mReview: Volkswagen ID.Buzz Pro LWB 7-seater – Big Friendly Giant

The ID.Buzz is a statement piece from Volkswagen, blending an icon of the past with the innovations of the future.

There are few cars in the world that could be identified by any random person off the street, and the Volkswagen Bus is one of those special vehicles. Show anyone a VW Bus, whether old or new, and they’ll probably be able to tell you it’s a “Kombi”, “roti chia”, or “hippie machine”.

The ID.Buzz, despite its refreshed, future-forward look, is still undeniably an evolution of the VW Bus. It still has that loaf-of-bread shape and the two-tone paintwork ensures it stands out in the crowd, though it really has no issue with that thanks to its sheer size.

The ID.Buzz measures in at nearly five metres long, two metres wide, and two metres tall, right on the limit of what’s useable in a HDB multistorey carpark. There are three variants available, a normal wheelbase 5-seater, a long wheelbase 6-seater, and a long wheelbase 7-seater like our test car. 

The two-tone-ness carries over into the interior as well for a splash of colour.

Inside the Buzz, there is space aplenty for passengers and cargo, with a lofty ceiling and loads of breathing room. You could very easily fit your whole family in here without having to sacrifice on personal space. The electric sliding doors also make getting in and out of the ID.Buzz a non-issue, even for the elderly.

There's a variety of two-tone colour options available, or plain ones too if you're a square.

For a vehicle shaped like a van (a proper cargo variant is also available), cargo space is also expectedly abundant. With all three rows of seats up, 306 litres of boot space is useable but that figure balloons to nearly 2,500 litres with the seats down. There are also various cubbies throughout the car for extra storage options. 

It’s also fairly well equipped, with all the modern conveniences you expect from a 21st-century EV, except strangely enough, wireless Apple CarPlay, although that should be resolvable through an over-the-air update. The Harmon Kardon sound system works decently enough as well, although the airy cabin doesn’t make for the greatest sound stage.

The boxes below come with the car and are removable.

Under the skin, the ID.Buzz shares its drivetrain with the ID.4 and ID.5, meaning it has the same single motor setup on the rear axle producing 210kW (285hp) though the torque figure has been bumped up to 560Nm. A dual motor GTX variant may make its way here in due course but frankly, I don’t think that’s necessary.

As it stands, the ID.Buzz already travels at a rate of knots far greater than what any vehicle this size should be capable of, especially since it shares the same mediocre brake feel of the ID platform cars. 0-100km/h is disposed of in 7.9 seconds, which for a vehicle weighing 2.8 tons is scarcely believable. 

The upside to having a giant platform for your car is you can fit a correspondingly large battery pack for extra range. The NWB Buzz gets 79kWh of useable battery capacity while the LWB variants get a 86kWh one good for up to 487km of range. Charging is taken care of in a flash too, with up to 200kW of DC charging capability letting you get from 10% to 80% in under half an hour. 

The ID.Buzz might have some of the most personality of any car on sale today, with an almost universally positive reception from members of my family and of the public. The nature of the Buzz is inherently friendly and it puts the fun in functionality as well. 

If you’re looking for a statement piece to perfectly express your funky family or bodacious business, the ID.Buzz might just be the roti chia for you. 

Read More: mReview: Volkswagen ID.5 GTX Electric – Give ID Time

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