After no less than three concepts presented over two decades, we no longer really believed in the marketing of a 21st century Volkswagen Combi. And yet, here is finally the ID.Buzz, which we were able to drive in Denmark.
For more than 20 years, Volkswagen has been trying to bring out a modern version of the Combi, this once humble van that has managed to rise to the rank of notoriety of Porsche models over time. Fans of the brand certainly remember the Microbus Concept proudly presented at the Detroit Motor Show in 2001 to support the New Beetle. The latter remained at the prototype stage for various reasons and the Bulli of 2011 as well as the BUDD-e of 2016 suffered the same fate. The ID. Buzz is the exception: unveiled in 2017, it got the green light from the managers and arrives in dealerships before the end of 2022 in a sheet metal and glazed version.
Retro? Yes and no.
Launched in 1997, the New Beetle was part of a wave of retro cars that were felt on both sides of the Atlantic. A quarter of a century later, this fashion is no longer in vogue, so the ID. Buzz looks less like the famous split-window that the New Beetle was reminiscent of the Beetle. The front lights are not round, for example, and they are much higher than those of the Combi. It’s the same at the rear: the Buzz adopts a modern look that pays homage to old models without completely copying them.
The silhouette remains rather faithful to the Combi of the hippies: it is not impossible to confuse the Buzz with a big toaster if you forget to wear your glasses and this point partially explains why Volkswagen took 20 years to revive the Combi . In the 1950s, the idea of sitting a few inches from the front of a van did not shock anyone. In the 2020s, it may offend more than one — including Euro NCAP dummies. Finding a balance between design and safety standards was more complicated than we imagine, the brand explains.
Volkswagen adds that it’s the idea that counts, not the appearance. Like its ancestors, the Buzz offers a cave-like interior while remaining relatively compact. It measures approximately 471 centimeters long (including 290 centimeters wheelbase), 198 centimeters wide, and 195 centimeters high. Not gigantic, then, but you can cram 2,205 liters of business by lowering the rear seats.
At the wheel, the word “retro” rather means an object that is used to see what is behind: only the handles that facilitate access to the rear seats are reminiscent of the Combi models equipped with the famous “quatraplat” engine. Volkswagen plays the simplicity card with 100% digital instrumentation and a 10-inch touchscreen that displays the infotainment system (a 12-inch screen is available as an option). This is the same technology found in theID.3 and theID.4, so the infotainment software isn’t terribly complicated to use, but a button to control the volume would be welcome. Several USB-C sockets are available for front and rear passengers.
Even sitting in the back seat, with small folding tables at his disposal like in an airplane, the interior is spacious and bright. This is one of the big advantages of the template worthy of a moving box, but nothing is perfect: the windows of the sliding doors are curiously fixed.
Utility roots
One of the only buttons left on the dashboard is the one that drives the electric motor. Attached to the rear axle, it develops 204 hp and 310 Nm thanks to a 77 kWh battery that promises up to 423 kilometers of range in the WLTP cycle. It’s not huge, but it’s a pretty acceptable result when you consider the dimensions of the Buzz and its weight of 2,471 kilos. It takes 10.2 seconds to reach 100 km/h and not hope to exceed 145 km/h — it stops there. Volkswagen says increasing the top speed would be completely unnecessary, as 145 is already well over the speed limit in a large majority of countries – except Germany, of course.
It is important to specify that the Buzz is not a Volkswagen model. Not exactly. Its design is actually by Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, so it comes from the same design office as the Transporter and considers the Golf more like a cousin than a sister. And yet, the most curious point from a driving point of view is that the Buzz behaves more like a crossover than a van. Its turning circle of around 11 meters approximates that of a Golf, making maneuvering around town relatively easy, and the battery (which is by far the heaviest piece of this puzzle) sits underneath the floor, which considerably lowers the center of gravity and avoids mid-corner scares.
One of the aspects that differentiates electric cars from thermal ones is the regenerative braking system. Some manufacturers, like Lexus, don’t want to hear about it: the RZ has a pedal to move forward, a second to brake, and that’s fine according to them. Others, like Mercedes-Benz, find this technology useful and make several levels of regeneration available to the driver (often accessed with paddles). Volkswagen is at halfway between these two camps: the “D” and “B” modes familiar to ID drivers (except those for whom the ID remains a stripped down DS) are available in the Buzz. In “D”, the engine brake is roughly equal to that of a thermal vehicle. In “B”, the engine brake is much more powerful and it is possible to drive without touching the brake pedal up to a certain point — you can slow down without using the hydraulic braking system (which, like on the old Combis, has a drum on the rear axle) but you have to brake to stop at a red light, for example. We find that a level beyond B would not be a bad idea.
