Driven: 2023 Volkswagen ID.Buzz – A Bulli for an Electrifying Future

Tarifa is a small town on the Spanish coast at the western exit of the Strait of Gibraltar, where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Mediterranean Sea. On one side is the Atlantic Ocean with green water; on the other side is the Mediterranean Sea with blue water. What's so special here?

In summer, tourists take advantage of the strong winds to surf here, and you can see lots of VW Bulli T1, T2 and T3 equipped for holidays. This is one of the target segments the VW Bulli of the new electric era is aimed at. It's the new ID. Buzz a worthy successor to its illustrious predecessors? Let's take a look.

Design evaluation

First, this is not an SUV but a minivan, an endangered species in Europe. Yet people turn their heads after it on the street as if they've seen the latest Ferrari. This is because VW has done its job very well and cleverly exploited the design strengths of the former T1 and T2 generations. First and foremost, the paintwork. If you opt for the paint like on the test car, then always the upper body and the V on the hood are painted Candy white, and for the rest of the body, you can choose between Starlight Blue, Energetic Orange, Bay Leef Green or Lime Yellow like on the test car. But you'll have to dig out a hefty 2,642 euros ($2,801) out of pocket for these color combinations. At the front, the ID.Buzz reminds us of the T1 with its closed grille, which features a larger-than-usual VW logo.

The historic model's headlights were not reproduced, as VW was forced to follow the ID family's headlight design for two reasons: the ID.Buzz had to look like a member of the ID family, and it was too expensive to modify the IQ.Light technology for a completely new headlight design. The side profile and the three small rear-side air intakes no longer have functional roles in the ID.Buzz, remind us of the T2. The wheels set at the corners create the impression of spaciousness and the feeling of being behind the wheel of a house on wheels.

Interior assessment

Let's start with the good stuff. Like its predecessors, you can fit a generously sized bed in the rear: 1.2 x 2.2 meters (47.2 x 86.6 in). To do this, you need to buy the 1,880 euros ($1,993) package that comes with the Multiflexboard and luggage net divider. The Multiflexboard is mounted to the rear of the luggage area and comes as an extension to the trunk-mounted board. The aforementioned flat surface of 1.2 x 2.2 meters (47.6 x 86.6 in) is obtained by folding down the backrests of the rear bench. Access is effortless thanks to the two sliding doors offered as standard and the vast tailgate.

For 1,140 euros ($1,209), you get an electrically operated tailgate and sliding doors. The latter can be opened by two buttons on the key fob or two switches on the dashboard. Underneath the sleeper plate, VW offers two canvas-wrapped cardboard boxes similar to those you can find at Ikea for charging cables and for the first aid kit and tool kit.

There's plenty of room in the back, with an interior width between the sliding doors of 1.71 meters (67.3 in) and an internal height of 1.05 meters (41.3 in). But you don't sit perfectly because the floor is relatively high, and the distance from the floor to the seat cushion is small, so you sit with your knees too high. But, at least, you can slide your feet under the front seats. Yet, kids will be annoyed that they can't open the sliding door windows.

Instead, the 40/60 split backrest segments slide 150 mm (5.9 in) apart, and you'll never have any problems with knee room. The third rear passenger will sit comfortably thanks to the completely flat floor. Behind the seats, you have a vast 1,121-liter (68.4 cu in) trunk to the top of the backrest, which, if you fold it down, the volume increases to 2,205 liters (134.5 cu in).

The available space is huge, but you can't carry heavy stuff. Due to the big curb weight of 2,481 kg (5,470 lb), the maximum payload is just 529 kg (1,166 lb), which can sometimes be insufficient if five adults go on holiday with their luggage. But VW has thought of that and the ID.Buzz can tow a 1,000 kg (2,205 lb) trailer. The electric tow hitch is available in the options list for 952 euros ($1,009). So you can take with you an ATV or smaller boat.

The ID.Buzz is currently only available as a five-seat configuration with a standard wheelbase. An extended wheelbase version will follow in the fall of 2023 and will also be available with a seven-seater option. Another good news is that this version will also have a much larger battery that will offer a range of over 600 km (373 miles). Unfortunately, the standard wheelbase version only comes with the 77 kWh net battery of the ID4/ID.5. but more on that a little later.

The driving position is higher than in the new VW T7, which is based on the MQB platform. In the ID.Buzz, you sit as high as in the T6, and the driver is spoiled by the electrically adjustable Ergo Comfort seats with memory that benefit from adjustable armrests, excellent on long journeys.

Driving take

The ID.Buzz is based on the dedicated MEB electric platform, so it comes with all the features of this platform with its good and bad things. Like in the ID.4, you have a start button, but you can leave it off. Instead, you get behind the wheel, hit the brakes, turn the steering wheel's right-hand shifter to D and accelerate. Simple as an electric toy car.

There's no noise and the ID.Buzz accelerates smoothly and silently. Four driving modes are available: Eco, Comfort, Sport, and Individual. In the latter, you can adjust the strength of the adaptive suspension, engine and steering response, and interior light dynamics.

Despite the massive 2.5-tonne curb weight, the permanent magnet synchronous motor driving the rear axle copes with it. In 3.7 seconds, the ID.Buzz reaches 50 kph (31 mph), and in 10.2 seconds, it gets to 100 kph (62 mph). For a minivan and a holiday car, that's decent. In addition, the 310 Nm (228 lb-ft) maximum torque available from zero will help you overtake trucks on the highway.

