Volkswagen Finally Reveals Three-Row ID. Buzz Electric Van

• Volkswagen finally unveiled the three-row ID. Buzz that we'll get in the U.S.
• It will likely be the first fully electric minivan on the market.
• Powertrains have more horsepower than we originally thought.

What's powering the ID. Buzz?

The ID. Buzz is motivated by a 91-kWh battery pack that powers an electric motor to drive the rear wheels. The single electric motor in the RWD van develops 282 horsepower and 406 lb-ft of torque to motivate this rather hefty van to a top speed of 99 mph. A dual-motor model will be available at launch with 330 hp and 406 lb-ft of torque, in addition to providing all-wheel-drive traction.

How does the ID. Buzz drive?

We've only driven the two-row European-market ID. Buzz so far, which is shorter and less powerful than the three-row U.S. version. The Euro ID. Buzz utilizes a single rear motor fed by an 82-kWh battery pack and develops 201 horsepower and 229 lb-ft of torque. It has a Volkswagen-estimated top speed of 90 mph.

Here's a backhanded compliment: The ID. Buzz is a lot quicker than any of the original VW Microbuses. Tooling around town at lower speeds is where the Buzz is at its best — you have instant access to torque to get you moving quickly. But the 201 hp in the European version we drove is just not a whole lot considering the ID. Buzz's heft. The Buzz's power deficit is most noticeable in trying to reach highway speeds quickly or, worse, when trying to pass at highway speeds. We look forward to driving the higher-horsepower U.S. version soon.

Volkwagen states that accelerating to 62 mph (100 km/h) from a standstill takes 10.2 seconds in the Euro van, which is pretty slow by modern minivan standards and even slower by current EV standards. We expect the North American ID. Buzz to be significantly quicker, though VW isn't quoting acceleration times just yet. In Edmunds' instrumented testing, it takes the average minivan 7.9 seconds to accelerate from 0 to 60 mph, while mainstream EVs, on average, require only 7.5 seconds. Weight, of course, plays a large part. The single-motor ID. Buzz nearly outclasses all rivals when it comes to power, but it's also much heavier. The European version already weighs 600-700 pounds more than rivals, and its stretched American cousin with a larger battery pack will undoubtedly prove even heftier. We're also not in love with the brakes — it can be hard to stop smoothly. The regenerative braking won't bring you to a full stop either.

On the upside, the ID. Buzz has relatively taut handling for a van. Credit goes to the floor-mounted battery pack that keeps the van's center of gravity low. It's not sporty, but it is easy to wheel around town. It also has a ridiculously tight turning circle that'll make you want to do U-turns all day.

How comfortable is the ID. Buzz?

The ID. Buzz is fairly comfortable, but there's room for improvement. We like that the front seats are well cushioned and decently adjustable, from four-way lumbar support to an extendable lower thigh cushion for those with longer legs. Our European-spec test van had seat heaters and even provided a light seat massage via pneumatic bladders in the cushions. For those of us living in sunnier places, though, a seat ventilation option would be nice.

The second-row seat cushions might even be more comfortable than the front. The middle row features a 60/40-split design, which limits individual adjustability, but it does offer a ton of legroom. Each section of the bench can slide forward or back and recline. Unique to the U.S. ID. Buzz is the third row. Sure, it's not as cozy as the other two rows but it is far from a penalty box. Once adjusted to the right spot, we found that a 6-foot-tall adult could comfortably sit behind another 6-footer in both the second and third rows. Hair brushed the ceiling in the back row and the seat cushioning was a bit more firm, but it's manageable for a short trip. It also reclines. Add in air vents stationed to satiate those rearmost passengers and it makes for an overall cozy cabin.

The ride quality if you're in the front is pretty decent since you're closer to the middle of the Buzz's long wheelbase. But the ride definitely feels a bit stiff in the second row. Packed with rear passengers and cargo, though, we'd expect the rear suspension to cope better since it's crafted to handle a large load.

We found the cabin to be fairly well insulated against all types of noises. There was a bit of wind noise at the front while we were driving down the highway, and tire noise was largely dependent on the surface texture of the road, but it was easy to carry a conversation at any point without having to raise our voices.

How's the ID. Buzz's interior?

The exterior design of the ID. Buzz is certainly eye-catching, but we think we might like the interior design even more. The model we drove was packed with personality — it featured a wide range of textures, wood-grain patterns and pastel colors throughout the interior. Like french fries and ice cream, it sounds like it shouldn't work but it's surprisingly good. There are also playful icons, including several Easter eggs — ID. Buzz silhouettes — and even an embossed smiley face to liven up lowly door-trim screw caps. We also love VW's clever "Play" and "Pause" symbols on the accelerator and brake pedals. The ID. Buzz may win over buyers on charisma alone.

