VW ID. Buzz First Drive Review | Is it worth £57k?

The original Volkswagen Type 2 was, and still is, one of the most iconic vehicle designs in history. Based on a VW Beetle, it had those endearing round headlamps, it had the split windscreen, and it had that ginormous VW badge on the front that made it instantly recognizable. So, if you're going to reinvent it for the 21st century, then you've got to make sure that it stands out. It's got to look bold, it's got to look futuristic, it's got to look colourful. It's got to look something like this. Welcome to the VW ID.Buzz. It's not a concept car, it is full production spec, and it will be on sale from around £57,000. It's available either as a five-seat passenger version, or in cargo spec with a three-seat bench and larger load bay in the rear. Many of the exterior details are also a nod to the Type 2, from the larger-than-normal badge to the slim lateral LED light strip between the headlamps. There's also 11 different colour variants on offer, including four two-tone looks like the one that you can see on this model. It really does feel like VW has gone all out with the styling, which, of course, they have. But just as with the original, form follows function. So, to try and make it as efficient as possible and get as much range out of the ID.Buzz, VW has made it as slippery and as aerodynamically efficient as they possibly can. In fact, this minibus has a lower drag coefficient than an Alpine A110. Wow! VW has also designed the ID.Buzz to be one of the most environmentally-friendly vehicles ever. That means that every ID.Buzz is supplied on a carbon-neutral basis and features organically-based paint and renewable raw materials all round. That theme continues when you climb in the ID.Buzz, because it hasn't got a single piece of authentic leather anywhere in the cabin. It's a vegan's dream. Instead, you've got this synthetic material that looks and feels like leather, but isn't. It's entirely man-made. Also, some of the cabin materials contain something called Sequel. And what that is, is it's 90% recycled plastic bottles and 10% plastic that's been pulled out of the ocean. So, if you buy a VW ID.Buzz, you are literally doing your bit to save the planet. As for the rest of the interior, there's plenty of parts borrowed from the ID.4, as you might expect. So, you've got the 5.3-inch digital cockpit, which is nice and clear, as well as the 12-inch Discover Pro navigation system, including wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Also, because this is a practical family bus, there's lots of nice practicality features to help store all those odds and ends that you get with children and animals and even adults. So, we've got massive, huge door pockets. You could easily get one of those big one or two liter bottles of water in there. There's a good-sized glove box. There's a place above the glove box. There's cup holders in the middle here. Again, a good size little cubby hole there. This central armrest area, except it isn't an armrest because they are here, which is handy. So, because it's not an armrest, you've got space for extra odds and ends, but the dividers, if you want to put a coffee mug in there, the dividers double up as a nice scraper. Great. And a bottle opener. Really, really handy. And actually, if you don't want any of that, you can simply lift it out and then you've got even more space. I mean, nothing is particularly new or innovative, but it's just a really good use of what we've already got to make it feel a bit more flexible in here. Once you're in the second row of seats, it does appear that that theme of very good practicality continues because you've got things like the fold-out tray table here, which is excellent for long journeys. You've got this row of seats which can recline and also slide forward depending on how much boot space or passenger space you want. Whatever you do, there is tons of headroom, legroom, knee room, you name it. However, there's a couple of things that I think they've missed a trick on because this second row of seats is a bit narrower than it could be, and that means that you've only got two isofix points. There's no isofix point in the middle. Remember, this is a minibus, so it really should have that. Also, the seats, they don't fold down in a 40-20-40 split. It's the more basic 60-40 split. That hurts the flexibility. Finally, when you do fold them down, unless you get the optional boot raiser, the seats don't fold down in a way that's completely flush with the rest of the boot floor. A few things to bear in mind there. Okay, so VW's not quite nailed the practicality of the ID.Buzz, but what's it like when you're the person behind the wheel? Now, anyone who's driven the old Type 2 Volkswagen will know that it was quite a unique driving experience. Most models were very, very slow, but then that wasn't a bad thing because the brakes, yeah, well, they were there only in theory. However, none of that stopped the driving experience from being packed with fun and charm. And the reason I mention all of that is because this car is probably the opposite. Because while it isn't particularly characterful or unique to drive, it's just like a VW ID.4 in fact, it is just a nice place to spend time in. It's got a comfortable ride. The refinement is really good. The handling, it isn't too bad when you consider that this is a minibus. I mean, the center of gravity is kept quite low because of where the batteries are stored. And also, it's not much heavier than an ID.4. It's around two and a half tons, is the ID.Buzz. Both the passenger and cargo version of the Buzz get an 88 kilowatt battery that supplies a 204 horsepower electric motor integrated into the rear axle. It generates 310 newton meters of torque and means a 0 to 62 miles an hour time of 10.2 seconds. Sounds slow, but in reality, it feels just about right. Potential range is 258 miles, while the DC charging speed is up to 170 kilowatts. That means a 5 to 80 percent charge in as little as 30 minutes. VW were never going to be able to recreate something like the original Type 2 in terms of how characterful it is to drive. Even if it was a petrol or diesel engine, that would be hard to do. But with an electric motor, it just kind of takes away that individuality. It feels like a lot of other electric cars, which isn't a bad thing because most people that will buy this car will want it to simply go from A to B with as little fuss as possible because it's not really the driving that's the reason that you buy it. It's the destination. Am I a little bit disappointed that it doesn't feel more unique to drive? Well, maybe a bit. But Volkswagen knows that it's just not really going to be worthwhile to try and differentiate it. And I think we need to get used to that when it comes to EVs such as this. It does its job and that's the end of it. And that's just it. The ID.Buzz does its job very well indeed. Yes, it's expensive, but previous incarnations show that customers will pay the premium. And that's because once again, VW clearly understands the target market more than most. The ID.Buzz isn't a car or even a minibus. It's a lifestyle choice that ties in very nicely indeed with the company's EV-led philosophy. Right product, right time, right execution. For me, this is going to fly off the shelves.