Despite its weight, the ID.Buzz drives easily, pleasantly, and exceptionally safely. The rear-wheel drive has no negative influence on driving safety. As with the ID.4, the ESP system is perfectly tuned and reacts quicker than in an ICE vehicle. The electronic control reacts before one of the rear wheels slips, instantly reducing engine power.

The same thing happens when you take a turn too fast. Again, ESP quickly reduces engine power to decrease understeer. But on the other hand, rear wheel traction is pleasant on long journeys because there is no influence in the steering. The electric steering isn't too incisive, but it handles very easily and is quite precise.

Considering the significant weight, we'd expect the ID.Buzz to get rear brake discs instead of drums like the ID family has. But VW kept the rear drum solution. In practice, the solution proved right as the ID.Buzz decelerates strongly even after several consecutive brakings. However, the brake pedal feel is poor. But this is also true of other electric models. In the first part of the brake pedal stroke, deceleration is very weak, and only after the mid-point the car starts braking.

Unlike Mercedes-Benz, VW doesn't have multiple levels of regenerative braking, but only one. Still, the driver can also shift from Drive to B, so the energy recovery becomes more active, and you can drive in the city traffic without using the brakes at all if you anticipate the traffic a little.

Everyday living

As an option, the interior may be painted in two colors, making you forget about the hard plastics everywhere in the cabin. At least they have a nice texture, though, and VW justifies their use on eco grounds. Many of the materials used inside are recycled, and even the ArtVelours ECO upholstery uses 71% of these kinds of materials.

The ID.Buzz offers multiple storage spaces. In addition to Multiflexboard, it's also worth spending some money on the ID. Buzz Box multifunctional mobile center console. That comes with opened configurable compartments at the top and two drawers, one at the front and one at the back. There's also a cup holder at the base of the dashboard and two small open compartments in the dash next to the classic glovebox. Last but not least, there are five USB-C sockets (three at the front and two at the back).

With the 20-inch wheels featured on the test car and the adaptive suspension, the ID.Buzz runs comfortably on the long haul and hardly leans during cornering. But over short, deep bumps, the suspension's firmness is felt, especially on the rear axle, which dampens a bit harsher. In return, noise levels are low up to speeds of 110 kph (68 mph). At higher speeds, you hear some wind noise due to the large mirrors, but suspension noise is kept within decent limits. The driver also enjoys excellent all-around visibility and a turning circle of just 11.09 meters (437 in), which is relatively small for the vehicle's size.

If you want to go on holiday, you should know what to expect regarding the range. If you drive in Eco mode and don't abuse the accelerator, you can get an energy consumption of 22.5 kWh/100 km (93.01 MPGe), which means you can go 342 km (212.5 miles) between two charges. That's a decent range for a vehicle with a large frontal area and a Cx of 0.29.

However, if you normally drive it, consumption increases to 28 kWh/100 km (74.8 MPGe), and the battery will only last for 291 km (181 miles). However, VW has a new software on the multimedia system called 3.2, which comes with intelligent navigation. If you've programmed a destination beyond the available range, the navigation system automatically recommends charging stations along the route and prioritizes the fast, DC ones. Thus, you can schedule your journey without searching for these on the way. ID. Buzz charges at DC stations with up to 170 kW, and if you install a wall box at home, you can charge with up to 11 kW.

VW has improved the software but didn't remove all the ergonomics issues with the ID.3/ID.4. The buttons for adjusting the temperature and volume of the audio system are unlit, the processor reacts slowly when you start the car, the touchscreen isn't always as responsive, and the menus are pretty complicated.

Instead, ID.Buzz delights you with dynamic ambient lights because the navigation is connected with ID.Light. When the navigation tells you to turn left, the LED strip at the top of the dash lights up blue from right to left; when you turn right, the strip turns yellowish-white and flashes right. If you get too close to the car in front, before the car brakes automatically, the LED light strip flashes red.

ID.Buzz also comes with a standard package of assistance systems. Still, the adaptive cruise control, Travel Assist with Lane Assist, and 360-degree cameras cost extra.

Test Drive Roundup

VW deserves praise for having the guts to industrialize this design when they could have taken the risk and come up with a conventional design. Although it's a van, the ID.Buzz is an emotional car that turns heads on the street.

On the inside, it offers all the amenities that its illustrious predecessors did. You can take it on holiday and enjoy its space and modularity. With the battery available now, the range doesn't impress, but in the US market, the range won't be an issue as VW will also offer a 10-inch (25.4 cm) longer wheelbase with a bigger battery pack.

The only thing that worries me is the price. 64,581 euros ($68,477) without bonuses is a lot of money. And with the options mentioned in the test, the price goes over 70,000 euros ($74,222). This price can be a big hurdle for part of the target customers: families with children who love outdoor activities. Of course, the VW ID.Buzz is also ideal as a shuttle for big hotels. But it seems that VW has already found enough buyers. By the end of 2022, VW had over 20,000 orders and produced only 15,000 cars, with demand being more significant than production. For example, at the time of writing, the configurator for the German market has been stopped due to the very high demand.

Pros:

• Lots of room in both rows of seats
• Excellent all-around visibility
• Many storage compartments
• Low noise level
• Small turning circle
• Excellently tuned ESP

Cons:

• The rear suspension is too harsh
• Non-linear brake pedal operation
• Poor ergonomics
• High base price
• Expensive options

A video review is also available below.