Volkswagen ID. Buzz: the mythical combi is back!

For more than twenty years, Volkswagen has been hanging on return of the Combi, one of its true historical icons. Probably driven by the enthusiasm surrounding its new New Beetle at the time, the Wolfsburg manufacturer unveiled, at the Detroit Motor Show in 2001, the Microbus concept car, a modern reinterpretation of the popular derivative of the Beetle family. , which was very popular with hippies. Regularly, rumor gave hope of a reincarnation, supported occasionally by a study of style. Even the designers of the utility range indulged in nostalgia, inventing two-tone liveries for the Multivan with strict square lines.

This is finally the birth of MEB electric platform (for Modulärer Elektrobaukasten) that didn’t stop Volkswagen. Modular as its name suggests, this architecture can accommodate all types of bodywork, from the compact ID.3 that made its debut, to the future ID.7 sedan, a rival to the Tesla Model 3. And among the style offered, the ID. The buzz is not the most impressive. Finally, this model dares to wink at the 1960s that until now was rejected in the Multivan, too formal to not offend the VIPs it used to serve. By providing a combustion engine, the ID. Buzz ignores aesthetic conventions and it couldn’t be more successful. The rounded front face turns heads. At every stop, this is the attraction: this minivan loves passers-by as surely as a supercar, sympathy in addition. Especially if you choose one of the four two-tone liveries on offer.

There are only five seats on board the ID. Buzz

On closer inspection, however, it seems that aesthetics sometimes supersede practical aspects. First, there are the dimensions: with a length of 4.70 m, the Volkswagen ID. The Buzz is halfway between a Touran (4.53 m) and a Multivan (4.97 m). However, there is currently no version with more than five seats. And if the length remains quite compact for a model of this type, what about the other dimensions, especially the height. Reaching 1.93 m, the ID. Buzz prohibits access to most underground car parks. That’s problematic.

For more than twenty years, Volkswagen has been hanging on return of the Combi, one of its true historical icons. Probably driven by the enthusiasm surrounding its new New Beetle at the time, the Wolfsburg manufacturer unveiled, at the Detroit Motor Show in 2001, the Microbus concept car, a modern reinterpretation of the popular derivative of the Beetle family. , which was very popular with hippies. Regularly, rumor gave hope of a reincarnation, supported occasionally by a study of style. Even the designers of the utility range indulged in nostalgia, inventing two-tone liveries for the Multivan with strict square lines.

This is finally the birth of MEB electric platform (for Modulärer Elektrobaukasten) that didn’t stop Volkswagen. Modular as its name suggests, this architecture can accommodate all types of bodywork, from the compact ID.3 that made its debut, to the future ID.7 sedan, a rival to the Tesla Model 3. And among the style offered, the ID. The buzz is not the most impressive. Finally, this model dares to wink at the 1960s that until now was rejected in the Multivan, too formal to not offend the VIPs it used to serve. By providing a combustion engine, the ID. Buzz ignores aesthetic conventions and it couldn’t be more successful. The rounded front face turns heads. At every stop, this is the attraction: this minivan loves passers-by as surely as a supercar, sympathy in addition. Especially if you choose one of the four two-tone liveries on offer.

There are only five seats on board the ID. Buzz

On closer inspection, however, it seems that aesthetics sometimes supersede practical aspects. First, there are the dimensions: with a length of 4.70 m, the Volkswagen ID. The Buzz is halfway between a Touran (4.53 m) and a Multivan (4.97 m). However, there is currently no version with more than five seats. And if the length remains relatively compact for a model of this type, what about the other dimensions, especially the height. Reaching 1.93 m, the ID. Buzz prohibits access to most underground car parks. That’s problematic.

Also, the Volkswagen ID. Buzz is gone no individual rear seats. You have to make a sliding bench seat in two parts, definitely removable, but the biggest part of it cannot be removed by one person. We’re more familiar with the modularity, but the seats are comfortable and there’s plenty of storage space and USB sockets. The ergonomics are correct, despite some slowness of the start-up screen and, above all, some menus represented by drawings, very nice, but poorly organized.

