Volkswagen’s first battery-electric crossover, the ID4, will carry with it a complete new powertrain for the model in North America. Nevertheless it’s more likely to be the compact crossover’s inside that wins over shopping for prospects — or sends them operating again towards one thing extra acquainted. Inside, the ID4 is in contrast to any earlier Volkswagen. Employees Reporter Larry P. Vellequette took a have a look at its quirky inside bits. Here is a sampling.

Instrument cluster: As an alternative of being embedded within the instrument panel, the ID4’s rides above the steering column, bringing it nearer to the driving force and guaranteeing that it is not obscured if the steering wheel is tilted. The relocation means the display screen is smaller and a bit busier than these in different VW fashions, however the data contained — together with the battery-charge indicator and remaining-range show — additionally is less complicated to learn on the fly.

Driver’s window controls: Each different four-door VW makes use of a four-switch management panel on the driving force’s door to permit the driving force to intuitively management all 4 home windows. However the ID4 eschews that conference in favor of two switches and a entrance/rear toggle, that means the driving force can open two home windows directly, however not all 4.

Seat pockets: Sewn into the tops of the front-row seats, the pockets securely maintain cellphones and nonetheless enable rear passengers to look at the screens.

Begin button and shifter: The Begin button is side-facing off the steering column, roughly the place an ignition swap would have been within the late ’70s. The shifter is a rotating toggle form of free floating to the proper of the instrument cluster with three positions: N for Impartial, which additionally occurs to be Park; toggle all the way down to R, for Reverse; and D/B presumably is for Drive/Battery. Based on a VW govt, the D/B selector is how one turns the one-pedal driving on and off, which controls the quantity of regenerative-braking vitality that goes again into the battery.