Charisma aside, we do think the amount of hard plastics used throughout the interior detract from the stunning design. With the exception of the armrests, seats and headliner, nearly all of the touchpoints in the ID. Buzz cabin are hard plastic. We think there are smart ways around all this plastic without raising costs too much (just look at any new Kia or Hyundai interior) and implementing them in the ID. Buzz would go a long way.

Space, however, is a major strength in the ID. Buzz. The short-wheelbase version that we sampled initially had plenty of room for taller drivers and passengers in both rows. As noted, the three-row U.S. version has even more. The second row slides forward or backward a few inches, and the seatbacks recline, allowing passengers to find a comfortable position. VW makes good use of the extended-wheelbase van, which is almost 10 inches longer than its two-row counterpart. For example, the dual power-sliding side doors open far enough that adults can access the third row with relative ease. Just mind the entry via that 60 side of the 60/40 bench because it is heavy.

How's the ID. Buzz's tech?

The ID. Buzz comes standard with a 12-inch central infotainment display screen. There is also a small digital display in front of the driver to show speed, battery levels, navigation and other information.

The overall look is very similar to that of the ID.4 and carries forward a major complaint that we've had in recent Volkswagen models: an absence of physical buttons and dials. It opts instead for capacitive touch controls. They tend to lack responsiveness, sometimes require tapping over and over again, and can generally be frustrating to use. The ID. Buzz we drove had the latest software and indeed seemed to have snappier input response, but fundamental operation is still much more finicky than it should be. At this point we're not entirely confident this issue is something that can be solved solely through software updates.

IQ.Drive, VW's advanced driver aid suite, is here as well. We like how the majority of the aids operate. Adaptive cruise control, for instance, is pretty handy especially in slow-moving traffic. Lane keeping assistance, though, was too quick to intervene, and we had to disable it every time we powered up the car. The ability to store your system settings is something we hope to see in the future.

How's the ID. Buzz's storage?

Storage is one of the main reasons to consider buying an ID. Buzz. Up front, there are large pockets and rubberized trays to store small items, including a deep well next to the steering wheel for slipping your smartphone inside vertically. USB charge ports abound as well, with four ports up front and one at each sliding door in the back. There is also a center storage bin that features folding openings at the front and rear and configurable cupholders, and it can be fully removed very easily to create a clear path to the second row. We're pretty interested to see what sort of accessories or attachments the aftermarket cooks up for that spot.

The cargo area behind the second row of seats is inarguably large, though we don't have official specs yet. The van's upright shape gives it a low load floor and high ceiling. There's also a wide opening and deep volume from the hatch to the rear seats. Adding a third row of seats will certainly have some effect on cargo space, but we're confident the space should still be pretty ample. The second row splits and folds down, and the third row does the same, to create a flat load space over the seatbacks. Perfect for, say, a small van-sized mattress of sorts.

How economical is the ID. Buzz?

When it comes to electric vehicles, range is the number that people focus on over efficiency, mainly because the cost of electricity is still a fraction of what we pay to fill up a gas tank. While we are still far from having any meaningful range and efficiency numbers for the U.S.-market models, we did some back-of-the-napkin math on the European WLTP numbers for the European model that Volkswagen provided and took into account what we've seen in the VW ID.4 models we've tested.

By our math, we think the European single-motor rear-wheel-drive ID. Buzz would get an EPA-estimated range of 200 miles and efficiency of around 39 kWh/100 miles. Using the same logic, we estimate 240-250 miles of range from the North American-spec van. In Edmunds' real-world EV range testing, we've seen on average 13% more range in the ID.4 than its EPA estimate. So it's possible we could see the same performance results out of the ID. Buzz.

As far as charging goes, the ID. Buzz will be able to support up to 11 kW of Level 2 AC charging, as well as 170 kW at a DC fast charger. In terms of time, you'll be able to charge from zero to 100% in a few as 7.5 hours at home and from 5% battery to 80% capacity in as little as 30 minutes given the right conditions at a DC fast charger.

Edmunds says

There is a major cool factor with the ID. Buzz. It preserves enough of the original Microbus' mojo and packages it into something that looks thoroughly modern and is extremely versatile. In person, its charm is undeniable, even with some of the cheap interior plastics and glitchy electronics. And though it's far from the quickest EV or minivan, the ID. Buzz is destined to have a massive cult following when it eventually arrives in North America in 2024.