Test-Driving The Volkswagen ID. Buzz

OK, so don't even push that button. You tap your foot on the gas and then boom, it's on. Oh, for. The Volkswagen ID Buzz is an electric revival of the classic microbus that helped turn VW into a legend in the U.S. and around the world. VW is releasing a slew of EVs under the ID sub brand, but this might be the most anticipated. You hit the pedal. If this one's throwing you back, just imagine the 282 horsepower. So it's so sensitive. I'm sorry. I'm kind of jerking us around. I just it's so much fun. VW has made some of the most popular vehicles of all time. The Beetle, the Golf and yes, the Type 2 bus. But today it has only 2.5 percent of the market in the U.S. VW wants to double that by 2030. So can this tubular creation make that happen? CNBC went to Huntington Beach, California, to test the ID Buzz and see if this throwback can live up to its legendary heritage and position VW for a better future in America. And so we have D and B and B engages the regenerative braking. You got it. System. You got it. So drive is intended at a time when SUVs and crossovers have all but conquered the market and nearly 80 percent of the cars on the road are either black, gray, silver or white. VW is offering something unique for us. We wanted to take the vehicle just slightly more into a, let's say, design for direction or slightly more premium feel as well. So we developed three specific North American interiors that work well with all the exteriors. It's not what I call the matchy, matchy approach. Now, the Buzz I am driving is the European version. The larger three row American version isn't even ready for test drives yet. Let's see how it turns. Oh, check out like into a parking spot. It's just it's crazy how tight it is. Oh, my gosh. We don't expect that. And you could even make a right here. I don't even change gears. You have this completely. Oh, wow. It turns all the time. Oh, wow. Oh, my gosh. This European model is 185 inches long, which is about the length of one of VW's compact SUVs. The American three row version adds 10 extra inches. You can't buy a two row in the U.S., but VW says it will make the third row removable on this as a concession. Still, that may not please buyers who want a more compact van. The U.S. Buzz's wheelbase is 10 inches longer to match the stretched body. VW says this should keep driving dynamics similar to those of the European model. I haven't tested out the three rows turning radius. North American customers will get a few other perks, a light up logo on the front of the bus and special colors like this cabana blue. U.S. interiors are different from the European ones, too, a bit more upscale. And at the touch of a button or actually a swipe of a finger, the glass will completely go opaque, which blocks out the sun. And then I can swipe to open it back up. Oh, wow. While VW may be trying to remind the world of its buses illustrious heritage, this is a modern vehicle targeting a high end consumer. In 1951, the bus cost just above twenty two hundred dollars, which would be about twenty two thousand in today's dollars. VW hasn't released pricing info for the U.S. yet, but there is speculation it is aiming for a base price in the low sixty thousand dollar range. In keeping with this, there are a lot of creature comforts. So is all this just like controls is all for like assisted driving and things like that? Yeah. So left side is going to be all of your driver assistance functions, adaptive cruise control, travel assist, and then right side is going to be all your audio controls for voice control, volume track. And so that's how I accidentally just kicked on the music there. I was just running my fingers over it. OK. VW says it will be debuting a new remote parking feature enabled by the vehicle's ample radar camera and sensor setup. The high tech LED headlights swivel as the vehicle turns. The sliding door is powered, as is the little square window on the side. Open right up. Dog can stick its head out the window or a human. Now, the big question, what is the range? VW has not released specs, but says the buzz has a 91 kilowatt hour battery, which is larger than the one on VW's ID for electric SUV. The ID for gets a maximum EPA range of 275 miles. So on the buzz, a larger battery, but a larger vehicle and far less aerodynamic. The ID buzz will not appeal to everyone. To many, it might still just be a minivan and minivans have almost entirely disappeared from the market. In fact, they had only a 1.7 percent share in 2022. A lot of baggage comes with a minivan and we just decided to step out of that, but bring a much more modern icon, which makes people actually want to drive a vehicle with sliding doors. And actually, I have to say, we'll never call this a van or a minivan from Volkswagen of America. For us, this is a new segment. It is the bus segment. Its shape and bright colors might not be for everyone either, even fans of the old type, too. But what it may lack in mass appeal, it makes up for in utility. It can fit up to seven people, a ton of stuff or any combination of those two things. Yeah, there we are. Yeah. All right. I'm basically just over six feet tall and so. You don't look too cramped. No, no, it's cool. And the visibility, especially through the windshield, is striking. Yeah, you do really feel like you're like in a spaceship. Especially well, that is the darkest contrast you could probably see a four speed type two and then into this thing. It's night and day. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, you just like you're on another planet. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, it's yeah. I mean, I feel like I'm floating above the ground. It's no Porsche or Tesla or Remotes. The Euro version does zero to 62 miles per hour in 10.2 seconds. Minivans average the same in 7.9 seconds. Mainstream EVs average it in 7.5. But the ID Buzz does have that electric punch just enough to be fun.