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VW ID Buzz test drive: an EV with character and utility

by Fred Lambert

I test drove the VW ID Buzz, an electric minivan and the latest VW electric vehicle. It’s a fun new EV with character and that is going to provide a ton of utility for families, and maybe even some special use cases.

Let me preface this by saying that VW brought us to Europe to test drive the vehicle because that’s where it is going to launch first.

I know most of our readers are based in North America and what you want to know is when it is going to get here. We are going to have to wait, unfortunately.

While deliveries in Europe should start in the coming weeks, they won’t start in North America until 2024.

Furthermore, the North American market is going to get a different version of the ID Buzz with 10 more inches between the wheels. This is going to enable a third row (though I’d argue the current “short-wheelbase” version could probably accommodate one) and a bigger battery pack than the current 82 kWh (77 kWh usable), like the big pack in the ID.4.

Currently, the pack enables 423 km (263 miles) of range based on the WLTP standard and just a smidge more for the cargo version of the ID Buzz. It has a DC fast-charging capacity of 170 kW.

As for the motor, the minivan is equipped with a single 150 kW permanent magnet synchronous electric motor that lets the vehicle accelerate to up to 145 km/h (90 mph). It has a towing capacity of 1,000 kg (2,200 pounds).

The design of the ID Buzz is obviously meant to bring up some nostalgia for the old VW minibus from the ’60s and ’70s, but it is also a vehicle that stands on its own.

The ID Buzz is very different from most EVs that I test, and I tried to keep that in mind during my test drive. Read on for my full thoughts and check out my hands-on video below.