Compare the2024 Toyota MiraiVS 2023 Volkswagen ID.4

The Toyota Mirai has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The ID.4 doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The Mirai has standard Whiplash Injury Lessening Seats (WIL), which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the WIL system moves the headrests forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The ID.4 doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

Both the Mirai and the ID.4 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, post-collision automatic braking systems, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, driver alert monitors and available around view monitors.

The Mirai’s corrosion warranty is unlimited miles longer than the ID.4’s (unlimited vs. 100,000 miles).

Toyota pays for scheduled maintenance on the Mirai for 1 year and 15000 miles longer than Volkswagen pays for maintenance for the ID.4 (3/35000 vs. 2/20,000).

There are almost 2 times as many Toyota dealers as there are Volkswagen dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Mirai’s warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Toyota vehicles are better in initial quality than Volkswagen vehicles. With 55 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Toyota higher than Volkswagen.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Toyota above average in long-term dependability. With 34 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Volkswagen is rated below average.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Toyota second in overall reliability. Volkswagen is ranked 27th.

The Mirai can travel longer on a full tank of hydrogen than the ID.4 on a full charge:

The Toyota Mirai has standard four-wheel disc brakes for better stopping power and improved directional control in poor weather. Only rear drums come on the ID.4. Drums can heat up and make stops longer, especially with antilock brakes that work much harder than conventional brakes.

For better traction, the Mirai Limited’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the ID.4 (245/45R20 vs. 235/55R19).

The Mirai Limited’s optional tires provide better handling because they have a lower 45 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the ID.4 S’ 50 series front tires.

The Mirai has standard front and rear gas-charged shocks for better control over choppy roads. The ID.4’s suspension doesn’t offer gas-charged shocks.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Mirai’s wheelbase is 6.2 inches longer than on the ID.4 AWD (114.9 inches vs. 108.7 inches). The Mirai’s wheelbase is 6 inches longer than on the ID.4 (114.9 inches vs. 108.9 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Mirai is .9 inches wider in the front and 1.6 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the ID.4.

The Mirai’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (50% to 50%) than the ID.4’s (47% to 53%). This gives the Mirai more stable handling and braking.

The Mirai XLE handles at .84 G’s, while the ID.4 Pro pulls only .82 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Mirai has 1.1 inches more front legroom, 2.1 inches more front hip room, .9 inches more front shoulder room and 6.1 inches more rear hip room than the ID.4.

With its sedan body style, valet key and remote trunk release lockout, the Mirai offers cargo security. The ID.4’s sport utility bodystyle defeats cargo security.

The Mirai uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The ID.4 uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

Unlike the driver-only memory seat and mirrors in the ID.4 S/Pro S/Pro S Plus, the Mirai Limited has standard driver and passenger memory, so that when drivers switch, the memory setting adjusts the driver’s seat, steering wheel position (with optional power wheel adjuster) and outside mirror angle and the front passenger seat also adjusts to the new passenger’s preset preferences.

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the Mirai has standard extendable sun visors. The ID.4 doesn’t offer extendable visors.

A power rear sunshade and manual rear side window sunshades are standard in the Mirai Limited to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The ID.4 doesn’t offer a rear or rear side window sunshades.

Standard air conditioned seats in the front and rear seats keep the Mirai Limited’s passengers comfortable and take the sting out of hot leather in summer. The ID.4 doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

The Mirai Limited offers an optional 115-volt a/c outlet on the center console, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The ID.4 doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

The Mirai Limited’s Intelligent Parking Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. The ID.4’s automatic parking system requires operating the brakes and transmission to safely park.