New Ford Mustang Mach-E vs new Volkswagen ID 4: practicality

One’s a large electric SUV with a £40k price tag and a long range... and so’s the other one. But which is the first among equals?...

Steve Huntingford

Published15 June 2021

Space and practicality

Front space, rear space, seating flexibility, boot

Front space is absolutely fine in both these cars. They are both broad and six-footers won’t have any grumbles about the leg room in either car. Head room is plentiful in the Mach-E and ridiculously generous in the ID 4.

They have lots of storage areas too, including big cubbies and cupholders between the front seats. The Mach-E’s door bins are shallower, but the ID.4’s glovebox is half the size of its rival’s, so it’s a case of swings and roundabouts.

Either car will take two tall adult passengers in the rear seats. The Mach-E has more leg room than most people will ever need and head room is acceptable, although anyone with a long body might find their head hitting the roof lining when they lean back. The ID 4 has more head room, which really counts if you’re sitting in the middle seat. Shoulder room will be tight with three adults sitting side by side in either car, but they both have flat floors, so they provide lots of foot space.

While the Mach-E has boots at the front and rear, the ID 4 has just the one, at the back. It’s big, though, swallowing an impressive nine carry-on suitcases below the parcel shelf. The Mach-E can take seven, which isn’t a bad tally, and it’s the only one of the two cars with a height-adjustable boot floor; when that’s raised, the load lip is shorter. You can fold down the rear seats in either car to extend the boot, but it forms a stepped area in the ID 4 (the Mach-E’s is flat).

There’s a small space for the charging cables under the ID 4’s boot floor. In the Mach-E, they live in the front boot, and there’s enough space left over for a few shopping bags. Both cars have 60/40 split-folding rear seats, but the ID 4 also has a ski hatch for an extra splash of flexibility.