In “B” or “D”, the Buzz is comfortable and pleasant to drive: you can already imagine yourself on a road trip with good music, a beautiful view through the huge windshield, and a good picnic in the trunk. But, is that the purpose of a van? For certain, yes. For others, a van is a simple tool like a key at shock or a cement mixer, and it is in this scenario that the Buzz figures are not totally flattering. Volkswagen tells us that the Buzz can tow up to 1,000 kilos and gives a payload of 529 kilos for the glazed version (648 kilos for the panel version), while a TDI Transporter can tow around 2,500 kilos. Even a Golf VII is capable to pull up to 1,800 kilos. Forget the idea of buying a Buzz to tow your 1957 Combi to the next Volkswagen rally.
Our test was too short to test the autonomy and the recharging capacity of the electrical system. Volkswagen promises that charging from 5% to 80% takes approximately 30 minutes at 170kW, while a full charge with the 11kW on-board charger takes seven and a half hours. The current flows in both directions: a 230 volt socket available as an option transforms the Buzz into a generator, giving it the possibility of supplying tools and other equipment. If you go into the forest, bring an extension cord: even when switched off, the Buzz will run your chainsaw, your sound system and your streetlights.
Read also
Volkswagen: nice start for ID.Buzz orders
A good idea)
It took over 20 years to see a modern interpretation of the Combi, but the fruit of patience is sweet. Despite its not 100% retro lines, the ID. Buzz remains comfortable, practical, and very friendly both for the driver and for the passengers. It plays the same role in the Volkswagen range that the New Beetle played in the late 1990s: it’s an automotive myth brought up to date and designed as a flagship, not in terms of price, but in terms of performance. image. Even if the prices would still make those nostalgic for Woodstock pale, with a bill amounting to at least €56,990!
The first models arrive in dealerships before the end of 2022. At launch, the Buzz will be available in a single configuration: with an electric motor at the rear and a 77 kWh battery. Nothing is official at this stage, but it is not difficult to imagine a more complete range with in particular a two-engine version. A long-wheelbase Buzz will soon be available for the American market.
We have one question left: when is the California version coming?
After no less than three concepts presented over two decades, we no longer really believed in the marketing of a 21st century Volkswagen Combi. And yet, here is finally the ID.Buzz, which we were able to drive in Denmark.
For more than 20 years, Volkswagen has been trying to bring out a modern version of the Combi, this once humble van that has managed to rise to the rank of notoriety of Porsche models over time. Fans of the brand certainly remember the Microbus Concept proudly presented at the Detroit Motor Show in 2001 to support the New Beetle. The latter remained at the prototype stage for various reasons and the Bulli of 2011 as well as the BUDD-e of 2016 suffered the same fate. The ID. Buzz is the exception: unveiled in 2017, it got the green light from the managers and arrives in dealerships before the end of 2022 in a sheet metal and glazed version.
Retro? Yes and no.
Launched in 1997, the New Beetle was part of a wave of retro cars that were felt on both sides of the Atlantic. A quarter of a century later, this fashion is no longer in vogue, so the ID. Buzz looks less like the famous split-window that the New Beetle was reminiscent of the Beetle. The front lights are not round, for example, and they are much higher than those of the Combi. It’s the same at the rear: the Buzz adopts a modern look that pays homage to old models without completely copying them.
The silhouette remains rather faithful to the Combi of the hippies: it is not impossible to confuse the Buzz with a big toaster if you forget to wear your glasses and this point partially explains why Volkswagen took 20 years to revive the Combi . In the 1950s, the idea of sitting a few inches from the front of a van did not shock anyone. In the 2020s, it may offend more than one — including Euro NCAP dummies. Finding a balance between design and safety standards was more complicated than we imagine, the brand explains.
Volkswagen adds that it’s the idea that counts, not the appearance. Like its ancestors, the Buzz offers a cave-like interior while remaining relatively compact. It measures approximately 471 centimeters long (including 290 centimeters wheelbase), 198 centimeters wide, and 195 centimeters high. Not gigantic, then, but you can cram 2,205 liters of business by lowering the rear seats.
At the wheel, the word “retro” rather means an object that is used to see what is behind: only the handles that facilitate access to the rear seats are reminiscent of the Combi models equipped with the famous “quatraplat” engine. Volkswagen plays the simplicity card with 100% digital instrumentation and a 10-inch touchscreen that displays the infotainment system (a 12-inch screen is available as an option). This is the same technology found in theID.3 and theID.4, so the infotainment software isn’t terribly complicated to use, but a button to control the volume would be welcome. Several USB-C sockets are available for front and rear passengers.
