What We Learned Driving VW’s New Electric ID Buzz

COPENHAGEN, DENMARK—Few vehicles in the time we’ve covered the industry have attracted or maintained as much interest as Volkswagen’s ID Buzz. Part realization of two decades worth of concept cars and teasing, part apology for dieselgate, it’s an electric minivan with retro-cool styling, built on a solid electric vehicle platform. US-spec ID Buzzes are still a long way off – we won’t get the Buzz until 2024 – but in the meantime, VW asked if we were interested in trying the two-row, European model, which is only about to go on sale to the other side of the Atlantic.

Boxy microbuses have been part of the VW range since the original 1949 Type 2, also known as a T1, Kombi or Transporter. As time went on, the buses evolved more angular and eventually started to look like any other minibus. But as VW discovered with the Beetle concept in 1994, there is a lot of affection for its early designs.

The first retro-looking revival attempt was a 2001 concept called the Microbus. This was before people realized you could chain together massive amounts of laptop batteries to make a viable electric vehicle, so the 2001 Microbus concept would have been powered by VW’s internal combustion engines – mostly its ubiquitous and deceptive diesels, no doubt. .

Ten years later, a less profitable concept called Bulli followed; it was smaller and had conventional rear doors, only two rows of seats, and a more pronounced nose and engine compartment, but in theory it would be made as an electric battery or conventionally powered vehicle. With a 102-inch wheelbase, it was too small for the US market, and 2011-era EV technology would have meant Nissan Leaf-esque specs and performance.

In 2016, VW showed off a concept minibus called BUDD-e, but the more interesting announcement at the time was a new modular platform for electric vehicles, similar in concept to the modular architectures that VW group brands have such a good effect used. By this time, VW’s legal troubles with regulators in the US and elsewhere were on their way to an end, one with VW transforming itself into an EV powerhouse, paying hefty fines and eventually founding Electrify America.

So what better way to get some positive press than by giving the public what it wants? Ars first met the ID Buzz at the 2017 Detroit Auto Show; it was still in concept form, complete with a maglev gnome on the dash. The public response was overwhelming, and unlike the later ID Buggy concept, a business case was clear: the ID Buzz was green lit for production.

ID buzzes for the US won’t arrive until 2024, as getting the ID.3 and ID.4 out of the factory doors has a higher priority. In fact, we won’t see the US model until next year. But the chance to spend a day with the shorter wheelbase, two-row EU version was too hard to pass up.

Beneath that striking body is a similar electric powertrain as the ID.4. That means a 201 hp (150 kW) permanent magnet synchronous motor driving the rear wheels, powered by a 77 kWh (usable, 82 kWh gross) lithium-ion battery pack mounted under the cab floor and between the axles.

The ID Buzz’s drag coefficient is a decent 0.285, but there’s no escaping its large frontal area, so that translates into a WLTP range of up to 263 miles (432 km); for context, an ID.4 has a WLTP range of 537 km (333 miles) versus an EPA range of 443 km (275 miles). Over the course of a day of driving we averaged 20.9 kWh/100 km 3 miles/kWh, which equates to 231 miles (372 km) on a full charge.

We haven’t tested the charging, but the ID Buzz can accept a DC fast charge of up to 170 kW, which should bring the battery down to 80 percent in 30 minutes. At 11 kW, an AC charge from 0 to 100 percent charge takes approximately 7.5 hours.

You have a wide-screen view of the world from the driver’s seat, as the split A-pillars minimize blind spots. But you’re sitting relatively far back from the windshield – blame the need for shock-absorbing crash structures – and that means the roof can create a bit of a letterbox effect. But it’s still a very easy vehicle to put on the road or park, despite being relatively wide at 78.1 inches (1,985mm). (The mirrors add almost 10 inches to the width.) That width and the ID Buzz’s massive greenhouse work together to create a roomy cabin when you sit in the front.

Our test Buzz ditched the first edition’s white steering wheel and infotainment system for more practical black versions, but otherwise it was much the same as the pre-production model we filmed in Los Angeles in March. I should note that VW’s MIB infotainment system seems smoother than in the last car I drove, with noticeable improvements in swiping between screens and apps. However, the speech recognition prompt was a bit too sensitive, often interrupting our conversation after I misheard and thought my driving partner or I had just said the trigger phrase ‘hello ID’.

The three-dimensional plywood on the dash reminds me (in a good way) of the BMW i3, as does the simple instrument display and drive mode selector switch. And tech geeks will be happy to see so many USB-C ports around the cabin — I counted at least eight in all. There is a 230 V AC socket under the rear seat.