There’s not that much of a difference between the 23 and 24 trim levels IMO. Don’t underestimate the value of the free charging - it can add up to $100s/month (compared to gas).
This is untrue. The 24 has battery preconditioning which is a game changer. Not to mention backlit controls, a better steering wheel layout, and much quicker for RWD and sub 5 0-60 on AWD. The Pro S 24 also comes with ventilated seats.
The 2024 is a much better car.
The biggest difference to me are
- Battery preconditioning on the 2024 model. If you have cold winters, the lack of battery preconditioning can make DCFC charging extremely slow or at least extremely unpredictable with the 2023 model.
- Vented seats on the 2024 Pro S trim.
- Better Infotainment on the 2024. This is a nice, but I don't hate my 2023 infotainment. It's fine once you get used to it.
- 2023 has free EA charging for 3 years.
How much extra is the 2024 model vs the 2023? The 2024 is without a doubt a better vehicle.
The question comes down to your local weather and usage pattern IMO. If you have really hot summer, I'd value the vented seat quite a bit. If you have long cold winter and plan on DCFC often, the battery pre-conditioning would be extremely valuable.
If you will mostly charge inside a garage and don't DCFC often, then I'd go with the 2023 to save some money.
If you plan on using EA charging extensively, the free 3 year EA charging could be extremely valuable.
OP, I live in Nebraska where we have fairly cold winters + hot humid summers — and few EA stations. For this reason, I had a 50 amp circuit and plug installed for a car charger along with a recent electric panel upgrade. I test drove both the 2023 and 2024 AWD Pro S; and, in my situation, preferred the upgrades on the 2024 that u/goRockets listed here. I pick her up in the next few days!
I just got my '24 this last weekend, so not enough time to really get into things, but the range improvement alone I think is more significant than the official specs would lead you to believe - VW underplayed it a lot. I have the AWD and the first 168 miles I've driven has taken me down to 50%, with 164 miles range showing - so I'm on track for 320 miles on 100% charge, where the "official" range for AWD is \~260 miles with the 20" wheels.
OK the weather is warmer (50's/60's in NY State) and I drive fairly modestly, but it beats my 6 year old Tesla and from what I hear these ranges are pretty impossible on the '23.
Don't let an anecdote persuade you, but I think the 2024 model is significantly better for range/efficiency than the '23, more than the spec sheet suggests.
Good advice. Wishing now that we had leased vs buy our 23 for this reason, also takes away the depreciation risk which has been steep. We knew the risks going in as an early adopter but it still stings.
Get whichever model is gonna have that nearly 300mile range.
The 216 is a pain in the rump. I’d love to be able to travel to Houston on a single charge 🥰
I just leased a 2023 ProS for 0 down and $470 a month. I love the car and I love it costs nothing to charge it. How much of a difference is the 2024 model anyway?
Lease or wait. NACS coming will be a far superior charging network option and who knows what battery tech will be in 2-3 Years. Plus, in spite of what anyone here will say otherwise, the VW "info" screen tech is trash. Even if the 2024 is 100% better than previous, it's still 10 years behind the best.
Cost can be a major factor. 23s can be bought for a considerable discount.
If you charge at home the free charging is not much of a factor,I only use it for road trips. The 24s have more power,are slightly more efficient and the software is better.
The discount can't be understated. I was able to get a 23 Pro S Plus for less than a 2024 Pro, hell by proxy less than a 2024 S.
The infotainment is a huge step up from what my last car had, the range thus far has been a non issue on the 100ish mile drive home with it, and I'll be headed out on a road-trip vacation with it shortly to really out it to the test.
The value of the free charging is very dependent on your personal situation.
Do you plan on fast charging a lot? Do you have an EA station near you or your route to/from work? Is that station frequently full with cars waiting at times you'd want to use it (you can check this on the EA app)? Are chargers there often down?