A new battery for the Volkswagen ID. Buzz

At launch, the Volkswagen ID. Buzz is only offered a single technical configuration, combining an 82 kWh battery (Volkswagen announces a useful capacity of 77 kWh but we measured better, 80 kWh, with our technical partner Moba), on a 204 hp electric motor. It looks, on paper, what we know about the other models of the Group, starting with the Volkswagen ID.4, ID.5 and Skoda Enyaq. But the truth is more complicated. In fact, from one version to another, the suppliers of the 82 kWh battery change. Among the two-wheel-drive SUVs of the MEB platform, it is supplied by the Chinese CATL, while the four-wheel-drive models (one motor per axle) are supplied by LG Chem. The ID. The Buzz takes advantage of a third type of battery (with a capacity equal to the other two), provided by the Korean SK On. Note that this one is made up of NCM 811 cells (10% cobalt in the cathode), unlike its siblings with NCM 712 (20% cobalt).

During a charging test at an Ionity terminal, we found that the ID. Buzz dialed the correct number with his drum of choice. Today, it is one of the first models of the brand to take advantage of the plug & charge functionality: if you have registered your bank details first, the charge will start when you plug in the car. Above all, the SK On battery allows a very fast charging: the raised peak of 187kW is the best seen on the MEB platform (respectively 180 kW and 145 kW at LG Chem and CATL). If the drop in power is a little more marked than CATL, we still go from 10% to 80% in 30 minutes (34 minutes with LG Chem and 27 minutes with CATL). Finally, it only takes 15 minutes to go from 80% to 100%. This is a great result.

One may be afraid of high consumption with ID. Buzz, high profile. If the descendant of this Combi really does produce a lot of air, the result is not so catastrophic. We noticed an average of 22.1 kWh / 100 km on the road and 31.3 kWh / 100 km on the highway, very far from the obscene excesses of a Peugeot e-Traveller. It allows a the autonomy of 360 km and 255 km is still respectable respectively, without margin. A battery version of 111 kWh should land in the coming months, which will further improve the radius of action.

Driving pleasure above others

Quite convincing in terms of versatility, this Volkswagen ID. Buzz seduces with its driving pleasure. In town, it stands out for its softness and amazing mobility: the absence of a front engine allows a large steering angle, and therefore maneuvering in relatively tight spaces. Of course, you should not expect brilliant performance from this model, which weighs 2,407 kg on the scale. 0 to 100 km/h is announced in 10.2 seconds, we measured the recovery from 80 to 120 km/h in 7.6 seconds and the top speed is limited to 145 km/h (150 km/h counter ) … That’s lower than the ID.4 SUV, despite the identical axle gear ratio between the two models, which is 12.978.

Let’s not forget the ID. Buzz wants to be the reincarnation of a model who is a true icon of cool. So more than explosive accelerations, we want to look for more tranquility and comfort. Despite the 21-inch wheels of our test model and the absence of piloted suspension (even as an option), the irregularities of the bitumen appear to be very properly filtered. Similarly, the stiffness of the body is sufficient, so that there is no resonance effect in the rear of the bodywork on a damaged surface. We didn’t expect much, because the Multivan doesn’t either! Finally, road behavior is reassuring, gently lowering the limit and reasonably efficient.

It’s hard not to be enthusiastic about this Volkswagen ID test. buzz. Volkswagen has really succeeded in reviving its legendary model. The look is cute, the services are there. Above all, the German giant reaffirms that it is preparing to regularly improve the performance of its electric models, with the appearance of the new SK On battery, with very fast recharging. It remains to quickly develop the range, to offer more variants with, above all, configurations that offer more than five seats.

The only real congenital defect of the Volkswagen ID. Buzz seems to be the height of more than 1.90 m, and a high fare. But, in absolute terms, €56,990 excluding options is still more reasonable than the €69,950 claimed for the equivalent Peugeot e-Traveler (Allure 75 kWh). Especially since those who want a retro look in the Stellantis electric vans have to turn to the Citroën version, dressed by the Italian craftsman Caselani to hide it as an evocation of the Type H. And there, it costs more than 80,000 € .