Even sitting in the back seat, with small folding tables at his disposal like in an airplane, the interior is spacious and bright. This is one of the big advantages of the template worthy of a moving box, but nothing is perfect: the windows of the sliding doors are curiously fixed.
Utility roots
One of the only buttons left on the dashboard is the one that drives the electric motor. Attached to the rear axle, it develops 204 hp and 310 Nm thanks to a 77 kWh battery that promises up to 423 kilometers of range in the WLTP cycle. It’s not huge, but it’s a pretty acceptable result when you consider the dimensions of the Buzz and its weight of 2,471 kilos. It takes 10.2 seconds to reach 100 km/h and not hope to exceed 145 km/h — it stops there. Volkswagen says increasing the top speed would be completely unnecessary, as 145 is already well over the speed limit in a large majority of countries – except Germany, of course.
It is important to specify that the Buzz is not a Volkswagen model. Not exactly. Its design is actually by Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, so it comes from the same design office as the Transporter and considers the Golf more like a cousin than a sister. And yet, the most curious point from a driving point of view is that the Buzz behaves more like a crossover than a van. Its turning circle of around 11 meters approximates that of a Golf, making maneuvering around town relatively easy, and the battery (which is by far the heaviest piece of this puzzle) sits underneath the floor, which considerably lowers the center of gravity and avoids mid-corner scares.
One of the aspects that differentiates electric cars from thermal ones is the regenerative braking system. Some manufacturers, like Lexus, don’t want to hear about it: the RZ has a pedal to move forward, a second to brake, and that’s fine according to them. Others, like Mercedes-Benz, find this technology useful and make several levels of regeneration available to the driver (often accessed with paddles). Volkswagen is at halfway between these two camps: the “D” and “B” modes familiar to ID drivers (except those for whom the ID remains a stripped down DS) are available in the Buzz. In “D”, the engine brake is roughly equal to that of a thermal vehicle. In “B”, the engine brake is much more powerful and it is possible to drive without touching the brake pedal up to a certain point — you can slow down without using the hydraulic braking system (which, like on the old Combis, has a drum on the rear axle) but you have to brake to stop at a red light, for example. We find that a level beyond B would not be a bad idea.
In “B” or “D”, the Buzz is comfortable and pleasant to drive: you can already imagine yourself on a road trip with good music, a beautiful view through the huge windshield, and a good picnic in the trunk. But, is that the purpose of a van? For certain, yes. For others, a van is a simple tool like a key at shock or a cement mixer, and it is in this scenario that the Buzz figures are not totally flattering. Volkswagen tells us that the Buzz can tow up to 1,000 kilos and gives a payload of 529 kilos for the glazed version (648 kilos for the panel version), while a TDI Transporter can tow around 2,500 kilos. Even a Golf VII is capable to pull up to 1,800 kilos. Forget the idea of buying a Buzz to tow your 1957 Combi to the next Volkswagen rally.
Our test was too short to test the autonomy and the recharging capacity of the electrical system. Volkswagen promises that charging from 5% to 80% takes approximately 30 minutes at 170kW, while a full charge with the 11kW on-board charger takes seven and a half hours. The current flows in both directions: a 230 volt socket available as an option transforms the Buzz into a generator, giving it the possibility of supplying tools and other equipment. If you go into the forest, bring an extension cord: even when switched off, the Buzz will run your chainsaw, your sound system and your streetlights.
Read also
Volkswagen: nice start for ID.Buzz orders
A good idea)
It took over 20 years to see a modern interpretation of the Combi, but the fruit of patience is sweet. Despite its not 100% retro lines, the ID. Buzz remains comfortable, practical, and very friendly both for the driver and for the passengers. It plays the same role in the Volkswagen range that the New Beetle played in the late 1990s: it’s an automotive myth brought up to date and designed as a flagship, not in terms of price, but in terms of performance. image. Even if the prices would still make those nostalgic for Woodstock pale, with a bill amounting to at least €56,990!
The first models arrive in dealerships before the end of 2022. At launch, the Buzz will be available in a single configuration: with an electric motor at the rear and a 77 kWh battery. Nothing is official at this stage, but it is not difficult to imagine a more complete range with in particular a two-engine version. A long-wheelbase Buzz will soon be available for the American market.
We have one question left: when is the California version coming?
