2022 Toyota Highlander vs 2023 Volkswagen ID.4

If you have a family and need a spacious, three-row vehicle to haul around the kids and all their gear, the choices can seem overwhelming. This includes SUVs and minivans. There are also a lot of gimmicks, like built-in vacuums and intercom systems—as if yelling back to the third row isn’t the least bit satisfying. The 2022 Toyota Highlander might be guilty of offering some of these gimmicks, but where it really shines is by covering the basics. This three-row midsize SUV offers tons of versatility, a stout V6 engine, and it comes standard with safety features buyers are looking for.

There is a wide range of trims, features, and prices that make up the Highlander lineup. Depending on your needs and budget, there might be an ideal setup for your family. Read on to learn more about the Highlander and where it stacks up in an all-important family-hauling vehicle segment.

The Volkswagen ID.4 electric car 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 fulfil 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 North American 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 our market 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 simply ID.4, slotting below the ID.4 Pro and ID.4 Pro AWD. We recently spent a day on a test drive with the U.S. equivalent of the ID.4 Pro AWD model, along with a shorter drive in a base ID.4 model.