► Living with a VW ID. Buzz
► A new-era electric bus
► The full CAR long-term test
Just as Fiat can be relied upon to crank out a fashionable small car and Range Rover has mastered the luxury off-roader, so VW knows a thing or two about making cool buses. It’s plain to me that the ID. Buzz is very much in that tradition – a tradition spanning the school run and surfer dudes.
Crisp and distinctive, the new electric van looks are a complete win for VW’s design department, after decades of Microbus and Bulli concepts. Just look at that rear C-pillar and window graphic; they completely understand the art of the cool bus.
And that’s all the more impressive given that the Buzz shares its underpinnings with the mediocre ID bunch, towering above the ID. 3, 4 and 5 with their derivative jellymould styling and unremarkable characters. Building an electric bus was perhaps the best decision VW’s product planners have made since 2015’s emissions scandal.
Ours looks especially sharp-suited in Candy White and Lime Yellow two-tone paintwork (an £1800 option) and turns more heads than most supercars. Seriously. On first acquaintance, people love it and it’s a rich conversation starter.
So VW has aced the look of the ID. Buzz, but what about first impressions as a daily driver? It’s underpinned by the group’s ubiquitous MEB hardware, which means that much of the spec is familiar from other electric Volkswagens, Audis and Skodas. You get a 77kWh lithium-ion battery mounted in the floor that’s warranted for eight years or 100,000 miles from new.
It’s big enough for a claimed 255 miles of electric range, according to official WLTP figures. It’s early days, but we’d suggest that you could probably lop that figure down to around 200 miles at this chilly time of year. More to come on the Buzz’s electric range in the months ahead.
Electric cars in winter: the truth
The motor mounted on the rear axle delivers 201bhp and 229lb ft of torque. That sounds sturdy enough to overcome the 2.5-tonne kerbweight and experience so far suggests it is, in a leisurely fashion. Volkswagen claims a 0-62mph time of 10.2 seconds and a top speed capped at 90mph. That seems well judged for this type of vehicle.
Exterior style is matched by a cool cabin, peppered with clever design flourishes. Play and pause icons adorn the accelerator and brake pedals, screw caps on the door cards have smiley faces and there’s an airy ambience, thanks to the heavily raked windscreen and correspondingly deep dashboard. This is a bright and breezy interior that’s easy to use. What’s not to like?
The only nagging doubt in the back of my mind is the limited functionality compared with VW’s workhorses such as the latest T7 Multivan. Whither the sliding rails to juggle space for bodies and baggage? Will we miss the rotating captain’s chairs and ability to reconfigure seating for mobile office space or improvising a naughty step? Moreover, why can’t we have more than five seats in the ID. Buzz? As it is, the launch SWB model wears a large footprint with only modest versatility.
More variants will follow, with campers and long-wheelbase seven-seaters in the development pipeline. But for now, I’m enjoying the cool style of the ID. Buzz and looking forward to testing both its EV efficiency and family friendliness.
Logbook: VW ID. Buzz Style SWB 77kWh Pro
Price £61,915 (£69,265 as tested)
Performance 77kWh battery, e-motor, 201bhp, 10.2sec 0-62mph, 90mph
Efficiency 2.9 miles per kWh (official), 2.7 miles per kWh (tested), 0g/km CO2
Energy cost 14.9p per mile
Miles this month 847
Total miles 5959