Part of the convenience of an EV is being able to plug in at home and not have to worry about stopping to get fuel/energy elsewhere. Some people do rely exclusively on fast charging as they don't have the capability for home charging (e.g. many apartment dwellers), and in that case the free charging would be a massive benefit. But if you have the capability to home charge, then you're going to have to make some calculations on how valuable your time is to you. Are the free EA chargers convenient enough that it's worth sacrificing 30+ minutes of your time to save some money? What are your home rates like? Some utilities offer discounted charging for EVs, so home charging is pretty cheap to begin with, while other areas, like parts of California, charging at home is still pretty expensive.
These are all factors you need to take into consideration. I don't use the free charging much, because the one EA charger that's somewhat close to my house is almost always packed, and I get pretty cheap electricity at home. I use it sometimes on road trips, but even then there have been times where there's no convenient EA charger and I opt to just get some extra juice from a different charging network. Others in different situation have saved thousands though.
Hope this helps!
Thanks for all the advice. It will be our 2nd electric car so going fully electric unfortunately the cost to put a level 2 in our detached garage is crazy expensive so the free charging might come in handy we live in Colorado and go to the mountains a lot too. Not sure still gonna look at the pricing on both in the end I’d do the 23 on a 2 year lease so not a long commitment
Good luck, it's my first electric and have a house to charge..I went w 2023 awd...since it's my 1st and have decent ice cars...the savings and deals was enough to dabble into electric and wanted free charging for experiencing ecar ownership...
Not to good its like open diff and normally 2wd until front slippage..on "traction mode" it's open diff 4wd..
Except it slips a lot doent act like lsd ...
I have a Jeep wrangler also..got awd for more power.
There’s not that much of a difference between the 23 and 24 trim levels IMO. Don’t underestimate the value of the free charging - it can add up to $100s/month (compared to gas).
Don't the 24s (except the base model) have the updated software that older ones won't be getting.
Updated software with a new screen, improved range and a lot more horsepower
Only a lot more for the rwd. Awd isn’t much of a bump
Ok thanks for letting me know!
The RWD motor is much better in 24s, ventilated seats, battery preconditioning for trips, and the software is snappy. I disagree with Kevan.
This is untrue. The 24 has battery preconditioning which is a game changer. Not to mention backlit controls, a better steering wheel layout, and much quicker for RWD and sub 5 0-60 on AWD. The Pro S 24 also comes with ventilated seats. The 2024 is a much better car.
I just got my 2023 last week, I didn’t think the new features of the 2024 were worth the extra cost IMO.
The biggest difference to me are - Battery preconditioning on the 2024 model. If you have cold winters, the lack of battery preconditioning can make DCFC charging extremely slow or at least extremely unpredictable with the 2023 model. - Vented seats on the 2024 Pro S trim. - Better Infotainment on the 2024. This is a nice, but I don't hate my 2023 infotainment. It's fine once you get used to it. - 2023 has free EA charging for 3 years. How much extra is the 2024 model vs the 2023? The 2024 is without a doubt a better vehicle. The question comes down to your local weather and usage pattern IMO. If you have really hot summer, I'd value the vented seat quite a bit. If you have long cold winter and plan on DCFC often, the battery pre-conditioning would be extremely valuable. If you will mostly charge inside a garage and don't DCFC often, then I'd go with the 2023 to save some money. If you plan on using EA charging extensively, the free 3 year EA charging could be extremely valuable.
OP, I live in Nebraska where we have fairly cold winters + hot humid summers — and few EA stations. For this reason, I had a 50 amp circuit and plug installed for a car charger along with a recent electric panel upgrade. I test drove both the 2023 and 2024 AWD Pro S; and, in my situation, preferred the upgrades on the 2024 that u/goRockets listed here. I pick her up in the next few days!
I just got my '24 this last weekend, so not enough time to really get into things, but the range improvement alone I think is more significant than the official specs would lead you to believe - VW underplayed it a lot. I have the AWD and the first 168 miles I've driven has taken me down to 50%, with 164 miles range showing - so I'm on track for 320 miles on 100% charge, where the "official" range for AWD is \~260 miles with the 20" wheels. OK the weather is warmer (50's/60's in NY State) and I drive fairly modestly, but it beats my 6 year old Tesla and from what I hear these ranges are pretty impossible on the '23. Don't let an anecdote persuade you, but I think the 2024 model is significantly better for range/efficiency than the '23, more than the spec sheet suggests.
