (AWD) powertrain options, but gets revised exterior and interior styling, some software changes, and a few more standard tech features and driver aids.

The new-for-2023 base model is dubbed ID.4 Standard, slotting below the ID.4 S, ID.4 Pro, ID.4 Pro S, and ID.4 Pro S Plus trim levels (the Pro S Plus replaces the Gradient appearance package from previous model years). We recently spent a day driving a Pro S AWD model from Nashville to Chattanooga, along with a shorter drive in an ID.4 Standard model.

The 2024 Mazda CX-90 is the family-hauling crossover we finally want to drive. This all-new Mazda delivers a turbocharged straight-six engine (or a PHEV, if you prefer), rear-wheel-drive architecture, brilliant handling, and a 20% discount from the surprisingly similar BMW X5. We sampled the new 2024 Mazda CX-90 Turbo S and the CX-90 PHEV on Northern California’s twisty roads, and we came away impressed by the big and powerful SUV’s handling and composure.

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