Yahoo Autos Getting Buzz'd: Was VW's Retro EV Minibus Worth The Wait?
The Volkswagen ID. Buzz is already a familiar sight. The first concept version was shown back in 2017 about the time Apple was introducing the iPhone 8 and, finally, the Buzz is hitting America as cell phone shops are stocking their shelves with the iPhone 16. This van has had the most agonizingly prolonged product tease since the second-generation Acura NSX. But it’s here, finally, and that’s a plus.
Shorter wheelbase and cargo versions of the ID.Buzz have been on sale in other parts of the world since 2022 – and the United States is unlikely to ever see those. Like the original Type 2, the Buzz is built in Germany.
The all-electric, battery-slurping ID.Buzz that’s now here is the long wheelbase version with 91-kilowatt hours of juice stored in 208 lithium-ion cells under its floor. The single electric motor, rear-drive Buzz makes 282 hp while the two-motor, all-wheel drive Buzz gets 335 hp.
The ID.Buzz’s wheelbase is 127.5 inches, 6.6 inches longer than a Chevrolet Tahoe’s, and 6.6 inches shorter than the same maker’s Suburban. The base, rear-motor version weighs in at 5968 pounds, which is a couple hundred more than the Sub. That means this minivan is the heaviest vehicle ever sold under the Volkswagen brand in America, 500 pounds more than the W-12-powered first-generation Touareg. But it isn’t the longest - at 195.4 inches it is 5.3 inches shorter than the three-row Atlas SUV.
Incidentally, the original 1950 Type 2 Volkswagen Microbus, which the ID.Buzz hazily resembles, rode on a 94.5-inch wheelbase and weighed in at about 2310 pounds. And its 1.1-liter, air-cooled, internal flat-four wheezed out 30 hp.
There’s an ongoing mania in the collector world for original Type 2 buses. Back in 2014 a 1955 bus sold for $235,000. In 2017 a modified 1965 version sold at Barrett-Jackson for $302,500. And prices for even average-condition originals can now reach six figures for the most desirable 21-window versions. Of course, VW is hoping to cash in.
The ID.Buzz manages the trick of being inspired by an old vehicle while also looking completely contemporary. There’s a happiness about the Buzz; a general aura of joy and even flower power. There’s nothing about the Buzz that directly copies any previous VW bus, but its design, like that of the original, is segmented by character lines that visually make it look like it has been stacked together. The clearest link to the old bus design being the nose with its oversized VW logo.
It's a design that’s made for two-tone paint jobs. And the Buzz, like old Type 2, does look best when painted in contrasting colors. Though it still looks good in monotone.
That good vibe carries into the interior which is modern in look and feel. Not only is there seating for seven, but it’s very comfortable seating for seven. This isn’t a van in which the only occupants of the backmost seat need to be small children or lapdogs.
While the original microbus was spartan in extreme and mostly painted metal. The Buzz innards are 21st-century plush. The dash is crafted around an ashy wood slash across its length with a color-coded, soft-touch element below it that includes a flotsam tray in front of the shotgun passenger, and a smaller tray near the center with USB ports to hold a smartphone.
The driving position is nothing at all like the original VW bus. Where the old machine positioned the driver bolt upright atop the front wheels, the Buzz pilot is safely back with the base of the windshield way out in front. Lose a pen or parking stub on the dashtop and it may be out of reach forever. Or until the windshield needs replacement. The dashtop acreage is large enough that an H.O. gauge model train set could be erected atop it.
Instrumentation consists of a trapezoidal 5.3-inch digital pod atop the steering column for the driver, and a big 12.9-inch center digital screen for controlling most everything else. Alas what isn’t aboard is a volume knob. VW missed its opportunity to put a big round speedometer in front of the driver that would have recalled its products of yore. In compensation, there is a heads-up display projected onto the vast windshield.
There are barely any knobs at all. VW has gone haptic happy for the controls and that’s frustrating. Except for adjusting the air vent direction, there’s no sensation of touching a physical control. That’s a pity. After all, air-cooled VWs produced some of the best mechanical sensations around. As with Volkswagen’s other ID EVs, even the rear window switches have been culled, with just two buttons plus a tab to toggle between front and rear windows. This saves one switch and maybe a quarter-inch of armrest real estate.
The Buzz is very unusual for an EV in that it is better with a single motor and two-wheel drive, than with dual motors and all-wheel drive. In this box, a slightly quicker 0 to 60 time just doesn’t matter much while incremental improvements in driver feedback do.
Like the original, the base Buzz is powered by a rear-mounted powerplant. Despite the near-300hp peak, output is modest compared to some similarly priced EVs. But this isn’t a vehicle for high velocities or blistering cornering. It’s a minivan with an old-school vibe. As in, hey, slow is fine.
The sly bit here is that the rear-driver steers better. All versions of the Buzz use an electrically assisted rack-and-pinion system, the rear-driver has 14.6:1 ratio box while the all-wheeler goes off at 15.0:1. And while the rear-drive goes 3.42-turns lock-to-lock, the all-drive is only at 2.95. So the rear-drive is perceptibly (but not greatly) lighter and more accurate than its all-driven sibling. Also, according to VW, the rear-drive version’s 37.4-foot turning circle more than five feet tighter than the all-wheel drive. Unless lousy weather necessitates all-wheel drive, the rear-drive version is slightly better in everyday maneuvering.
Up and down the hills of San Francisco (where else would VW launch such a vehicle), both the rear- and all-drive versions easily hauled themselves around. VW claims around a six-second 0-to-60 mph for the AWD ID.Buzz and it feels slightly quicker than that. The rear-drive feels only a little less eager. If the original Type 2 could make it to 60 at all, it took at least 20 seconds to get there.
With its strut front suspension and multi-link rear, the Buzz is poised in almost any situation it’s likely to encounter. It’s electric, so the only significant noise is the sound of the tires and some wind. With apologies for the pun, this ID.Buzz isn’t buzzy.
VW has created a welcoming and design-forward interior that’s immediately attractive. But for many families looking to maximize van utility, the competition offers more adaptability. If the ID.Buzz is to be judged by rational criteria it does lack the seating flexibility of more conventional minivans like the Toyota Sienna or Chrysler Pacifica.
The Buzz’s second-row seats can’t be removed without tools and while the third row can be taken out, it can’t be folded down to form a flat load surface because of the battery pack that sits beneath the floor. With second- and third-row seats folded, there is an elevated cargo platform.
The other thing competitive minivans have is roll-down windows in the sliding side doors. Instead the Buzz has square holes in the door glass covered by power sliding panels that can be opened for ventilation.
For road tripping, the VW claims a range of 234 miles for the rear-drive Buzz and 231 miles for the two-motor all-wheel driver. While it’s unlikely many buyers will tow with the Buzz, there is a hidden, retractable trailer hitch on the Pro S Plus and better trim levels. A single-motor Buzz can tow a braked trailer up to 2600 pounds and the two-motor 3500 pounds. Useful for light duty like hauling a small sailboat.
But the price is where the feel-good vibes are likely to fizzle out for many. The ID.Buzz isn’t just a Suburban in size, it is priced like one, too. The base rear-wheel drive Buzz Pro S starts at $61,545 including destination. The top-of-the-line twin motor First Edition is $71,545. For EV context, that makes it more expensive than the excellent three-row Kia EV9.
If you’re a boomer with a nostalgic jones for VW vans, and are liquid enough to afford one, the ID.Buzz might make sense. It is fine for hauling grandkids or second-marriage kiddies, even if it’s not as utilitarian as other minivans. And it’s a feel-good, be-good conversation starter too. At least until the novelty wears off.
You Might Also Like
