VW ID Buzz & Cargo | Irish Launch

In 1950 the Type 2 Volkswagen, a van based on the Beetle (Type 1) was launched. The Type 2 van was beloved of hippies, surfers and generations of families in between, combining an adventurous spirit and the freedom of the road, it had the addition of some home creature comforts. Since then, people have continued to modify the much beloved ‘bus’ to suit their every needs, some have even gone so far as to drop Porsche engines in with upgraded tyres & suspension etc.

The latest iteration of this historic story from VW continues, with a retro design, engineering and technology. Look past the cute grin and you’ll see the ID Buzz uses the same platform as the rest of the Volkswagen ID range in the same way the Type 2 used the underpinnings of the first VW model, the Beetle.

The ID Buzz uses the Pro Performance motor found in Volkswagen’s ID 3, ID 4 and ID 5 models, so you end up with around 201bhp with a 0-100 km/h dash that takes 10.2 seconds. The 77kWh battery pack gives the Buzz a WLTP-rated range of 415 kms. Volkswagen claims a max of 170kW charge speed which results in a 5-80% top-up in around 30 minutes. A 7kW home wallbox will give you a full charge in 11 hours. There’s a pretty strong ‘one-pedal’ regen mode, useful in heavy stop/start traffic but best left off if you want to enjoy open, flowing roads. It’s not perhaps as practical as van-based rivals such as the Mercedes EQV or Citroën’s e-Berlingo and there’s also the Peugeot e-Rifter, Opel’s Combo-e Life, the Citroën e-SpaceTourer and Peugeot’s e-Traveller to contend with. Up against SUVs, it comes with more space and those added features for week-long away adventure trips. For now, you can only get a single motor and rear-wheel drive but there are plans for a more powerful four-wheel drive ID Buzz in the near future.

The ID. Buzz Life comes with 19-inch wheels, a 10-inch infotainment display with navigation, plus Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, as well as a reversing camera, heated seats and a heated steering wheel. To get an electric closing tail gate you’ll have to option the Open and Close Pack Basic, which comes as standard on the next trim level up.

The cabin at first seems sparse but look a little closer and you’ll find a USB slot in the passenger door and a hidden wireless phone charging pocket on the dash, you can even add a three-pin plug underneath the front passenger seat. There are four USB-C charging points and big bins in the sliding doors. There are of course folding picnic tables on the back of the front seats, although they could perhaps do with some reinforced support. The ID Buzz’s materials are mostly hard wearing, probably as they’ll be battered during lots of outdoor adventures.

The colours and design are different to most, the ArtVelours seat trim is a nice (optional) touch. The boot measures 1,121 litres and folding down the middle row increases it to 2,205 litres. To get a flat load area you can spec the raised floor which doubles as a space to store charging cables.

The steering is direct, well weighted and the low centre of gravity adds to the dynamics somewhat. The price is high, VW residuals have traditionally been high too and here we are with plenty of people ordering them.

ID Buzz Cargo

I’ve always thought that White Van Man drove with such aggression because of the uncomfortable and frustrating seats they’d been given in their daily workhorse, with some vans going so far as to limit the ability to push the seat fully back. The more I look at the ID Buzz Cargo (the van variant of the VW ID Buzz) the more I think they’ve finally designed a workhorse with the driver and the long, congested journeys they have to do in mind, and not just the cargo they have to move. The 201bhp electric motor in the ID Buzz Cargo delivers 229lb ft of torque to the rear wheels. The Buzz Cargo’s handling is particularly good due to the 77kWh battery under the flat floor, and it could potentially give you 411 kms of range. It also has a handy 11.1m turning circle.

The max payload weight is 650kg and a longer wheelbase is planned for a later release date. There’s a few ways to get access to the 3.9m3 loadspace, via top-hinged barn-style or single/twin sliding side doors, through loading under the passenger seats and via a tail gate window. There’s an optional ‘Buzz Box’ to help with the added requirements of a van that also operates as an office. It’s a five-litre removable storage drawer that locks into place between the front seats on two-seat models and comes with a top cubby storing an ice scraper and bottle opener.

Every input goes through the infotainment and is controlled by touch, so most of the things you do most often such as changing radio station or adjusting the temperature requires poking the screen. The Commerce version comes with LED headlights, a 5.4-inch digital display, 10” touchscreen, Apple CarPlay / Android Auto connectivity, three front seats, heated driver’s seat, front and rear parking sensors, and a number of USB-C ports throughout the cabin.

I’m all for safety but more than 30 assistance systems seems like a lot. Travel Assist and an intelligent Memory Function allow you to automatically park in spaces you use frequently, are just some of the party tricks available. For a van, straight out of the box it looks great, especially in darker colours. It’s streamlined and comfortable, things which van drivers have needed for some time. Whether it’s good at shifting lots of cargo easily, well, that requires a more in depth test.