First Look: 2025 Volkswagen ID. Buzz Three-Row For America
Quick, better run out and buy that Type 2 lover in your life some flowers or, ahem, some other plant life. Today, June 2nd, is International Volkswagen Bus Day, according to the National Day Calendar people. Raise a bong in celebration.
VW chose to celebrate by unveiling the three-row version of their all-electric Volkswagen ID. Buzz today in Huntington Beach, California, surrounded by a beachful of classic Microbus brethren. While the two-row ID. Buzz has been available in other countries, we in America are in need of something a bit more substantial, so a proper three-row minivan is what will be offered here.
Disclosure: VW flew journalists to California, feeding and housing them for a night. I heard whispers of branded Birkenstocks being offered as swag but did not see them, nor was I offered.
I’ll admit that I’m a bit geeked to see a new minivan in any format instead of yet another crossover. An EV minivan is an interesting proposition. It may not be the ideal hauler to take the clan cross-country to Wally World considering range anxiety and the still-woeful state of public charging, but for families needing to haul an extra kid or two the additional space for cargo either human-style or Costco-style can be useful. And the additional headroom provided by the minivan form factor makes third-row comfort so much better.
Two drivetrains will be available - the standard rear-motor, rear-drive 282hp unit, or an all-wheel drive model with two motors and “about” 330hp.
VW did not provide range estimates, but if we extrapolate the quoted range of the European two-row ID. Buzz (423 km or 262 miles from a 77 kWh net battery giving a rough 3.4 miles per kWh efficiency) one might assume the 91 kWh battery in this three-row model might yield a theoretical 309.4 miles of range. Of course, the WLTP range estimates used in Europe are a bit optimistic compared to our dour EPA overlords, which seems to be around 11 percent lower across the board. So let’s guesstimate around 275 Real American Miles on a full charge, give or take. Here more appropriately than ever, the phrase “your mileage may vary” is apt.
Interior dimensions, too, are vague and subject to interpretation. Externally, length is 192.4 inches - ten inches longer than the two-row model. 77.9 inches in width and 74.6 inches high gives the ID. Buzz roughly the same external footprint as a two-row VW Atlas Cross Sport but with - per a VW rep - more interior capacity than the three-row Atlas. Distance between the rear wheelhouses is just under four feet, so no hauling of plywood here.
Sitting in a static display model set up in a Los Angeles studio for photos makes the interior feel legitimately roomy. The example we saw was fitted with the standard middle-row bench seat giving a seven-seat capacity - middle-row captains’ chairs giving a total of six seats are optional. If you opt for the bench, that seat splits 60/40, and can be slid forward for additional cargo space. The rear bench, with space for two, splits 50/50, and can be folded flat and even with a removable parcel shelf.
That shelf seen here is shown with a couple of VW-branded fabric bins. These bins could likely hold charging cords or whatever detritus one might wish to stash in a minivan. Those rear seats can also be removed rather easily - they do not fold down into the floor like in some other vans, however, as the electric motor and batteries live beneath the floor.
I can report that I, a six-foot, four-ish-inch tall human-ish thing, fit comfortably in the third row of the new ID. Buzz with my hair barely brushing the roof. That optional sunroof, by the way, turns opaque via electrochromic tinting.
I still hate Volkswagen’s newest infotainment display paired with touch-sensitive hairtrigger buttonish thingies on the steering wheel. It’s improved a bit here - barely - as the temperature and volume slider controls are now backlit, but give me knobs. Now, I’ve been told by aircooled VW fanatics in the past that the old-school HVAC controls never worked that well, so perhaps this is simply another callback to a simpler time.
More details and a first drive will be coming soon, I’m sure. The 2025 Volkswagen ID. Buzz is expected to go on sale in early 2024, so be certain to turn on, tune in, and drop out with TTAC as we bring you all the hot electric eclectic minivan news.
[Studio images: © 2023 Chris Tonn. Lead image and sunroof image courtesy Volkswagen]
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Some enthusiasts say they were born with gasoline in their veins. Chris Tonn, on the other hand, had rust flakes in his eyes nearly since birth. Living in salty Ohio and being hopelessly addicted to vintage British and Japanese steel will do that to you. His work has appeared in eBay Motors, Hagerty, The Truth About Cars, Reader's Digest, AutoGuide, Family Handyman, and Jalopnik. He is a member of the Midwest Automotive Media Association, and he's currently looking for the safety glasses he just set down somewhere.
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My guess of $60k from a few years ago may be low.
My EPA estimate would be 263 miles, but that's unladen, temperate conditions, driven at the speed limit, and 0% left in the tank - all unrealistic.
Subtract 15% for full payload, 20% for cold, 10% for speed, and 20% minimum battery level, and you're down to 129 usable miles at times. Even in nice conditions (springtime, town driving), I'd only expect 180 usable miles.
This vehicle will have the same challenge as electric pickups do - when used as intended (traveling with family and stuff in this case), the utility is lost.
When these hit US roads, expect to see videos of unhappy/surprised customers who thought this thing would go 260+ miles all the time. For starters, it should have a 150 kWh battery, minimum.
Old school VW HVAC controls were impossible. On Beetles and Type 2s, there were two little levers down on the floor next to the hand brake. No labels or anything, you had to know what they did. One got you more heat, one could direct it on the windshield or the floor or shut off the flow entirely. All operation was done by trial and error. Defrosting was almost impossible to get right in a hurry.