Electric High: ID. Buzz Pushes VW Microbus Nostalgia

SAN FRANCISCO – The Volkswagen ID. Buzz was technically in development for 24 years before launching in Europe in 2022. It started as a Microbus concept at the North American International Auto Show in 2001 before President George W. Bush even got inaugurated. Yes, it’s been a minute.

Next month, the battery-electric ID. Buzz, an homage to the original and beloved Microbus which was sold globally from 1950-1979 and in Brazil until 2013, goes on sale at U.S. dealerships priced roughly from $60,000-$65,495.

It’s kind of boxy – like the original and subsequent iterations such as the Vanagon, Eurovan and Transporter successors – but it rides much smoother on VW’s MEB platform (Modularer E-Antriebs-Baukasten), which translates to Modular Electric Drive Matrix.

Driving the ID. Buzz northward from San Francisco, a hub of the ’60s counterculture movement for which the original Microbus was the unofficial vehicle, on the Pacific Coast Highway, the van is, frankly, not very exciting to drive. But then, neither was the relatively underpowered Microbus back in the day.

And that takes us to VW’s database of “hand-raisers” from auto shows and other events who cite “design” as the No.1 reason they are interested in the Buzz.

It’s understandable. For all the times the Buzz seemed to “porpoise” over seemingly insignificant road anomalies, riding and driving it is nonetheless fun. The orange and white two-tone paint job that we drew from the fleet and the fresh-looking interior make a statement to – and about – those who will buy one.

Unlike the original Microbus, with its death-defying driver seat above the front axle, the Buzz is packed with safety equipment. Those features, include seven airbags, automatic post-crash braking and lane keeping, bike and pedestrian sensors.

Those safety elements are wrapped around the MEB platform, which is powered by a 91-kWh battery powering motors producing 282 hp and 413 lb.-ft of torque (560 Nm) for the rear-drive version, and 335 hp and 512 lb.-ft. (694 Nm) in the 4Motion all-wheel-drive set up.

Front brakes are anti-lock disc brakes, but the rear brakes are drums, with 20-in. wheels standard. Range is estimated at 234 miles (377 km) for the RWD and 231 miles (372 km) for the 4Motion. The charge time, says VW, is 10%-80% in 26 minutes at a fast charger.

That’s not a lot of power for a BEV, nor a lot of range for a vehicle that seems like it would be taken on a lot of road trips. Road noise is moderate while wind noise is negligible. And the generous amount of glass makes it easy to see the road. One of the exterior Easter eggs is the illumination of the VW logo on the front of the van.

The propulsion system can be controlled via modes that use software to alter accelerator response: Eco, Comfort, Sport or Custom Eco. We drove in all four modes, though we did not detect big variables except going from Comfort to Sport where response was a shade better as we traveled the twistier sections of the coastal road.

The new flagship comes in three trims: Pro S and Pro S Plus, as well as a launch-only First Edition that is a loaded and highest-priced. Seating is comfortable with leatherette 12-way adjustable seats with thigh extensions, massage, heating and cooling.

The ownership experience is enhanced by free access to Volkswagen’s Car-Net, which are connected services for safety and security, VW’s owner’s app Vehicle Insights and a wi-fi hotspot. There’s no additional charge for seven years from purchase. Buyers also receive three years of Plus Nav EV and Plus speech. The navigation is Google Maps. The van comes with 500 kWh of free charging at Electrify America public chargers.

So who may be interested in buying an ID. Buzz? VW has had plenty of time to study all those hand-raisers. More than half would trade out of midsize SUVs like the Ford Explorer and Honda Pilot. Only 3% would trade out of minivans, says VW. The rest are spread across CUVs, sedans and fullsize SUVs. Worth noting is the second reason for wanting one is the space for people and stuff. Indeed, with the two rows of seats folded flat, the cargo space is one cu.-ft. (28 L) more than the Chevy Suburban.

Other notable features include a retractable trailer hitch, the largest glass roof VW has ever produced, a relocatable/removable center console, a second-row bench-seat option and best-in-class legroom for third-row passengers. Its electric driveline allows for a flat front end, which is sloped to meet front-crash requirements and features lighting similar to other VW ID. vehicles.

Infotainment is delivered via a 12.9-in. (33-cm) center floating screen. Driver controls are on a steering column-mounted 5.3-in. (13.5-cm) screen.

Payload is rated at 1,166 lbs. (529 kg) and the roof can carry up to 220 lbs. (100 kg) of cargo.

The windshield appears to be a wraparound, but the triangular windows aft of the A-pillar are fixed – a homage to the trianglular vent windows in the front-row side windows of the original Microbus. The second row has rectangular power windows set inside fixed windows that slide front to back and are a nod to the numerous square windows in the second and third rows of the original.

For all the marketing and positioning to position it as transcendent, though, the ID. Buzz is pretty much a minivan, albeit a very well-dressed one. And the minivan segment is declining and less than a third of what it was a dozen years ago. But the ID. Buzz has a style that could mitigate  the contempt that millennials seem to have for minivans. And consider that about half of minivan buyers are empty-nesters (Boomers and Gen X who love ’60s and ’70s nostalgia), that could result in a long queue lining up for a trip down memory lane back to their favorite Grateful Dead concert.

Volkswagen President and Volkswagen of America CEO Pablo Di Si believes all that pent-up demand and love for old VWs points to selling all the U.S. units dealers can get for the first 18 months. The Buzz is manufactured in Hanover, Germany, along with VW’s T6 and T7 vans and the Amorak pickup built on a Ford truck chassis. The European Buzz, on sale for two years, is a 2-row people-van and a commercial cargo van (not destined for the U.S.) The factory is wired to build 130,000 BEV vans a year. And with the need for BEV vans to move goods in and out of European cities instead of gas- and diesel-powered vans, the risk of overproduction is spread across continents.

VW executives say they have carefully gamed out both production for the U.S. as well as drafted a plan for frequent refreshments via special editions over the first five years. The company is trying to avoid the steep drop-off in demand that the New Beetle experienced after each of the redesigns were launched once pent-up demand was met.

The automaker is going to unleash advertising in November on NFL games, including Thanksgiving Day games, as well as having a tie-in with NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” that calls for advertising during the show celebrating its 50^th season (VW is marking its 75^th anniversary in the U.S.) as well as product and brand placement in sketches.

VW is hoping the ID.Buzz will serve not only as a new flagship, but as a showroom magnet. Just as the appearance of the New Beetle redesigns in dealerships ended up selling a lot of Jettas to people who came to a showroom to check out the brand icon, VW executives say they expect the Buzz will play that role as a new traffic-builder to help sell more Atlases, Tiguans and Taoses, as well as the updated Jetta and GLI.