The ID.Buzz is the first car I've driven that looks far better in person than it does in photos. Photo: Alan Neuhauser
The retro ID.Buzz from Volkswagen was supposed to make EVs cool.
- As stunning as it looks, it's kind of a bummer.
The big picture: VW spent plenty of time hyping the ID.Buzz. While the automaker's electric flagship in America was a bulbous, if competent, crossover SUV, it teased the forthcoming van as the vehicle that would finally light its fire.
Reality check: What started on paper as a beloved, restored symbol of American counterculture soured into a mismanaged defense contract: overdue, over-budget, and underwhelming.
Between the lines: Authenticity co-opted by capitalism and corporate committees? This vehicle truly is reliving the '60s.
Catch up fast: After close to a decade in development, the van features:
- A paltry 234 miles of range — in its way, a faithful re-creation of the original minibus' anemic driving experience.
- And, inexplicably, a starting price rivaling Audi, Lexus and Volvo.
Zoom in: It's hard not to feel insulted.
- The automaker seems to be hoping that if we simply fall for the van's (admittedly) good looks on the outside, we'll forget about everything that's wrong on the inside.
Case in point: The third-row seats are wide enough for three passengers but have seatbelts for only two — a mystifying oversight that forced a recall mere weeks after ID.Buzz's launch.
- The lousy range can't be excused by aerodynamics; three-row electric SUVs from Hyundia, Kia and Rivian, each roughly shaped like a brick, drive far beyond 300 miles per charge.
The bottom line: The ID.Buzz, to butcher a phrase, could have been the chosen one.
- Instead, it's stacking up on dealer lots. What a drag.
Driving the ID.Buzz
VW arranged for a fully charged ID.Buzz to be dropped off at my brother's house in New Jersey during a family visit.
Why it matters: I rambled highways and local roads all over the Garden State, and then traveled up I-95 to Rhode Island.
By the numbers:
- Base price: $59,995
- Price as tested: $68,990
- Range: 234 miles
- Charge time: About 30 minutes, which is standard these days.
Liked:
- Plush seating; thrones suited for the open road.
- Cavernous interior. A funeral-director friend saw ample hauling opportunities — and he's not the first.
- Fillmore-quality sound system.
- Clever rear-storage boxes.
Disliked:
- Laughable range.
- Absurd sticker price.
- Few interior frills for the price.
- Tall step height could prove a challenge for some.
- VW finally brought buttons back to its touchscreens. But what does it have against knobs? What do we need to do to get a volume dial?
The bottom line: At $71,000, the ID.Buzz is a Deadhead sticker on a Cadillac.
- It's comfortable, roomy — and saddled by a fatal mismatch between price and range.
Parents' corner
Parents love minivans, and the ID.Buzz — America's only fully electric passenger van — is no exception.
Why it matters: Aside from having to recharge every 200ish miles, the van has oceans of room and comfortable seats that kids, their parents and grandparents love.
Yes, but: The limited range will also put your relationships to the test.
- If, by the second or third road trip recharging stop, your loved ones haven't ditched to hitch, you'll know you have something truly special. ❤️
Outsourcing the electric ambitions
Volkswagen has reportedly postponed plans to go all-electric by 2033.
Why it matters: The brand is slowing the rollout of new EVs and relegating some of the most ambitious models to a separate brand, Scout Motors.
Driving the news: VW in September reportedly delayed a planned electric hatchback and SUV, citing rising costs and production delays.
- A VW spokesperson declined to comment.
Between the lines: Inflation is a factor. But VW is also getting hammered in China, where it had dominated vehicle sales for decades.
- Parent company Volkswagen Group last year saw China sales plummet 10% as it lost market share to local rivals, especially colossus BYD.
- It sold 2% fewer vehicles in Germany and just narrowly avoided closing a factory there, which would have been an ignoble first in its home country.
💭 Alan's thought bubble: VW is making a perceived "safer" bet on internal combustion cars. But in doing so, it's ceding the path for China's surging automakers, whose cheap EVs are already arriving in Europe and North America.
How the sales stack up
That's it! Thank you to George Moriarty and Katie Lewis for edits. Stay tuned for more editions of Climate Wheels, coming soon.
