Are you and old hippie (are there young ones?) that gets weepy whenever you recall painting a peace sign on your cousin’s trusty rusty Volkswagen Bus?
Ah, VW has been planning something special for you for roughly 25 years — a new bus. But gone is the micro part of the bus (T2 officially) and the name is now a trendy electrified moniker: the ID. Buzz. All VW electrics are saddled with the ID pre-name.
I could go on and on about how VW originally showed a cool retro-styled microbus way back in 2001, then rejiggered the idea several times before finally settling on an electric version in 2017. Then taking seven more years before launching this ID. Buzz in late 2024. But why?
It’s here now and it’s cute as a bug (sorry) with a retro two-tone paint scheme, short almost non-existent snout like the original, and electric power to cleanly traverse the nation’s highways and byways with the whole family aboard. And at that, no one will feel cramped, unlike the original.
Read about its granddad, a 1970 VW Kombi “Microbus”
That’s because the ID. Buzz is a minivan, not a microbus. Oh, there are smaller versions, but those are for the European market.
This new minivan is loaded with electronics and safety features that virtually no one had even thought of when the original VW Bus, or its poorly executed follower, the Vanagon, were loosed on our roads.
Let’s get to the details.
First, if your sole criteria for a new vehicle is cute or retro, look no further. Like the BMW-made Mini Cooper the ID. Buzz puts a smile on everyone’s face, but is not mini.
No, the new minivan is roughly an inch longer than the popular Toyota Sienna (testing it next week) and rides on a monster 131.1-inch wheelbase. That’s 11 inches longer than the Sienna’s wheelbase, and a full three feet longer than the original VW Bus’s wheelbase. That provides a huge platform for the batteries that power ID. Buzz and deliver a low center of gravity to help it feel well-grounded at nearly 6,200 pounds, about 1,500 more than a Sienna.
Those batteries slip electrons to one of two powertrains. The tested ID. Buzz Pro S Plus 4Motion comes with two electric motors, an induction AC up front and a permanent magnet synchronous AC motor in back to create 335 horsepower and 413 pound-feet of torque powering all four wheels.
Like other electrics, when you step on its accelerator the ID.Buzz charges to life quickly. Car & Driver puts 0-60 mph at 5.5 seconds.
The rear-drive version is about a second slower with just one electric motor providing 282 horsepower, still respectable. It’s too bad that there’s no hybrid or plug-in hybrid version, but VW wanted this to be solely electric so builds it on its modular electric platform also used by the ID.4.
I had the VW during a February cold snap with a couple days hovering just above zero, so my tester’s battery life was sadly reduced, considerably.
VW says the AWD model has a 231-mile range and the rear-drive 3 miles better, but a 90% charge during the wicked cold got me just 142 miles of range, although the digital dash initially said 152 before readjusting as I backed from the drive. Best I got was 180 miles of range on a warmer day and nearly fully charged. By the way, C&D maxed out at 190 miles in warmer weather.
My experience was that an overnight 12- to 15-hour charge at 110 volts the ID.Buzz got about a 20% charge. Normally that would mean 40 or more extra miles of range. But in the cold, I was getting just 20.
It didn’t help that I had to charge this just outside my garage door as the ID. Buzz is 76.2-inches tall and wouldn’t fit cleanly through the door opening. For comparison, the Sienna minivan is nearly 7 inches shorter. Honda’s Odyssey is 6.6 inches shorter than the VW.
As for driving characteristics, well, it’s a minivan. Outside of its peppy acceleration the steering is just OK, as one would expect in a minivan, a bit numb. Ride was surprisingly abrupt for such a looooong wheelbase. City streets created jolts and bumps that sometimes got the chassis to rock front to back. Highway drives were easier and the electric zip particularly helpful when merging.
Other minivans (there are just four) such as the Sienna, Odyssey, Chrysler Pacifica, and Kia Carnival, offer more compliant rides.
Also, the ID. Buzz can translate those big road bumps into what I call cargo-van thumps and echoes in the rear seating areas. All minivans are less echo-prone if they are loaded with people and luggage though.
The test minivan, a gorgeous retro Energetic Orange and Candy White ($995 extra) featured a more subdued orange and cream two-tone interior, again reflecting 1960s styling. The long and deep dash’s front (remember Chevy’s Lumina, Oldmobile’s Silhouette, and Pontiac’s Trans Sport?) was a gunmetal gray with satin chrome trim and then a gray fake wood inlay for the dash’s front, followed by the orange and cream surfaces that matched the door panels. Sharp!
The headliner was an off-white fabric, but no sunroof in this model, that’s a $1,495 option and is high-tech so can switch from clear to tinted at the touch of a button, I hear.
There are windows within the sliding rear doors’ side windows that can be opened via a button to let sun and air in the back, or allow a pup to hang a head out a window. Naturally there’s a power hatch in back, with a wiper.
Flip up that hatch and one sees two fabric storage boxes under a shelf on the rear floor behind the row three seats. Those boxes will hold groceries if the shelf if flipped up, or the charging cable neatly stores in one.