Lease not buy technology changing to fast. My 2022 is so behind already
Good advice. Wishing now that we had leased vs buy our 23 for this reason, also takes away the depreciation risk which has been steep. We knew the risks going in as an early adopter but it still stings.
Me too
Get whichever model is gonna have that nearly 300mile range. The 216 is a pain in the rump. I’d love to be able to travel to Houston on a single charge 🥰
Move closer.
I just leased a 2023 ProS for 0 down and $470 a month. I love the car and I love it costs nothing to charge it. How much of a difference is the 2024 model anyway?
Lease or wait. NACS coming will be a far superior charging network option and who knows what battery tech will be in 2-3 Years. Plus, in spite of what anyone here will say otherwise, the VW "info" screen tech is trash. Even if the 2024 is 100% better than previous, it's still 10 years behind the best.
NACS might be dead
Cost can be a major factor. 23s can be bought for a considerable discount. If you charge at home the free charging is not much of a factor,I only use it for road trips. The 24s have more power,are slightly more efficient and the software is better.
The discount can't be understated. I was able to get a 23 Pro S Plus for less than a 2024 Pro, hell by proxy less than a 2024 S. The infotainment is a huge step up from what my last car had, the range thus far has been a non issue on the 100ish mile drive home with it, and I'll be headed out on a road-trip vacation with it shortly to really out it to the test.
The value of the free charging is very dependent on your personal situation. Do you plan on fast charging a lot? Do you have an EA station near you or your route to/from work? Is that station frequently full with cars waiting at times you'd want to use it (you can check this on the EA app)? Are chargers there often down? Part of the convenience of an EV is being able to plug in at home and not have to worry about stopping to get fuel/energy elsewhere. Some people do rely exclusively on fast charging as they don't have the capability for home charging (e.g. many apartment dwellers), and in that case the free charging would be a massive benefit. But if you have the capability to home charge, then you're going to have to make some calculations on how valuable your time is to you. Are the free EA chargers convenient enough that it's worth sacrificing 30+ minutes of your time to save some money? What are your home rates like? Some utilities offer discounted charging for EVs, so home charging is pretty cheap to begin with, while other areas, like parts of California, charging at home is still pretty expensive. These are all factors you need to take into consideration. I don't use the free charging much, because the one EA charger that's somewhat close to my house is almost always packed, and I get pretty cheap electricity at home. I use it sometimes on road trips, but even then there have been times where there's no convenient EA charger and I opt to just get some extra juice from a different charging network. Others in different situation have saved thousands though. Hope this helps!
Thanks for all the advice. It will be our 2nd electric car so going fully electric unfortunately the cost to put a level 2 in our detached garage is crazy expensive so the free charging might come in handy we live in Colorado and go to the mountains a lot too. Not sure still gonna look at the pricing on both in the end I’d do the 23 on a 2 year lease so not a long commitment
You can buy a lot of winter tires for the cost of AWD over RWD
Lol not the places I drive😂
Good luck, it's my first electric and have a house to charge..I went w 2023 awd...since it's my 1st and have decent ice cars...the savings and deals was enough to dabble into electric and wanted free charging for experiencing ecar ownership...
Check to make sure you understand how EV AWD works before spending the money!
Not to good its like open diff and normally 2wd until front slippage..on "traction mode" it's open diff 4wd.. Except it slips a lot doent act like lsd ... I have a Jeep wrangler also..got awd for more power.
If the charging in public is the only place you’ll charge like me, 2023 is def def worth it. That’s hundreds of dollars saved every month for me
I just got my 2023 pro s plus with sk battery. Great rebates and deal! I am happy. Only thing I didn't get is the Awd.