All six seats here are fairly comfy although flatter and with less lower back support than I’d expected. Still, legroom is generous and headroom is mammoth. Rear seats fold flat for carrying long and large objects and if something is really long, the front seats’ center console is removable. OK, might use that once. Third row seats also can be removed, but be forewarned, you’ll likely want a second set of strong adult hands to move them. A second row bench seat is standard if one wants seating for seven.
As one might expect, there are plenty of outlets for games and phones at all the seats. I liked that the passenger could charge a phone in their door’s USB plug and leave their phone in the handy tray in front of the passenger’s seat.
The power front seats and row two captain’s chairs are heated, the front ones also being cooled and offering a massage function. That was easily turned on and adjusted via the 12.9-inch info screen mounted mid dash. Several folks commented it looked like an iPad stuck to the dash. I couldn’t disagree, but many others share that look.
It was fairly easy to use too, although adjusting the radio stations took a bit of a hunt and a friend with an electric Mini had to point out the radio’s power button hidden on the edge of the screen. That was also easy to inadvertently hit when adjusting screen icons.
The driver’s instrument pod wisely is attached to the manual tilt/telescope steering wheel unit so it moves along with that as it’s adjusted. That means it remains visible at all times, never being blocked by the movement of the wheel. Bravo!
Below the big info screen is a set of large cup holders that can be opened and used if the front console has been removed, or just to hold a 64-ounce Big Gulp on a long trip.
ID. Buzz’s styling with the stubby nose creates a large window space with big side-view vent windows that create excellent forward and sideways sightlines. That’s not common in any large SUVs these days as their massive A-pillars and thick mirrors often infringe on side views.
That’s grand, but there were yet a few more bugaboos worth a mention.
First, the step-up into the ID. Buzz is awkward, sort of like the original microbus. One steps toward the front of the door opening into a little indented step, then up to the minivan’s floor. At least the driver has the steering wheel to help pull him or herself aboard. Passengers may first want to locate the overhead handle if they need climbing support.
I found the power mirror controls touchy too, not always engaging right away so one tended to over adjust a mirror’s angle, or get frustrated and just leave it, using primarily the overhead rearview mirror. Speaking of sightlines, the third row seats’ headrests can block the driver’s rear view, so if no one is back there, be sure to lower them all the way for better visibility.
I’m still not a fan of VW’s twist shifter knob on a stalk to the steering wheel’s right, but one adapts over time. Note too that if you have the key fob in your pocket the doors will automatically unlock and the mirrors will fold out when you get near the vehicle. If clearing snow from the tall minivan, you’ll need a long window brush, oh, and the mirrors likely will fold in and out a few times as you brush.
VW’s radio also turns on automatically as you get in and will stay on until you open the door and extend your legs to exit. No need to push the on-off button to start or stop the minivan as it recognizes you’re aboard and turns on, then switches off the ignition when you unbuckle your seat belt.
For the record the new ID. Buzz is built in Hanover Germany, so no EV tax credits will apply. Not sure whether tariffs will be impacting its pricing soon, but I hope not as this is already a premium product, starting at $61,545 for the rear-drive Pro S base model. The Pro S Plus lists at $65,045 and the tested Pro S Plus 4Motion lists at $69,545, all prices include delivery.
Only the paint job was extra on this one, so out-the-door it was $70,540 and my bet is VW will sell every one they can make, even at that price, especially in warmer climates. Form, especially cute and retro, will sell over function, well mainly range.
Trust me, VW has a hit on its hands and that glowing VW roundel on the nose will signal to all comers that there’s a trendy buyer aboard.
FAST STATS: 2025 Volkswagen ID. Buzz Pro S Plus 4Motion
Hits: Fun retro looks inside and out, clean and strong electric power, roomy interior, plus AWD and power hatch. Seats are heated/cooled up front, plus massage, second row just heated but captain’s chairs, plenty of cord plug-ins, removable center console, big cupholders fold from under center stack’s big screen. Driver’s instrument pod easy to see as it moves with manual tilt/telescope wheel, sliding rear windows within windows, power sliding side doors, excellent front and side sightlines, drawers under rear cargo area tray for holding charge cable and groceries.
Misses: Modest charge range, no sunroof, awkward step-up, touchy power mirror controls, must lower third row headrests to see out rear, awkward VW twist shifter knob and no hybrid, or PHEV version. Pricey for a minivan.
Made in: Hanover, Germany
Engine: 2 electric motors, 335 hp/413 torque
Transmission: automatic direct drive
Weight: 6,197 lbs.
Wheelbase: 131.1 in.
Length: 195.4 in.
Cargo: 19/76/146 cu.ft.
MPGe: 87/74
Range: 231 mi. / tested 180
Charge time: 9 hours (240v)
Base Price: $69,545 (includes delivery)
Invoice: $66,826
Major Options:
2-tone Energetic Orange & Candy White paint, $995
Test vehicle: $70,540
Sources: VW, www.kbb.com
